This was an interesting half marathon, starting in the centre of Turku (also known as Åbo in Swedish) by the river you run through the centre of town. The city centre is very nice, in an old style Nordic way with a nice cathedral and castle. Turku, however, is quite a small city and you soon hit the industrial areas on the outskirts of town. After a run through the outskirts you're soon on the island of Ruissalo. This was very heavily forested and was not my favourite part of the route as there wasn't much to see apart from trees. You then do a loop of the island before heading back into the city and finishing pretty much at the start line.
The route was very flat in town but was quite undulating on the island. It was generally well marked, but it was usually always pretty obvious where to go. A warning to UK runners though - all the markers are Kms not miles! The route was also well provisioned with water stops offering water and sports drinks every 3kms.
The goody bag at the end was unusual, with fresh cucumber and tomato alongside non-alcoholic beer and yoghurt. A healthy Nordic mix!!
Overall an interesting race, nothing amazing in terms of experience or scenery but well worth doing if you're looking for a Finnish jaunt.