Helsinki City Marathon Half Marathon or Helsinki City Marathon 5K — which comes out ahead?

Helsinki City Marathon Half Marathon and Helsinki City Marathon 5K split the available advantages, so the better choice depends on which metric matters most to the runner.

Route comparison snapshot

Helsinki City Marathon Half Marathon

Mapped route
Held
Elevation profile
Held
course flatness
0.5% Favoured
flat grade share
82.3%
lower ascent
122 m
climbing density
5.8 m/km
net elevation
6 m
maximum grade
7.1%

Helsinki City Marathon 5K

Mapped route
Held
Elevation profile
Held
course flatness
1.1%
flat grade share
82.3% Favoured
lower ascent
34 m
climbing density
6.7 m/km
net elevation
6 m
maximum grade
6.4%
Head-to-head comparison
MetricHelsinki City Marathon Half MarathonHelsinki City Marathon 5K
Flat grade share82.3%82.3% ✓
GAP factor (% slower than flat)0.5% ✓1.1%
Uphill share9.5%8.7%
Steep-up share0.7%0.0%
Downhill share8.3%8.9%
Total ascent (m)122 m34 m
Climbing density (m/km)5.8 m/km6.7 m/km
Longest climb length (m)1,230 m730 m
Longest climb gain (m)17 m16 m
Longest climb average grade1.4%2.2%
Total descent (m)117 m27 m
Net elevation (m)6 m6 m
Max absolute grade7.1%6.4%
Start elevation (m)4 m4 m
Finish elevation (m)9 m9 m
Scenic score73/10073/100
Conditions87/10087/100

Only metrics available for at least one side are shown. A ✓ marks the better value for each metric (higher-is-better aware). Scores are out of 100 when available. Ascent, climbing density, max absolute grade and median finish describe course or field context and are not marked as better or worse.

Same-distance comparisons are most meaningful; cross-distance metrics are contextual.

Race facts that change the decision

Race facts comparison
FactHelsinki City Marathon Half MarathonHelsinki City Marathon 5K
Schedule

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2027-05-07 (legacy event-level date).

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2027-05-07 (legacy event-level date).

LocationHelsinki, FinlandHelsinki, Finland
Actual distance21.1 km5 km
raceindex.org mapped route heldHeldHeld
raceindex.org elevation profile heldHeldHeld
Course typePoint To PointUnavailable
SceneryCity, Coastal, Waterfront, Parkland, IslandCity, Coastal, Waterfront, Parkland, Island
AtmosphereBig City, Scenic TourBig City, Scenic Tour
Total ascent122 m34 m
Climbing density5.8 m/km6.7 m/km
Total descent117 m27 m
Net elevation6 m6 m
Max absolute grade7.1%6.4%
Flat grade share82.3%82.3%
GAP factor0.5%1.1%
Cutoff3:00:00Unavailable
Entry modelOpenOpen

Schedule

Helsinki City Marathon Half Marathon

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2027-05-07 (legacy event-level date).

Helsinki City Marathon 5K

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2027-05-07 (legacy event-level date).

Location

Helsinki City Marathon Half Marathon
Helsinki, Finland
Helsinki City Marathon 5K
Helsinki, Finland

Actual distance

Helsinki City Marathon Half Marathon
21.1 km
Helsinki City Marathon 5K
5 km

raceindex.org mapped route held

Helsinki City Marathon Half Marathon
Held
Helsinki City Marathon 5K
Held

raceindex.org elevation profile held

Helsinki City Marathon Half Marathon
Held
Helsinki City Marathon 5K
Held

Course type

Helsinki City Marathon Half Marathon
Point To Point
Helsinki City Marathon 5K
Unavailable

Scenery

Helsinki City Marathon Half Marathon
City, Coastal, Waterfront, Parkland, Island
Helsinki City Marathon 5K
City, Coastal, Waterfront, Parkland, Island

Atmosphere

Helsinki City Marathon Half Marathon
Big City, Scenic Tour
Helsinki City Marathon 5K
Big City, Scenic Tour

Total ascent

Helsinki City Marathon Half Marathon
122 m
Helsinki City Marathon 5K
34 m

Climbing density

Helsinki City Marathon Half Marathon
5.8 m/km
Helsinki City Marathon 5K
6.7 m/km

Total descent

Helsinki City Marathon Half Marathon
117 m
Helsinki City Marathon 5K
27 m

Net elevation

Helsinki City Marathon Half Marathon
6 m
Helsinki City Marathon 5K
6 m

Max absolute grade

Helsinki City Marathon Half Marathon
7.1%
Helsinki City Marathon 5K
6.4%

Flat grade share

Helsinki City Marathon Half Marathon
82.3%
Helsinki City Marathon 5K
82.3%

GAP factor

Helsinki City Marathon Half Marathon
0.5%
Helsinki City Marathon 5K
1.1%

Cutoff

Helsinki City Marathon Half Marathon
3:00:00
Helsinki City Marathon 5K
Unavailable

Entry model

Helsinki City Marathon Half Marathon
Open
Helsinki City Marathon 5K
Open

Facts are shown only when they exist in the sourced race record; Not held means no sourced value is held for that race.

Common questions

Which is flatter, Helsinki City Marathon Half Marathon or Helsinki City Marathon 5K?

Helsinki City Marathon Half Marathon has the lower GAP factor, making it the flatter course on our route model and more favourable on gradient alone.

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How figures are calculated →