National Marathon Championships - Copenhagen Marathon

Welcome to the National Maraton
Championships

The Copenhagen Marathon will host the National Marathon Championships 2025. The following classes will compete both individually and in teams:

Senior (Born 2005 or earlier)
U23 (Born 2003-2005)

All you need to know

The Danish National Marathon Championship is like a race in the race. And it always makes the roar from the spectators a little louder in the streets.

On this page you can read all about the conditions you need to fulfill if you want to participate in the National Marathon Championships at the Copenhagen Marathon – either as a seeded or an unseeded runner.

How to register

In order to participate in the National Marathon Championships at the Copenhagen Marathon 2025, you must first be registered for Copenhagen Marathon. Once you have done so, log in to your registration profile where you can register for the championships.

If you meet the time requirements (see further down this page), you can register for the race as ‘seeded’. You do this by first registering for the Copenhagen Marathon. Then select ‘seeded’ in your participant profile, where you enter your PR distance, PR time and club.

Once you have registered for the National Marathon Championships, you automatically participate in the Senior Competition. In addition, you will also participate in the U23 Competition if you meet the age requirement (see below).

A team consists of three runners from the same club and is defined by the results list. This means that the three fastest runners from your club will part of the first team (if they fulfill the requirements for the National Competition) and so forth. This means that you don’t have to sign up for the team competition – it happens automatically.

Registration deadline
The registration deadline for the National Championships is Sunday, April 20th. It is not possible to register later than that.

Seeded or unseeded?

At the National Championships, a distinction is made between seeded and unseeded championship runners.

Seeded
If you meet the applicable time requirements, you can become a seeded championship runner and start the race in the Elite C field – just behind Elite A and Elite B. If you qualify for the Elite A or B field, you can still participate in the championships. However, regardless of your starting group, you must actively register for the DM Marathon in your profile.

You can see the time requirements to be seeded for Elite C at Copenhagen Marathon 2025 below.

Important: As a championship runner in the Elite A, B or C field, placements are always determined by gun time (first across the finish line – the time starts at the sound of the starting gun). This is because you are competing on elite terms.

Unseeded
You can also participate in DM even if you do not meet the applicable time requirements. This makes you an unseeded DM runner. Unseeded DM runners must start the race in their respective start groups corresponding to their expected finish time.

Gun time vs net time

Gun Time
The Senior Competition and the U23 Competition are decided on ‘Gun time’. This is the time measured from the moment the starting gun sounds (for all runners) to the moment you cross the finish line. This means that the gun time includes the time you spend moving towards the starting line after the race has started.

Net Time
The National Team Competition is decided by the runners’ net time (also called chip time), which is their actual running time. It is measured from the moment you physically cross the starting line to the moment you cross the finish line. This is the time most runners focus on as it gives a more accurate picture of your performance.

Requirements to qualify

Age

You must turn at least 20 years old in 2025 if you want to compete in the National Championships at the Copenhagen Marathon 2025. This means that you must be born in 2005 or earlier. Participants in the U23 competition must be born in the years from 2003 to 2005.

Time requirements

The time requirements to be seeded for the National Marathon Championships at Copenhagen Marathon 2025 are as follows:

For times set on the marathon distance
Men: 2 hours : 50 minutes
Women: 3 hours : 15 minutes

For times set for the half marathon distance
Men: 1 hour : 12 minutes
Women: 1 hour : 22 minutes

Your qualifying time must be achieved in the period January 1st 2024 – April 14th 2025 at a valid competition, which for Danish races is registered with Danish Athletics or for foreign races with a similar organization.

Citizenship

In order to participate in the National Marathon Championships, you must be a Danish citizen or have been a permanent resident of Denmark for at least 6 months prior to the championships.

In addition, special rules apply:

Senior competition:
In order to win a medal at the National Senior Competition, you must be a Danish citizen.
U23 competition:
To win a medal at the U23 competition, you must be a Danish citizen or have been a permanent resident of Denmark for at least 6 months prior to DM.
Team competition:
In the National Team Competition, your placement counts even if you do not have Danish citizenship, as long as you have had permanent residence in Denmark for at least 6 months before the National Championships. However, there can be a maximum of one runner without Danish citizenship on a national team.

Club membership

In order to participate in the National Marathon Championship you must be a member of a club under the Danish Athletics Federation (in danish called Dansk Atletik or DAF). Participation in the National Marathon Championship is included in the annual license fee via the club (DKK 175 per license). Championship bibs are personal and are not allowed not be resold.

Important: Your club may have additional requirements in connection with registration for the National Marathon Championship. Your club will therefore inform you about registration, registration requirements and any additional requirements they may have. Please contact your club if you have any questions about the terms and conditions.

Total club registration

Clubs wishing to make a total registration of 20 athletes or more must contact Sparta to set up a total club registration (with total payment).

Important:

Stack height

All participants in the National Marathon Championships must comply with World Athletics’ shoe rules regarding maximum stack height in order to win a medal.

List of approved shoes