I happened to go to Finland at the time of the marathon and decided to run the Summer Night Marathon. I thought it would be cool to run during the "white night." The race starts at 4 p.m. It is a very local race; although the website has a page in English, not everything is translated and Finnish is a very difficult language to guess at. Some critical info is not in English, and I just happened to know someone who was able to tell me what I was missing. The results are not on the English page and not even in the marathon website, and it took me a lot of searching time to find it. To pay for registration was a problem. They needed a bank transfer. It's better to pay when you do the packet pick-up, but then your name won't appear in the publication they produce with the runners' results.

The course is varied. The first miles around the little town and the suburbs have lots of enthusiasts spectators who you will not understand. Then there are some parts of highway on which you run in a narrow, one-person column. Then you're in the woods, but it's not a trail; it's a road and you run on the side in a narrow space. The volunteers are kind, offering water, bananas, pickles, and oranges. It finishes in the stadium, and as you entered a guy on the mic says your name. There's a high chance that you will hear your name because the number of runners is not big (around 600 max). You run along a lake, the view is nice but not spectacular, and there are some hills, but they're not unbearable and the weather is cool.

They offer food and a hot swimming pool at the end of the marathon, which is not supposed to be good for sore muscles (you need cold/ice instead of hot). The t-shirt has a nice logo and good cut, but it's cotton. But my daughter liked it and stole it. The medal is also nice, but it is given at the end in plastic, without a ribbon. My husband had to make a metal structure to insert a ribbon. They should know that all runner like to hang it around their neck.

Some friends and I were looking for a June marathon and Forssa seemed perfect.

The web site describes a reasonably flat, fast course. This is not the case - very little of the course is flat and most of it is very hilly. What?s more, the route is not circular - you run 13 miles and then turn back on yourself ? into the path of the slower runners behind you. There is also very little marshalling so you'll be sharing the road with traffic. It was a very tough run due to the difficult course and very hot weather. I finished 20 minutes slower then I had hoped.

The atmosphere was great - the locals put in loads of effort and many have a picnic on the lawn and get drunk - you may even get offered some schnapps! There are lots of water & first add stations. Forssa itself is a very welcoming town. There are some beautiful lakes - you can unwind afterward with a swim in one of the local lakes.

So try this one if you want something a bit different with a small-town feel ? there are very few foreign runners and the locals will make you feel very welcome. Pass it over if you're looking for a personal best.