Hundreds of students to run Copenhagen marathon

It might be in the thick of the exam season, but University of Copenhagen (UCPH) students have signed up in their droves for Sunday’s Copenhagen marathon. This is according to data from the organiser Sparta accessed by the University Post.

Although still shy of the record 2014 UCPH attendance – 277 students have put their names down – it is still a large increase over previous years’ turnouts. In 2014 there were 314. In 2013 there were 242. There is still time left to sign up. The 42km fast and flat course will see athletes and amateurs wind through central Copenhagen for the 36th time, setting off on Sunday 09:30 from the Islands Brygge neighbourhood, before looping round Østerbro and Vesterbro and then heading back towards the start.

With a 50 pct. student discount, entrance comes in at DKK 335 and remains open for a few more days. Entertainment hotspots around the course are open to spectators.

Sports scientists the fastest

Year on year, UCPH’s Faculty of Social Sciences, CSS tops the table in terms of the number of runners with 57. However, since 2011 the Faculty of Law has been hot on its heels, this year entering 44 runners.

The group from the Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports clocks the fastest times in UCPH. No surprises there. In 2013 they recorded an average time of 03:38:27, coming in 14 minutes below the UCPH average.

Theis Læssøe broke the UCPH record last year with a scorching time of 02:45:01. The fastest female UCPH runner in 2014 was Social Science student Lise Marie Lønsbo coming in at 03:14:34.

CBS nipping at UCPH’s heels

In terms of number of entrants, Copenhagen Business School has been closing the gap to UCPH since 2013. This year, 193 CBS runners are registered compared to the 277 from UCPH.

In total over 11,000 runners are expected to enter the 2015 race with approximately 20 pct. from abroad. The race also attracts elite athletes including Morrocan runner Hicham El Barouki, expected in at 11.44 and Kenyan racer Divina Kepkosgei, expected at 12.04.

Whilst UCPH runners might not have a chance against the elite field, they have another competitor to watch out for. CBS students shaved 16 minutes from their average time in 2011, leaving UCPH with only a slim two minute lead in 2014, coming in under the respectable 4 hour mark at 3:58:19.

universitypost@adm.ku.dk

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