RacesIndependent race preparation guide

Copenhagen, Denmark · 42.195 km road marathon

Copenhagen Marathon 2027

Sunday 9 May 2027

A flat single loop through Copenhagen's neighbourhoods and over its bridges, starting and finishing on Øster Allé, entered by lottery, with six hours net and 3 h at halfway.

Copenhagen Marathon at a glance

Start: 09:30 to 10:22 in six waves (2026 times), Øster Allé by Fælledparken
Finish: Øster Allé by Fælledparken, at the start
Course: One flat loop through Østerbro, the centre, Christianshavn, Nørrebro, Frederiksberg and Vesterbro (2026)
Elevation: From about sea level to 20 m
Time limit: Six hours net, from your own start-line crossing
Cut-offs: Halfway in 3 h net
Entry: Lottery closed; 995 kroner plus 20 kroner fee; charity and tour-operator places remain
Bib pickup: Expo only, in person with photo ID; 2027 dates not yet published; no race-day pickup
Aid stations: Ten refreshment zones in 2026, from km 3.8 to km 38.3, plus gels at km 16 and 27.8

Checked against the organizer's pages on 24 September 2026. Facts for the next edition can still change; the organizer's page is the final word.

Compare it with other races; no account needed.

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Copenhagen Marathon course map and elevation

One flat loop through Østerbro, the centre, Christianshavn, Nørrebro, Frederiksberg and Vesterbro (2026). Map, elevation profile and 3D flyover.

Loading topographic map…

running direction two lines: out and back on the same road race kilometresCourse: Sparta / Copenhagen Marathon; source KML created with Ride with GPS

Flat (<5%)

Organizer-published 2025 course file; the next edition's route may differ. For illustration, not navigation.

What to expect on the course

Trianglen passed three times, at about km 0.8, km 6 and km 41.5
Knippelsbro into Christianshavn around km 10, along the Stadsgraven moat and back over Langebro
The crowd tunnel on Dronning Louises Bro at about km 14
Frederiksberg Allé, a slight downhill, near km 24
Kongens Nytorv, Nyhavn, Amalienborg and the Marble Church around km 33 to 35

The supplied 2025 geometry measures about 43.0 km, longer than the official 42.195 km race distance. It is an approximate course overview, not a certified distance trace. Splits below use the official marathon distance, not the file length.

Read the full course description

The organizer has not yet published the 2027 course; this is the flat single loop introduced in 2025 and run unchanged in 2026, certified by the Danish Athletics Federation. An opening loop through Osterbro passes Trianglen at about km 0.8 and km 6, then the route runs past the Lakes and Solvtorvet near km 7 into the centre. Around km 10 it crosses Knippelsbro into Christianshavn, follows the Stadsgraven moat onto Amager and returns over Langebro, passes City Hall and meets the crowd tunnel on Dronning Louises Bro at about km 14 before Norrebro and Frederiksberg. Frederiksberg Alle, a slight downhill, comes near km 24, then Axel Torv by Tivoli near km 26, Istedgade near km 28, the Kaktus Towers near km 31, a pass under Langebro and BLOX near km 31.8. Kongens Nytorv, Nyhavn, Amalienborg and the Marble Church follow around km 33 to 35, Nyboder near km 36, and the finish returns through Trianglen at about km 41.5 to Oster Alle. The organizer's 2025 map file stays between sea level and about 20 m. In 2026 the refreshment zones, with water and High5 drink, stood at km 3.8, 8.1, 12.3, 16, 19.8, 24.3, 27.8, 32.7, 35.7 and 38.3, with gels at km 16 and 27.8, and pace teams ran from 3:00 to 5:00.

Source, licence and file

2025 reference course. Course: Sparta / Copenhagen Marathon; source KML created with Ride with GPS · Source and attribution · original source · Download reference GPX (43.0 km in the file). Approximate terrain-model heights added by TrailSplits, sampled and smoothed at roughly 100 m intervals. Buildings, bridges and small road gradients are not surveyed road elevations.Produced using Copernicus WorldDEM-30 © DLR e.V. 2010-2014 and © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH 2014-2018 provided under COPERNICUS by the European Union and ESA; all rights reserved.

Three decisions to make before race day

Without a lottery place, the routes in are charity or a tour operator

The 2027 lottery is drawn and there is no waiting list or resale; a charity team or an official tour operator is the remaining way in, so keep travel refundable.

More detail
The 2027 lottery closed on 3 June 2026 with 80,937 applicants for 35,000 places, and there is no waiting list or resale. Runners not drawn can still enter through a charity team run by realbuzz, where the place depends on reaching a fundraising target, or a package from one of the official 2027 tour operators, which sell entry with accommodation. Keep travel refundable until you hold a confirmed entry.
Build the expo into your trip, because the bib is personal

Bibs go only to the runner, at the expo with start card and photo ID, never on race day. The 2027 expo dates are not yet published; in 2026 it ran Wednesday to Saturday.

More detail
Bibs are printed at the expo and handed only to the runner, against the emailed start card and photo ID, with no race-day pickup. The 2027 dates and venue are not yet published: in 2026 the expo ran Wednesday to Saturday at Forum Kobenhavn, closing at 19:00 each day. Entries cannot be transferred, so a runner who cannot travel has only the 99 kroner insurance, bought at registration.
For six-hour runners, halfway is the tighter limit

Halfway closes at 3 h net, exactly six-hour pace, so an even six-hour plan has no margin at km 21.1; aim to be a few minutes inside it.

More detail
The FAQ caps halfway at 3 h net, exactly the pace of the six-hour finish limit, so an even six-hour plan reaches km 21.1 with no margin and any early stop puts you behind. Aim to reach halfway a few minutes inside 3 h. In 2026 the programme closed the event at 16:00, 5 h 38 after the last wave set off at 10:22.

Your race-day sheet

Even elapsed splits for 42.195 km. All clocks are local to Copenhagen.

Target finish time, including stops

HoursMinutes

Total stopped minutes Your start time (local)

09:30 and the six wave times are the 2026 schedule; the organizer has not yet published 2027 start times, so replace them when your start group is announced. Europe/Copenhagen.

Time limit: Six hours net, from your own start-line crossing

How this sheet applies the limit

The FAQ and the terms give six hours net, timed from your own crossing of the start line, and the FAQ adds 3 h net at halfway, exactly six-hour pace. Runners judged unable to finish in time can be taken off the course or sent onto the pavement, and must make their own way back. No 2027 closing clock is published; the 2026 programme expected the last runners at 16:00, after a last wave at 10:22. This sheet does not check the halfway limit.

A timing comparison, not a fitness assessment. Intermediate cutoffs, queues, weather and terrain are not modelled. Stops are spread evenly in the illustration; actual checkpoint times will differ.

ESTIMATED FINISH

13:30:00

MOVING PACE BUDGET

5:34/ km

ELAPSED PACE

5:41/ km

120 min below the modelled finish limit

Distance markers, not aid stations or guaranteed arrival times.
Distance	Elapsed	Local clock
5 km	00:28:26	09:58:26
10 km	00:56:53	10:26:53
15 km	01:25:19	10:55:19
20 km	01:53:45	11:23:45
Halfway	02:00:00	11:30:00
25 km	02:22:12	11:52:12
30 km	02:50:38	12:20:38
35 km	03:19:05	12:49:05
40 km	03:47:31	13:17:31
Finish	04:00:00	13:30:00

Training plan for Copenhagen Marathon 2027

A free week-by-week plan dated to this race. It starts from a stated default (weekly distance, longest recent run, days a week) that you can change; nothing is read from your watch or training history. It does not use the finish-time target above.

View my training plan

No account required. Keep a fixed copy, download the calendar or get a subscription URL for Google or Apple Calendar.

Entry, bib pickup and rules

Entry:: Lottery closed; 995 kroner plus 20 kroner fee; charity and tour-operator places remain
Bib pickup:: Expo only, in person with photo ID; 2027 dates not yet published; no race-day pickup

Read the full entry and pickup rules

Entry for 2027 was by lottery: applications ran from 13 May to 3 June 2026 and drew 80,937 applicants for 35,000 places, selected runners had 48 hours to pay 995 kroner plus a 20 kroner fee, and there is no waiting list or resale. Runners not drawn can still enter through an official charity partner or tour operator. Runners must be 16 on race day, with parental consent under 18. Entries are binding and personal, with no transfers or refunds except under the optional 99 kroner MySafety insurance added at registration. Bibs are collected in person at the expo with the emailed start card and photo ID, never on race day; the 2027 expo dates and hours are not yet published.

Sources

Checked 24 September 2026; next review due 2026-11-06. Event facts come from the organizer; the pacing sheet, decisions and plan are TrailSplits' own. Independently prepared by TrailSplits, not endorsed by the organizer.

What each source confirms

Course page (still headed 2026): A flat course through the inner city, Osterbro, Christianshavn, Vesterbro, Norrebro and Frederiksberg; refreshment zones by kilometre, the gels, the two power zones and the interactive map.
2026 course, traffic and spectator articles: Kilometres for Knippelsbro, Langebro, Dronning Louises Bro, Frederiksberg Alle, Istedgade, Kaktus Towers, Kongens Nytorv and Nyboder; the 2026 traffic and fun-spots articles confirm the 2025 course was reused and place Trianglen, Solvtorvet and BLOX.
2027 lottery rules: Lottery 13 May to 3 June 2026, 48 hours to pay 995 kroner plus a 20 kroner fee, no waiting list or resale, the optional 99 kroner insurance, personal bibs collected with photo ID.
2027 lottery result, tour operators and charity entries: 80,937 applicants for 35,000 places and the 9 May 2027 date; /en/official-tour-operators-for-copenhagen-marathon/ lists the 2027 operators and the realbuzz charity page ties entry to a fundraising target.
FAQ and terms and conditions: Six hours net and 3 h net at halfway, minimum age 16, no race-day pickup, no transfers, certified distance; the /en/terms-and-conditions/ page adds photo ID at pickup and removal of runners who cannot finish.
2026 start groups and race-day pages: The 2026 waves from 09:30 to 10:22 and pace teams from 3:00 to 5:00; /en/my-race/race-day/ gives the 16:00 close and /en/my-race/expoen/ the 2026 expo at Forum Kobenhavn.