Two of the fastest marathon courses on earth, two very different races. Here's every stat, side by side, to help you pick.
Indicative — based on GPX data. Both courses normalised to start at 0m.
✓ marks the better number on that stat.
Scandinavia's two biggest marathons are close in profile — Copenhagen and Stockholm both gain around 75m and 215m respectively, with Copenhagen the flatter and faster of the pair (2:08:23 course record against Stockholm's 2:10:10). Stockholm's course record was actually set by the legendary Grete Waitz on the women's side (2:28:24), a mark that's stood for decades.
Copenhagen runs in May through the city's canals and colourful waterfront; Stockholm runs slightly later, in late May/early June, on a hillier route through the Swedish capital. Both are open registration with no ballot to navigate. For the flatter, faster Nordic option, Copenhagen edges it; for more history in the record books and a hillier test, Stockholm holds its own.