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Kenyan former world champions arrive in Denmark for Copenhagen half marathon

Geoffrey Kamworor, a three-time half marathon world champion, is in the Danish capital to compete in Sunday’s CPH Half running event.

Published: 13 September 2019 16:35 CEST
Kenyan former world champions arrive in Denmark for Copenhagen half marathon
Geoffrey Kamworor (centre) was also in Denmark for the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Aarhus earlier this year. Photo: Aleksandra Szmigiel/Reuters/Ritzau Scanpix

Kenyan Kamworor, a frequent training partner of compatriot and marathon world record holder Eliud Kipchoge, was pictured warming up on the Islands Brygge waterfront on Friday.

 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 
 

 
 

A post shared by V A P O R F L Y E R S (@vaporflyers) on Sep 13, 2019 at 3:21am PDT

The three-time half marathon world champion will be at the front of the pack as 25,000 elite and amateur runners take to the streets of the city for Sunday’s sold-out 21.095-metre race.

In the women’s section, Peres Jepchichir, a 2016 World Half Marathon title winner and former world record holder, is likely to lead the field.

 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 
 

Happy to be in Denmark with a strong group of pacemakers!!!@cphhalf

A post shared by Geoffrey Kamworor (@geoffreykamworor) on Sep 13, 2019 at 3:00am PDT

Established in 2015, Copenhagen’s half marathon – officially named CPH Half – has become an attractive proposition for elite runners due to its potential for logging a fast time.

The current women’s European record for the half marathon was set at the 2018 CPH Half, as Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands ran 1:05:11.

One of Kamworor’s own previous world championship wins came at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in Copenhagen in 2014.

Favourable climate and a flat course with few sharp bends are among the factors that can help leading athletes and hobby runners alike to aim for personal best times.

This weekend’s weather looks set to be dry with temperatures of around 16 degrees Celsius, according to DMI’s latest prognosis.

Moderate winds could add to the challenge for runners taking on the 21 kilometres through the city, however.

Weather conditions are unlikely to impact the race as badly as the infamous 2017 edition of the event, when a torrential downpour resulted in organizers being forced to close the race early, meaning many were unable to complete the distance.

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DISCOVER DENMARK

What can Copenhagen achieve by rewarding eco-friendly actions with freebies?

Copenhagen recently announced it will reward visitors and locals for green good deeds -- like picking up rubbish or taking the bus -- with free food, coffee or cultural activities, but what was the thinking behind this innovative step?

Published: 11 July 2024 17:24 CEST
What can Copenhagen achieve by rewarding eco-friendly actions with freebies?

On Monday, Copenhagen will launch its scheme rewarding visitors and residents with cultural experiences and even meals in return for “eco-friendly acts”.

This means you will be able to claim rewards by showing proof like a train ticket or a photo of your bicycle outside the attraction, although the system is mostly trust-based.

Bonuses on the new “CopenPay” scheme include a kayak or boat tour, a vegetarian meal, a museum ticket, or an e-bicycle ride — free of charge.

Why does the city want to give away these freebies?

“It is a core task for us to make travelling sustainable. And we will only succeed if we bridge the large gap between the visitors’ desire to act sustainably and their actual behaviour”, tourism board CEO Mikkel Aaro-Hansen said.

The public’s reaction has been “overwhelmingly positive”, although some disappointed visitors “would have liked the scheme to be in place during their stay,” Copenhagen tourism office communications director Rikke Holm Petersen told news agency AFP.

READ ALSO: How Copenhagen visitors can buy transport tickets on smart phones without an app

Although the tourist board says it wants the scheme to change behaviour to a more eco-friendly approach, it admits the initiative alone cannot dent the environmental impact of tourism.

More than 100,000 passengers flew into Copenhagen in June, resulting in a much higher carbon footprint than bus or train travel, according to airport data.

“The environmental burden of transportation to and from Copenhagen is much more significant than that of local transportation,” said tourism website VisitCopenhagen.

“We have chosen to limit our advertising efforts to Copenhagen Airport, the central station, and within the city itself, rather than conducting marketing campaigns abroad,” Petersen said.

The tourism office will consider extending the scheme beyond the city — perhaps even abroad — if it proves successful.

“We hope to reintroduce CopenPay as a year-round, green payment experience within the economy and broaden the concept to other parts of Denmark and the rest of the world,” according to the VisitCopenhagen site.

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