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We race with care

The Copenhagen Half Marathon is organized by the non-profit sports association Sparta Athletics & Running. As a non-profit sports association, we strive to take responsibility for the society we are part of. We do this by, among other things, creating opportunities to move to a clean city, showing consideration for our local and global environment, and offering good sports facilities for everyone – across social divides.

As a sports association, we also focus on social initiatives. We want to give back to our local community and help other associations in the Copenhagen area as well as individuals who would otherwise not have the opportunity to have this type of experience.

We believe that large events like the Copenhagen Half Marathon, which enjoy great visibility and attention both nationally and internationally, have an obligation as role models.

Therefore, we want to set a good example when it comes to showing consideration and care for the environment. We have therefore taken many new initiatives to reduce our footprint:

What we already do
Printing your bib on-site
We only print participants’ race numbers when they pick up their race packet. This helps reduce the waste of materials for participants who have been prevented from participating in the race and do not pick up.
Plastic-free cups
We use biodegradable 100% plastic-free drinking cups to eliminate the use of single-use plastic.
Water bottles from Aqua d’Or
We hand out water bottles from Aqua d’Or made from 100% recycled plastic. The deposit is donated to the SMIL Foundation, so remember to hand in your deposit in the deposit boxes in the finish area.
Tapwater
We serve tap water at our refreshment zones that is tapped directly from the city’s fire hydrants by Hofor to avoid unnecessary transportation and packaging.
Raincover
We use biodegradable rain covers made from cornstarch.
Race bags
We use reusable race bags made from recyclable material.
Digital Communication
We have replaced printed participant material with exclusively digital communication, including start cards, race planner, and other participant information.
Confetti
We do not use confetti, non-biodegradable balloons and similar materials during the race.
Drop zones
On the route, we have Drop Zones where runners can throw away packaging from their beverage and energy products. This way, we can more easily collect all waste on the route and take better care of our local environment.

Social responsibility

We support the local community

We recruit most of our volunteers through local sports clubs and other associations, where the clubs are paid for the work their volunteers do. Together, Sparta Athletics & Running contributes DKK 2.5 million annually to sports in Copenhagen.