There was laughter, smiles and lots of short, fast legs as 1,500 children got a head start on the Copenhagen Marathon
“You’re going out for 1,000 meters in Fælledparken. What a fantastic distance. ARE YOU READY?” the announcer said to the 1,500 excited children who were ready for the CPH Mini Marathon.
And the cool kids confirmed this with impressively loud cheers.
Spirits were high among the small runners, who, with bib numbers on their bellies, were in for a very special running experience on Saturday, May 4, 2024, on something of a real marathon course.
The starting gun sounded four times. This meant there was room for both those who wanted to run 1 km with daddy or mommy in hand, and for the children who had the courage to race 1 or 2 km through the closed course in Fælledparken. All children crossed the finish line on Øster Allé through the real marathon portal.
With good music and high knee lifts, the mascot Sprinter made sure that all the children were warmed up and got off to a good start. We caught some of the cool little runners as they crossed the finish line.
Sisters from Cyprus
Constantina, 12, and Elly, 15, have come all the way from Cyprus with their mother to watch their father Tryfonas run the Copenhagen Marathon. It’s the family’s first visit to Denmark, and there was no doubt that the girls would run the CPH Mini Marathon the day before.
“The race was good and it was pretty easy for me. I’m used to running from basketball,” said Elly, who enjoys traveling around the world with her family depending on where her dad is running a marathon or ultra race.
“Fun and hard”
“It was really fun. And hard!” Sigrid says. It’s the first time she’s tried running a full 1 km race. But judging by the smile, it won’t be the last time. She lives in Aalborg with her family, but made the trip to Copenhagen to run with a friend who is a member of Sparta.
Victory for Victor
Victor enjoys running during recess and soccer. But the CPH Mini Marathon is his first race, and now Victor’s first race medal will hang in the children’s room in Svogerslev. Right next to the gold digger medal from LEGOland.
“It went well and it was great to run. And it’s fun to run where the adults will run 42,1 km tomorrow,” said the 6-year-old participant in the finish area, where he breathed a sigh of relief with his mother before they took the train back home.
The party continued after the race with first-class children’s entertainment in the Runner’s Area. HipSomHap created a party from the stage for the many happy, medal-clad children.
See results from the CPH Mini Marathon here.
Our photographer captured many of today’s cool runners. You can see them below.
