Runners in yesterday’s Telenor Copenhagen Marathon enjoyed excellent weather as they made their way through the streets of the capital. They may also have had a bit more elbow room as there were 1,000 fewer runners than expected taking part in the event.
“There are fewer runners than last year,” Dorte Vibjerg, the head of Sparta Athletics and Motion, the outfit behind the race, told DR Nyheder. “But we are happy with the turnout.”
Just over 9,000 runners took part in this year’s race.
Danes would rather roam
Vibjerg said that the Copenhagen Marathon peaked in 2010 when 12,000 runners were on the course, and it has maintained a fairly stable 10,000 participants per year since then.
Part of the problem is that Danes seem to prefer heading to more prestigious races like the London and Berlin marathons rather than running at home.
“We need Danish runners to understand that Copenhagen’s marathon is a marathon of international quality,” said Vibjerg.
Record-breaking
William Nyarondia Morwabe finished first in the 2108 Copenhagen Marathon. His time of 2:11.16 trimmed nearly a full minute off the course record. His previous personal best had been 2:16.00.
Ethiopian Abraham Girma was runner-up in 2:11.30 while Paul Waveru Chege from Kenya finished third.
READ MORE: Strongest field in race history prepares for Sunday’s Telenor Copenhagen Marathon.
Shasho Inmersu of Ethiopia (below) was the first woman finisher at 2:32.18.
The Telenor Copenhagen Marathon will celebrate its 40th anniversary next year.
