Start of the Copenhagen Half Marathon, photo courtesy of Copenhagen Half Marathon
Congrats to our friends in the Danish Federation and the Copenhagen Half Marathon. I was fortunate to cover the World Half Marathon in March 2014. The race was fantastic, the city was wonderful and the reception of the race was fantastic. The Federation and Sport Event Denmark should be quite happy making the Gold Label level from the IAAF. And to have two minutes of David Katz, a very thoughtful and precise road running expert, speaking so eloquently on the event is, as some might suggest, the coming of the end times. The last comment was done in jest, but truth is this, David Katz praises nothing that is not well deserved. One of the many reasons we enjoy conversations with Mr. Katz.
Copenhagen Half Marathon, photo courtesy of Copenhagen Half Marathon
Congratulations once again to our friends in Copenhagen. Remember, next race is September 17, 2017!
IAAF Gold Label awarded to Copenhagen Half Marathon
As the first road race in the Nordic countries and one of the fastest half marathons in the world, the Copenhagen Half Marathon has been awarded with the International Association of Athletics Federation’s (IAAF) most distinguished recognition – the IAAF Road Race Gold Label. “Fully deserved – CPH Half is on par with the most prestigious races in the world,” says IAAF.
A race you want to be part of, this is the short and precise description of one of the leading road race experts, David Katz of the IAAF. Katz has supervised the Copenhagen Half Marathon and thus been through all the details and elements that have contributed to the CPH Half qualifying for this sublime league of road races.
“The gold is fully deserved. The Copenhagen Half Marathon is on par with the most prestigious races in the world, such as London, Berlin and New York. The CPH Half organizers have succeeded in creating an event, which the runners are proud to take part in and talk about before, during and after the race,” says David Katz, who has almost 40 years of experience as a finish line coordinator at major race events such as the New York and Boston Marathons. See the video interview with David Katz HERE.
The official race event partners are likewise thrilled about the new gold label:
“The CPH Half is now a part of a small exclusive group of half marathon races, that have been awarded with the IAAF’s most distinguished recognition – the Gold Label. Achieving the Gold Label has been a work in progress since 2014 when Denmark hosted the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships. We are, naturally, hoping that this recognition will attract more domestic and international participants, who will contribute to creating a running festival in the heart of Copenhagen,” says Lars Lundov, CEO, Sport Event Denmark.
“It is so well deserved that the organizers and the city behind the CPH Half are rewarded with the IAAF Gold Label. The foundation was laid with the 2014 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships and followed through by two successfully executed Copenhagen Half Marathons to the delight of both Danish and international runners and spectators. I am certain that the IAAF Gold Label will increase the number of international runners coming to Copenhagen and thereby securing success for many years to come,” says Lars Vallentin, Head of Events at Wonderful Copenhagen.
“We are very happy because this means that lots of recreational athletes will get the opportunity to experience an absolute world-class race!” says Henrik Lehmann Andersen, Director of Nordea-Fonden.
Finally, the organisers of the race comment on the awarding of the Gold Label:
“We are very proud of having achieved the Gold Label over the course of just three years. It is a huge acknowledgment and bears witness to the fact that we have succeeded in creating a unique event within the Danish market. An event that proofs Copenhagen’s place among the world elite of running cities. However, the Gold Label does not mean that we will rest on our laurels. We will continue our work with, among other things, implementing new technology and involving other event players and the business community. There are still a lot of advances and victories to strive for,” according to Dorte Vibjerg, Director of Sparta.
“After the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships In 2014, we decided to work towards an annual running event of international class, a Copenhagen equivalent to the marathon majors. The Gold Label was a very ambitious goal but we achieved it. To have achieved it in the span of just three years tells a lot about the energy in the Danish running scene. We are in many ways a small country and a small market but this recognition underlines the fact that when it comes to running, Denmark can be considered a super power,” says Jakob Larsen, Director of The Danish Athletic Federation.
FACTS ON THE COPENHAGEN HALF MARATHON
• Organizers: The Danish Athletic Federation and Sparta Athletics and Running
• Contributor: Nordea-Fonden
• Collaborators: Sport Event Denmark, Cities of Copenhagen and Frederiksberg, Wonderful Copenhagen and Bevæg Dig For Livet – Løb
• Entries: 22,000, of these 17 pct international participants from 104 nations
• Learn more at www.cphhalf.dk/
• Date: September 17, 2017
• #cphhalf and #sporteventDK
