I've lived in Helsinki forever. I have never set my foot on Santahamina island in District 51, a military restricted zone without civilian access. Until I had a welcome chance to run Sandis Trail 9K this weekend.
My son Jon joined me. They checked our passports at the mail gate. Only Finnish citizens, whose name was on the registration list, were allowed to enter. With 430 starters, we saw many friends, like Juha and Juupek.
Taking photos during the race wasn't allowed. Some parts of the course were really beautiful. Fortunately they had some official photographers. Running over smooth boulders and rocks by the seaside offered amazing scenery. We weren't far away from the city centre, which was visible from the highest points.
I've never before participated in a race with big signs by the course warning "DANGER - SHOOTING". This worried me a bit, as I heard firearms shooting nearby. The organizers had assured that we'd be totally safe, as long as we stayed on the course. They even made us run through an easy obstacle course.
The course was well marked, but there wasn't a trail at all in some technical sections. I took a wrong turn in a dense forest. I noticed pretty quickly that the markings stopped, so we turned back found the route again.
After finishing in a little over an hour we were served an army style meal. We enjoyed Sandis Trail!
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