Paavo Nurmi Marathon Half Marathon or Helsinki City Marathon Half Marathon — which comes out ahead?

Paavo Nurmi Marathon Half Marathon has the stronger available profile on flat grade share, course flatness and scenery score.

Route comparison snapshot

Paavo Nurmi Marathon Half Marathon

Mapped route
Held
Elevation profile
Held
course flatness
0.3% Favoured
flat grade share
85.7% Favoured
lower ascent
91 m
climbing density
4.3 m/km
net elevation
-1 m
maximum grade
9.1%

Helsinki City Marathon Half Marathon

Mapped route
Held
Elevation profile
Held
course flatness
0.5%
flat grade share
82.3%
lower ascent
122 m
climbing density
5.8 m/km
net elevation
6 m
maximum grade
7.1%
Head-to-head comparison
MetricPaavo Nurmi Marathon Half MarathonHelsinki City Marathon Half Marathon
Flat grade share85.7%82.3%
GAP factor (% slower than flat)0.3%0.5%
Uphill share7.2%9.5%
Steep-up share0.0%0.7%
Downhill share7.1%8.3%
Total ascent (m)91 m122 m
Climbing density (m/km)4.3 m/km5.8 m/km
Longest climb length (m)300 m1,230 m
Longest climb gain (m)11 m17 m
Longest climb average grade3.7%1.4%
Total descent (m)92 m117 m
Net elevation (m)-1 m6 m
Max absolute grade9.1%7.1%
Start elevation (m)9 m4 m
Finish elevation (m)8 m9 m
Scenic score100/10073/100
Conditions64/10087/100

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.

Race facts that change the decision

Race facts comparison
FactPaavo Nurmi Marathon Half MarathonHelsinki City Marathon Half Marathon
Schedule

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2026-08-14 (legacy event-level date).

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

LocationTurku, FinlandHelsinki, Finland
Actual distance21.1 km21.1 km
raceindex.org mapped route heldHeldHeld
raceindex.org elevation profile heldHeldHeld
Course typeLoopPoint To Point
SceneryCity, Coastal, Historic, Riverside, Island, Parkland, Waterfront, ForestCity, Coastal, Waterfront, Parkland, Island
AtmosphereCommunity, Festival, Scenic TourBig City, Scenic Tour
Total ascent91 m122 m
Climbing density4.3 m/km5.8 m/km
Total descent92 m117 m
Net elevation-1 m6 m
Max absolute grade9.1%7.1%
Flat grade share85.7%82.3%
GAP factor0.3%0.5%
Cutoff2:00:003:00:00
Entry modelOpenOpen

Schedule

Paavo Nurmi Marathon Half Marathon

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2026-08-14 (legacy event-level date).

Helsinki City Marathon Half Marathon

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

Location

Paavo Nurmi Marathon Half Marathon
Turku, Finland
Helsinki City Marathon Half Marathon
Helsinki, Finland

Actual distance

Paavo Nurmi Marathon Half Marathon
21.1 km
Helsinki City Marathon Half Marathon
21.1 km

raceindex.org mapped route held

Paavo Nurmi Marathon Half Marathon
Held
Helsinki City Marathon Half Marathon
Held

raceindex.org elevation profile held

Paavo Nurmi Marathon Half Marathon
Held
Helsinki City Marathon Half Marathon
Held

Course type

Paavo Nurmi Marathon Half Marathon
Loop
Helsinki City Marathon Half Marathon
Point To Point

Scenery

Paavo Nurmi Marathon Half Marathon
City, Coastal, Historic, Riverside, Island, Parkland, Waterfront, Forest
Helsinki City Marathon Half Marathon
City, Coastal, Waterfront, Parkland, Island

Atmosphere

Paavo Nurmi Marathon Half Marathon
Community, Festival, Scenic Tour
Helsinki City Marathon Half Marathon
Big City, Scenic Tour

Total ascent

Paavo Nurmi Marathon Half Marathon
91 m
Helsinki City Marathon Half Marathon
122 m

Climbing density

Paavo Nurmi Marathon Half Marathon
4.3 m/km
Helsinki City Marathon Half Marathon
5.8 m/km

Total descent

Paavo Nurmi Marathon Half Marathon
92 m
Helsinki City Marathon Half Marathon
117 m

Net elevation

Paavo Nurmi Marathon Half Marathon
-1 m
Helsinki City Marathon Half Marathon
6 m

Max absolute grade

Paavo Nurmi Marathon Half Marathon
9.1%
Helsinki City Marathon Half Marathon
7.1%

Flat grade share

Paavo Nurmi Marathon Half Marathon
85.7%
Helsinki City Marathon Half Marathon
82.3%

GAP factor

Paavo Nurmi Marathon Half Marathon
0.3%
Helsinki City Marathon Half Marathon
0.5%

Cutoff

Paavo Nurmi Marathon Half Marathon
2:00:00
Helsinki City Marathon Half Marathon
3:00:00

Entry model

Paavo Nurmi Marathon Half Marathon
Open
Helsinki City Marathon Half Marathon
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, Paavo Nurmi Marathon Half Marathon or Helsinki City Marathon Half Marathon?

Paavo Nurmi 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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