Course Map
About this Race
The Telenor Copenhagen Marathon is a flat, fast loop through the famously bike-friendly Danish capital, winding past Nyhavn's colorful harborfront, royal palaces, and the city's elegant squares and lakes. The terrain is gentle and the roads smooth, reflecting a city built for two wheels, which translates into a forgiving and rhythmic course on foot. Run in May, it offers cool, pleasant Scandinavian spring conditions well suited to hard racing. Crowds are friendly and the layout is straightforward, putting the emphasis on even pacing. It suits runners who want a relaxed, fast Northern European race in one of the world's most livable cities.
Course Insight
Copenhagen is a flat, friendly May marathon that runs two loops through a famously bike-smooth city, ideal terrain for an even, rhythmic effort. The repeated loop lets you bank knowledge of every corner and use it on the second pass when concentration frays. The one wildcard is late-spring warmth, which can build on the more open stretches, so don't spend your buffer early. Crowds are relaxed and steady rather than deafening. Treat the flatness as a discipline and the course delivers a clean, fast day.
Difficulty Breakdown
Mostly due to very flat.
Course Details
- Course type
- Loop
- Elevation gain
- 75m
- Elevation loss
- 75m
- Highest point
- 19m
- Lowest point
- 2m
- Net elevation
- 0m
- Start
- Øster Allé
- Cutoff time
- 6h 0m
Course Records
- Men's
- 2:08:23 — Berhane Tsegay (Eritrea), 2022
- Women's
- 2:22:08 — Mercy Chebwogen (Kenya), 2026
Race History
The Telenor Copenhagen Marathon was first held in 1980, winding through the flat, famously bike-friendly streets of the Danish capital past its palaces, harbor, and squares. Its forgiving, level course made it a reliable destination for fast times in cool Scandinavian spring conditions. From a modest start it grew into Denmark's largest marathon. Held each May, it now draws a sizable international field to one of the world's most livable cities.
Plan Your Trip
Everything you need to know to get there, get settled, and get to the start line.
- Nearest airport(s)
- Copenhagen (CPH), Malmö (MMX)
- Best area to stay
- Indre By for central hotels near the start/finish, Vesterbro for hip, affordable stays, and Nyhavn by the harbour for atmospheric waterfront hotels.
- Getting to the start
- The start is central near the Town Hall area; take the Metro or S-tog to a central stop and walk to the start.