Andy Stevens, 10th May 2026
So, after finding myself being asked to work in Copenhagen for several months I naturally prioritised what any other runner would. No, I’m not talking about visas, accommodation, travel etc. I’m talking about finding a local race to enter. I had entered an Ultra in the summer and wanted a marathon to enter as a decent training run.
The Copenhagen Marathon, as I found out, is incredibly popular and sells out way in advance of the date. However, the organisers offer a trusted “resale platform” where runners who can no longer take part can sell their place (at face value) to someone who wants to buy it. After many evenings of trying to grab a place I finally got lucky. This was the one.
A rather annoying and persistent foot injury was disrupting my training through January and February so I had an 8 week window to get marathon fit once I landed in Denmark in mid March. There was no time for any meaningful intervals or speed work so I just focused on endurance and volume with my longest training run at 24 miles along the coast.
The day itself was ideal running conditions; cool and overcast with just a gentle breeze. The general organisation was absolutely top drawer – from the pre-race comms to the Expo to the day itself. I had two objectives in mind on the day; to avoid any injuries or flare ups and to enjoy the experience as much as anyone can “enjoy” running 26.2 miles.
The race started bang on time and it was clear right from the start that the locals were out in force cheering everyone on. The streets of Copenhagen were packed and we had fireworks, flares, bands playing and pounding music everywhere. It was more like a carnival than a running event. There was also a refreshing absence of runners with selfie sticks broadcasting their every stride to whoever might be vaguely interested.
Pacing for the first half was very consistent. The kind of consistency I had trained for and which should be expected on a flat course. I was planning to run a negative split with a pick up in pace after mile 20 – a tactic I had rehearsed in my long runs. The miles ticked by and I got to mile 20 with no dramas and started to pick the pace up for the final 10k. It’s a great feeling in a marathon when you are feeling good in the closing miles and overtaking countless people all around you. It was about this point I realised I had added quite a bit of distance on to the official course distance markings and I would have some “bonus” distance on the end !
The final two miles involved a slight uphill for around a mile followed by a long downhill drag and an incredibly noisy, boisterous last 800 metres to finish outside FC Copenhagen football stadium. I finished in 3:21 (and managed to run 26.6 miles !) with a negative split and felt great throughout. The time was far less important to me than the initial objectives. The foot felt fine and did I enjoy it ? You bet. It was an incredible running experience and one which will live long in the memory after I have returned home next month.
What started out as a training race for an Ultra Marathon became one of my all time favourite races. I will have lots of good memories of living in Copenhagen but this marathon will be up there with the best of them.
Andy Stevens
