Copenhagen Marathon Lottery Pulls Over 80,000 Entries for 35,000 Spots

Nearly 81,000 runners entered the lottery for a place at the 2027 Copenhagen Marathon, more than double the number of bibs available, organizers announced this week.

The exact figure was 80,937 applications for 35,000 spots, the first time in the race’s history that entries were assigned by random draw. Sparta Athletics & Running, the club behind the race, switched to a lottery after the 2026 edition sold out in under 24 hours and locked many runners out before they could load the registration page.

“The tremendous interest shows that Copenhagen is now among Europe’s most attractive marathon destinations,” said Dorte Vibjerg, CEO of Sparta Athletics & Running. “Copenhagen Marathon has become more than just a race. For many people, it is a personal goal and an experience they dream of sharing with others.”

Vibjerg said the three-week application window was built to give runners in any time zone a fair shot. “It has given far more runners a genuine opportunity to secure a place on the start line,” she said.

A more global, more female field

The lottery has reshaped who is trying to run Copenhagen. Applicants represented more than 160 nationalities, up from the 122 nationalities counted on the 2026 start line.

Women accounted for 37 percent of applications. That is a notable rise from the 2026 race, where the female share of the field sat just under 30 percent.

About one in four applicants (25.9 percent) used a new group-entry option that ties friends or training partners together, so they get in or sit out together. The largest single age band was 25 to 29 years old, at 23.5 percent of applicants.

Denmark led the country count, followed by Sweden, the United Kingdom, Norway, Germany, the United States, Italy, Spain, France and Poland.

Why Copenhagen moved to a lottery

The switch was not popular with everyone. When organizers announced the change last year, event director Lars Nissen of Sparta acknowledged the backlash in an interview with Danish broadcaster DR.

“From our perspective, this is due diligence,” Nissen said, pointing to a similar move at the Copenhagen Half Marathon after complaints about how hard it was to secure entries.

“Many of those leaving angry comments are frustrated because it’s hard to get a spot,” he said. “We recognize that, but we’re trying to handle massive demand.”

Copenhagen also banned the resale of race numbers, a practice it had previously allowed for injured or unprepared runners. Participants can now buy a 99-kroner insurance policy (roughly $14) to recover their entry fee if they cannot start due to acute illness or other unforeseen problems. Nissen cited fraud and unsold resale bibs as the reason for the change, telling DR that “hundreds were left holding numbers they couldn’t resell before this year’s race.”

Elite athletes and members of Danish athletics clubs remain outside the lottery system. They get guaranteed entry through invitations or through the Danish Athletics Federation.

What happens if you missed out

Sparta has confirmed the 2027 field is now locked in. In an Instagram post, the race team wrote: “The final runners selected through the lottery have now completed their registrations, and the field for Copenhagen Marathon 2027 is officially set.”

The post continued: “We truly wish we had room for everyone who wanted to join us on the streets of Copenhagen next May.”

Runners who were not picked will be notified by email. Two backdoors remain. The race works with official charity partners who hold their own pool of bibs in exchange for fundraising commitments, and a number of tour operators sell travel packages that include guaranteed entry. Details on both are due on the Copenhagen Marathon website in the coming weeks.

The 2027 Copenhagen Marathon is scheduled for Sunday, May 9, 2027. Runners shut out of next May may want to look at other spring marathons, including the 2027 London Marathon ballot or the Berlin Marathon, both of which open later this year.