May has become synonym with one of our family’s favourite events, the Helsinki Minimarathon. In 2018 we were invited to take part in the children event and R gave it her best shot. If you are not familiar with this event, let me spend a couple of words on it. The Helsinki Minimarathon is a yearly running event for children, organised in parallel with the international event Helsinki City Run. Children are split in age groups and run on a 1 km track. Everyone is awarded a medal and snacks. You can learn more on the event’s page or from the blog post I have written last year.

Last year R had had so much fun that she talked about it for months (not an overstatement!). She kept her medal near her bed and showed it off to friends and her grandparents with pride. She even stored her T-shirt, convinced she would need it the following year as well. Given her enthusiasm, her little brother E was more than excited to take part this year. After a full week of “is it tomorrow?”s, finally the day came and we left in the early morning to reach the Eläintarha sports field in the heart of Helsinki. We picked up the new green T-shirts and a huge bag of goodies offered by the sponsors. This year the age group order had been reverted and small children were expected to run first. During the wait the children were invited to warm up with some music, guided by a trainer and a sponsor’s mascot. Usually E does not engage in these activities, but this time he mimicked everything his sister did and jumped like a crazy rabbit.

We still had some minutes before the run started, so we turned to the several free activities offered by sponsors. E loves mascots and hunted them all to steal hugs (how cute!).

The field was filled with games and exercise tracks. We made time to enjoy them all before and after the run. E loved jumping on the trampoline and on and off obstacles. R tested her skipping rope skills. There were several participants, but the size of the area didn’t allow the place to become crowded. This meant we barely queued, which was nice.

The Valio stand even had free-of-charge face painting. E chose to have a crown painted on his forehead (modest), while R went for a classic set of hearts on her cheek.

Finally the announcer’s voice called their group. It was time to start! We gathered near the starting line and warmed up at little more. Like last year, I noticed how all announcements were communicated both in Finnish and English language. Many of the families taking part were international. As expat parents, it felt relaxing to be able to follow everything without language barriers.
E was excited but clearly nervous. Dad took a minute to hug him tight and speak encouraging words into his ears.

It was almost time to go. While we all counted backwards to 1 loudly, the kids set in the starting position…

… and RAN!

To my surprise, E ran faster than his sister in several parts of the track. Luckily her pride wasn’t bruised. I guess the siblings’ rivalry motivated them both because after a little while we lost daddy. It was tough for me to stay close and take pics in the process. It was so emotional to see them cut the final line in the end!

I hugged them both, I was so proud of their determination. They ran confidently, without checking if I or their father were following or not, and following the track signs without hesitation. They really deserved the medals!

After the run we all enjoyed the snacks offered by the organisers, which included yogurt, fruit bars, and raisins.

Before heading to lunch, we went back to the activity field and played some more. Surprisingly, kids had still some steam to let off.

What a wonderful experience! We loved it and cannot wait to do it again next year. And you should too: make sure to follow the Helsinki Minimarathon on Instagram and Facebook. In 2020 the children’s running event will take place on May 16th. We’ll see you there!

We were granted tickets to the event. Opinions are mine and sincere. Read more about my work values here.