NUTS Trail Running / NUTS HEL
NUTS HEL Intro Trail 6K
Helsinki (Eläintarha Sports Field)
Race guide
Updated 28 July 2026
NUTS HEL Intro Trail 6K is built for runners doing their first trail race. Start and finish are at the Eläintarha sports field, the measured course is 6.1 km with 47 m of climbing, and it follows the Helsinki Central Park forest paths on the opening section every distance at the event shares. The start is at 11:00 on Saturday in waves. The same course is also run on Friday evening as the Nightfall 6K, in darkness by headlamp.
The course
Six kilometres of Central Park trail: wooded, narrow and rooty, but without any significant climbing. At 47 m of gain over the whole course this is the gentlest possible introduction to trail running — and still real trail rather than gravel path. The difference from road running is immediate: the stride shortens, the gaze moves a few metres ahead, and the pace is naturally slower than the same effort would produce on tarmac.
For a first-timer
Three things help most if this is your first trail race. Look at the trail a few metres ahead rather than at your own feet. Shorten your stride over roots and on climbs — walking a climb is completely normal. And do not compare your pace to a road run: the same heart rate produces a slower kilometre split on trail, and that is the terrain's doing, not a verdict on your fitness.
Kit and fuelling
Six kilometres needs no carried fluid unless the day is unusually warm, and there is an aid station at Hakamäentie around 3 km. Note that the aid stations have no cups, so a bottle or soft flask of your own is convenient. The one piece of kit that matters is a shoe with real grip: wet October leaves over roots are slippery.
Nightfall 6K and the next step
The same route is run on Friday at 19:00 as the Nightfall 6K, entirely in the dark by headlamp — the identical six kilometres feel considerably longer when visibility narrows to the beam of a lamp. Plenty of runners do both. The Intro Trail is also a deliberate first step: NUTS HEL participants are offered early access to NUTS Karhunkierros registration, for anyone the trail starts pulling further.
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Checkpoints & cut-offs
⚠ Auto-researched from public sources — aid stations and cut-offs may be incomplete. Confirm against the official roadbook before race day.
0 km · 8 m · —
3 km · 22 m · —
6.1 km · 8 m · Sat 16:00
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Course data researched from public sources — verify against the official roadbook.