FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
From our new web pages you can find more
information about the event.
Read the frequently asked questions. Answers to the questions are also found here and elsewhere on our web page.
Content:
- Returning the running chip
- Registration has not gone through
- Cancelling the registration
- Postponing participation right for the next year's event
- Insurance fee not paid but injury occurs
- Delivering the medical certificate
- Picking up the race pack
- Registration card / Start permit is missing
- Picking up the race pack late
- Picking up the race pack personally
- I forgot to do the registration
- Personal refreshments on the HCM
- Transferring the participation right to another runner
- Address changes
- Men/Women open or age class?
- Parking during the event
Where can I return the running chip after the run / if I have to retire from the race before finish line
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The timing chip will be removed by officials automatically after the finish line, before you will receive your medal. If, however, you have to retire from the race or for some other reason the chip stays at your posession, remember to return the chip either to the info desk and the race office or to the officials at the refreshment stations or to the medical personnel. You can also send it by post to the Helsinki City Marathon office: Finnish Athletics, HCM, Radiokatu 20, FI-00240 Helsinki, Finland. The chip must be returned by 31st August! If you have not returned the chip or you have lost it, we will charge 45 EUR. It is enough to send only the chip, nothing else has to be added to the postal delivery.
I have done the registration for the event but I cannot find my name on the participants list. What's the problem?
- Have you completed the registration through our web page (way 1)?
If you completed the registration today, wait until tomorrow as names are updated to the participant lists overnight.
Did you finish the registration until the end? The registration is not complete until the payment has been completed successful and the information of the payment has been delivered to our system. This will normally be updated overnight. Check if the payment has been charged from your credit card / bank account. If the payment had not been charged, registration has not been successful. Please try it again.
Did you remember to return to the service provider's site after the payment? If you did not, or the was some other misconnection in the service, your payment has most likely not been registered to our system. Contact the office to finish the registration.
- Have you entered the registration by filling in and sending us the entry form (way 2)?
Processing the entry forms normally take more than one week, please be patient. If you have filled in your e-mail, the office will contact you in case of problems. If you consider the delay very long, you can send the office an e-mail to check we have received your entry form. Please do not send the entry form again, unless otherwise informed by the office personnel.
I have to cancel my participation. Do I have to inform someone about this?
- You do not need to inform the organization about cancellations. It is enough, when you do not show up to the start line. If you have already picked up your participation pack, remember to return the running chip to avoid the fee of missing chip! If you wish, you can also sell your participation right to another runner who can then run on your behalf. The change must be made to the register as well, so please inform the office. The organization might charge a fee for the change in names.
I am not able to participate due to illness/injury and I would like to postpone my participation right for the next year's event. What should I do?
- In cases of injury or illness, the participation right can be postponed for the next year's event if the runner has paid the insurance fee with the registration and will deliver a medical certificate to the organizers. The certificate has to be sent to the organisation at the latest by the race day (postal stamp on the race day at the latest). It can be sent by post, fax or as e-mail attachement. The certificate itself is enough, you do not have to attach any other documents, if only the name and birth date of the runner is clearly visible in the certificate.
The postponing can be made only for oneself and by one year ahead. Organisation personnel will postpone the participation right for the next year's event automatically and the runner's name will appear on the participants list when the lists of the next year's event are published. The runner do not need do the registration again next year. However, the runner should remember to inform the organisation about possible address changes!
If you cannot find your name on the participants list even though you have sent us your medical certificate and had paid the insurance fee with the registration of the previous year, please contact the office.
I did not want to pay the insurance fee with the registration, but I have now become ill and would like to postpone the participation right for the next year's event. What can I do?
- Insurance fee unfortunately can not be paid afterwards if injury occurs, which means the the postponing is not possible with the medical certificate. All of the fees are non-refundable.
Where can I deliver my medical certificate to?
- The contact information of the office can be found on our web page.
- By mail, you can send the certificate to: Finnish Athletics / Helsinki City Marathon, Radiokatu 20, FI-00240 Helsinki, Finland
- As an attachmnet of an e-mail, we will receive your certificate from: sul.harraste(at)sul.fi
- You can also fax it to: +358 9 3481 2367
How can I pick up my running number from the race office?
- A registration card together with information packet of the event will be send to every runner before the event. It will be sent either by postal mail or by e-mail. Remember to update your addresses when needed!
Remember to take the registration card with you when you come to pick up the running number. The race packets (envelope with number etc. and also the T-shirt) must be picked up by Saturday 1 PM!
I have lost / not received my registration card, how can I now pick up my running number from the race office?
- Have you remembered to inform the office about possible address changes? If not, do it now to make sure future mail will be delivered to you (e.g. the running diploma)
In this case you can also pick up your race packet with your name and running number. Prepare for showing your ID.
- With the registration card, the info about the race was delivered as well. All the necessary information concerning the race can also be read on our web page if you have not received the info.
I am not able to pick up the race pack on Friday, and I am also not able to come on Saturday before 1 PM. Can I pick up the pack after 1 PM?
- Unfortunately not. The race pack must be picked up by Saturday 1 PM. If you are not able to come, you can ask your friend to pick up the pack with your registration card. Remember to tell your friend also the size of your T-shirt, so that he/she can take the correct sized shirt for you after picking up the running number (=race pack).
Must I pick up the race pack personally, or can I have a friend of mine to pick it up for me?
- If you are unable to come to the race office yourself, you can ask someone else to pick up your race pack for you with your registration card. Also, remember to tell your friend the size of your T-shirt so that he/she can pick up a correct sized shirt for you right after picking up the running number (=race pack).
I forgot to do the registration for the event, and I noticed that the registration is already closed. Is there any change for me to get in?
- Unfortunately no new runners can be taken after the registration has been closed. The only possible way to get in at this point is to find someone who has the participation right but is unable to use it and who could sell it to you. The change must then also be made to our office and the organization may charge a minor registration fee for the change.
I would like to bring my own refreshments to the route. What should I do?
- Of course, you can carry your own bottle along the route, for example, in a drink-belt. But if you wish to enjoy your refreshments only on the refreshment points, you can bring your personal bottles to the race office before the race. The personal drinks can be brought to the race office only on the race day, Saturday, to the boxes reserved for the personal refreshments. You must bring the bottles before 1 PM after which the boxes are already taken to the refreshment stations.
You can bring your own drinks to every refreshment station except the first one. Every refreshment station has its own box. Remember to mark you drink clearly with your name, running number and the number of the refreshment station. Own drinks are on a separate table at the refreshment station.
- You can bring the personal refreshments only on Saturday and after 1 PM we can no longer take them.
I want to give my participation right for someone else. What should I do?
- Until 31st July, you can do the transfer by e-mail. The original runner should inform us that he/she has indeed given up his/her participation right and the new runner will inform us his/her contact information that will replace the contact information of the original runner. From the new runner, we will need all the same information that we ask the runner to fill in when doing the registration: name, birth date, possible company/club, address information and e-mail. The new runner should also complete the registration fee to our account International bank account information: IBAN code: FI61 5723 3340 0193 13, SWIFT code: OKOYFIHH, Account owner: Helsinki City Marathon, Bank: OKO Pasila, Account number: 572333-419313) and write both names to the message field (original and new runner). The registration fee is 5 EUR unless otherwise informed. We will then change the information to the register and the new runner will get a new running number and his/her own registration card, with which one can pick up the runner pack from the race office normally.
- After 1st August, all transfers should be made at the race office during the opening hours (on the race day and the day before). Every change must be made by Saturday 1 PM. The new runner will in this case pick up the runner pack of the original runner normally with the registration card of the original runner. The new runner will then go to the troubles-desk with the envelope (=runner pack) and complete the change and pay the fee with exact cash. After this, the runner may pick up the T-shirt as normally from a separate desk.
My address information has changed. Where can I inform about this?
- It is important to inform the office about address changes to make sure you will receive post at all times.
- You can send the address change by e-mail, fax or with a letter, or you can call to the office. Contact information can be found under contact. Please mention the event you are participation to and also your old and new address.
I do not know, whether or not I belong to the men/women open class or to age class.
- There are different age classes for women and men: Men/Women open, W35, M/W40, M/W45, M/W50, M/W55, M/W60, M65 and M70 years.
The runners are put to their own age groups automatically according to the year of birth. Class is defined based on the runner's age on 31st December on the race year. When doing the registration, the runner can choose to join the open class instead of his/her own age class.
Hence, the runner does not need to worry about the age class, as the class is defined automatically based on the year of birth both in the Online-registration and the entry form.
- In the online-registration (way 1) it is asked:
"I want to belong to the 'Men and Women Open'"
Check this if you want to participate in the open class instead of your own age class.
"I don't want to belong to the 'Men and Women Open'"
This is already automatically checked. If you wish to participate in your own age class, do not change this but leave this selected.
Women under 35-years-old and men under 40-years-old cannot choose, as they are automatically put to the open class, whether or not the runner has changed the selection here.
- In case you will complete the entry form registration (way 2), please mark "open class" in the form if you want to participate in the open class instead of your own age class. If you do not check either of them, you will be put to your age class as normal.
- Examples:
28-years-old woman
Age does not yet entitle the runner to participate the lowest actual age class (women 35 class), so the runner will automatically be put to the open age class. When doing the online registration, "I want to belong to the open class" does not need to be checked as the runner is in the open class automatically anyway.
39-years-old woman, will turn 40 within the year of the run
As the runner will turn 40 during the year of the run, she belongs to the women 40 class as the class is defined based on the runner's age on 31st December on the race day. She can, however, decide herself whether or not she would prefer participating in the open class instead of her own age class. If the runner wants to participate in the open class, she has to check the "I want to participate in the open class" when doing the online-registration or fill in the "open class" in the entry form. If this is not done, she will automatically be placed in her own age class.
46-years-old woman
According to the age, the runner belongs to the women 45-class. She can, however, decide herself whether or not she would prefer participating in the open class instead of her own age class. If the runner wants to participate in the open class, she has to check the "I want't to participate in the open class" when doing the online-registration or fill in the "open class" in the entry form. If this is not done, she will automatically be placed in her own age class.
38-years-old man
Age does not yet entitle the runner to participate the lowest actual age class (men 40 class), so the runner will automatically be put to the open age class. When doing the online registration, "I want to belong to the open class" does not need to be checked as the runner is in the open class automatically anyway.
62-years-old man
According to the age, the runner belongs to the men 60 class. She can, however, decide himself whether or not he would prefer participating in the open class instead of his own age class. If the runner wants to participate in the open class, he has to check the "I want to participate in the open class" when doing the online-registration or fill in the "open class" in the entry form. If this is not done, he will automatically be placed in his own age class.
Are the reserved parking places for the runners?
- Unfortunately no free parking place is reserved for the runners during the event. We recommend you to come to the race office by public transportation. You can find the route guide under www.hsl.fi/en