Historic World Championships set to put Copenhagen at the heart of international road running

World champions, Olympic medallists, world record-holders, experienced runners and people taking part in their very first race.

They will all be part of the same World Championships when the World Athletics Road Running Championships Copenhagen 26 take over the streets of Copenhagen on 19 and 20 September.

World Athletics, the international governing body for athletics, is behind the Championships, and its President, Sebastian Coe, attended the official pre-event press conference on Friday afternoon, where he thanked both the athletes and the host city:

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the athletes for taking part, and I am delighted to see so many nations represented. I would also like to thank the city for allowing us to stage the Championships on its streets. Copenhagen is a beautiful city, and the local organisers are doing an excellent job, so we are looking forward to a great weekend of running.”

By participant numbers, the event is the largest international championship ever staged in Denmark – something Copenhagen’s Mayor for Culture, Leisure and Citizen Services, Christopher Røhl, highlighted at the press conference:

“Over the coming days, Copenhagen will be filled with around 60,000 runners of all ages. The World Half Marathon Championships in Copenhagen in 2014 were the first time we experienced this type of event, bringing the world’s best athletes and mass participation runners together at the same event. We are delighted to build on that legacy, and proud to welcome the global running community to Copenhagen.”

The World Championships weekend will be the culmination of three years of preparation by Danish Athletics and athletics and running club Sparta, working closely with the City of Copenhagen, Sport Event Denmark and Wonderful Copenhagen.

A World Championships for everyone

Copenhagen last hosted the World Half Marathon Championships in 2014, when more than 30,000 mass participation runners took to the streets alongside the world’s best athletes. Twelve years later, almost twice as many runners are now preparing to share the World Championships experience.

“Over the coming days, Copenhagen will become the centre of one of the most inclusive and unifying experiences international sport can create. Around 60,000 runners will arrive with their own stories, ambitions and dreams, while hundreds of thousands of people will experience the city through the World Championships. These are exactly the kind of events that show what Denmark can achieve when we open our doors and invite the world in,” says Lars Lundov, CEO of Sport Event Denmark.

With both shorter and longer distances on the programme, the World Championships invite runners of all ages and abilities to take part, setting the stage for one of the largest international mass participation running events ever held in Denmark.

Championships designed to leave a lasting impact

The ambition is also for the impact of the Championships to extend well beyond the race weekend itself. Through the Road to the World Championships initiative, a wide range of activities have been launched in the months leading up to the event to encourage more people across Denmark to become part of running and physical activity communities, regardless of age, ability or where they live.

“We are very excited to get started. What makes these Championships so special is that the world’s best athletes and mass participation runners will be part of the same celebration of running. It is a powerful illustration of how running can bring people together as a sport – from world-class competition to everyday exercise,” says Klaus Nørby Jakobsen, CEO of Dansk Atletik.

“The many activation initiatives we have launched for people of all ages in connection with the World Championships have also demonstrated what running can achieve when municipalities, volunteers and local clubs work together. Our ambition extends beyond the Championships themselves: we want to inspire even more people across Denmark to lace up their running shoes, get out on the roads and athletics tracks, and find their way into local clubs.”

A celebration of running in a popular destination

From the outset, the organisers’ ambition has been to create a major celebration of running throughout the weekend, rather than simply stage a World Championships. Music, entertainment and activities along the courses will bring the city into the experience and invite Copenhageners and visitors alike to join the celebrations.

“We are incredibly excited to give all the runners and spectators a great experience this weekend. We have been preparing thoroughly for a long time, and now we are ready to invite people out along the courses and let a very special celebration of running unfold in the heart of Copenhagen,” says Dorte Vibjerg, CEO of Sparta Atletik & Løb and Chair of the World Championships Steering Committee.

With tens of thousands of participants and visitors from Denmark and abroad, the Championships will also provide an opportunity to showcase Copenhagen to an international audience.

“By hosting the World Road Running Championships, the capital will welcome thousands of visitors this weekend, generate economic activity and have an excellent opportunity to showcase Copenhagen from many different perspectives, while also helping to make running more accessible as a form of exercise for new audiences,” says Søren Tegen Pedersen, CEO of Wonderful Copenhagen.

The Championships will be broadcast on DR. The first elite one mile race gets under way at 10:10 on Saturday, followed by the first 5 km elite race at 14:10. The half marathon takes place on Sunday morning, with the first elite race starting at 09:10.

Participant statistics ahead of the Championships

• 496 elite athletes from 85 countries are included on the final entry lists
• Around 60,000 mass participation runners will compete across the three distances
• The half marathon is the largest distance, with around 44,000 registered runners
• 53% of participants are international
• The largest age group overall is 30–34. In the one mile, however, the largest age group is 5–9
  
  

Facts: World Athletics Road Running Championships Copenhagen 26

• Takes place in Copenhagen on 19–20 September 2026
• World Championships distances: one mile, 5 km and half marathon
• Six world titles will be decided: women’s and men’s titles across all three distances
• This is the second edition of the World Athletics Road Running Championships
• The Championships are staged on behalf of World Athletics by Danish Athletics and Sparta Athletics & Running in collaboration with the City of Copenhagen, Sport Event Denmark and Wonderful Copenhagen