Copenhagen Marathon 2027 fueling guide: depots, free gels, the 09:30 start, and a plan for every finish time

The Copenhagen Marathon starts at 09:30 on Sunday, 9 May 2027, and the last edition gave runners 10 depots, every one with water and High5 Energy Drink Citrus. Two of them, at 16 and 27.8 km, also handed out a free High5 Energy Gel Aqua, three had bananas, and two extra Faxe Kondi power zones sat at 21.1 and 35.3 km. That is a generous course, but it still covers less than an hour of fuel for most runners. This guide sets out what the organizer has published, when you will reach each depot at your pace, and three plans to choose from.

Copenhagen is flat and fast, so fueling is less about hills and more about three things: a crowded field (35,000 entries for 2027), a hard 3-hour net cut-off at halfway, and wind on the open harbour bridges. The 2027 station list and course are not published yet, so everything below is based on the last edition’s official station map and course page. Recheck both in race week.

Copenhagen Marathon 2027: the confirmed race facts

Your time is net, so it starts when you cross the line, not when your wave is called. Last edition’s waves are below. The 2027 waves will follow your entered finish time, which you can change in your entry profile before race week.

What is on the Copenhagen Marathon course

This is the full list from the last edition’s official course page. In Danish the aid stations are called forplejningszoner, and runners often just say depot. Every depot is on the right side of the road. The first tables hold elite bottles, then you get water, High5 Energy Drink, and water again. The organizer’s text speaks of 10 refreshment zones; its table also lists the two Faxe Kondi power zones, which serve samples only.

Most gaps between depots are 3.5 to 4.5 km. The longest is from 27.8 to 32.7 km, 4.9 km with nothing in between. The last depot is at 38.3 km, so your final carbohydrate should go in there or just before it. If you rely on the course gels, note that the second one comes at 27.8 km, and there is no third.

The numbers behind the products: the organizer’s label for High5 Energy Drink Citrus gives 93 g of carbohydrate and 1.3 g of salt per 100 g of powder, and its energy guide says 500 ml gives 45 g of carbohydrate. That works out to about 9 g per 100 ml, and about 250 mg of sodium per 500 ml. The organizer also warns that the course drink is mixed in large batches, so the strength is not guaranteed. A full 100 to 150 ml cup would give 9 to 13 g, but at race pace much of it spills, so count about 5 g per cup. Ten cups add up to roughly 50 to 130 g over the race. The High5 Energy Gel Aqua is a 66 g sachet with 23 g of carbohydrate; it is made with water, so it goes down without a drink. The organizer’s label lists no caffeine for it. Both course gels together give 46 g.

When you will reach each station at your pace

The table shows elapsed time from your own start at an even pace. A 3:30 runner reaches the first Gel Aqua at 1:20 and the second at 2:18. A 5:00 runner reaches the last depot at 4:32. If that runner started in the green wave at 10:22, that is close to 14:55 on the clock.

Look at the 6:00 column at 21.1 km: an even 6-hour pace reaches halfway at exactly 3:00, the net cut-off. There is no margin. If you are aiming for 5:30 to 6:00, plan to pass halfway by about 2:50, and keep eating on schedule from the first depot so the second half does not slow you further.

Pick your plan: three runner profiles

World Athletics’ consensus statement gives 30 to 60 g of carbohydrate per hour as the usual marathon range, and its companion paper on distance runners suggests trained runners try up to 90 g per hour in events longer than about two and a half hours. The organizer’s own energy guide uses 60 g per hour as a rule of thumb and suggests a first gel after about 30 minutes, then two per hour. Research on multiple transportable carbohydrates shows that intakes above 60 g per hour are only absorbed well when the product mixes glucose and fructose and the gut has been trained for it. So here are three honest profiles. With 25 g gels, one every 30 minutes gives 50 g per hour, every 25 minutes gives 60 g, and every 20 minutes gives 75 g.

Racing it: at 75 g per hour from gels alone, a 3:00 race needs nine 25 g gels. The two Gel Aqua sachets can replace two of them if you have trained with them, though at 66 g each they are bulky to carry and open at speed. Count no more than a few grams per cup of drink. Build your number over eight to ten weeks of long runs, starting at 60 g and adding 10 to 15 g every second week while your stomach stays quiet. Take your first gel just before the 8.1 km depot, about 35 minutes in, and the last one before 38.3 km.

Steady marathon: think in grams. A 4:00 race at 60 g per hour is 240 g. The two course gels give 46 g, and ten cups of High5 drink maybe 50 to 100 g. That leaves 100 to 150 g, or four to six carried 25 g gels. Put one of them just before 27.8 km or in the gap after it, where the course is quiet for 4.9 km. Write the grams next to each item and total each hour.

Long day: five to six hours on your feet changes the math. Fifty grams per hour over six hours is 300 g, and the course covers about a third of it. Small, frequent doses work best: a gel every 30 minutes, or half a gel every 15, with a piece of banana or a cup of drink when a gel feels like too much. Watch the halfway clock. A missed gel in the first two hours is the most common way to drift past 3:00 at 21.1 km.

Caffeine, sodium, and the Faxe Kondi power zones

• Caffeine: the ISSN position stand supports 3 to 6 mg per kg taken about 60 minutes before exercise. For a 70 kg runner, 3 mg per kg is 210 mg. With a 09:30 start, that means about 08:30 for the yellow wave and about 09:20 for the green wave.
• The Gel Aqua served on the course is the Berry flavour, and the organizer’s label lists no caffeine. If you want caffeine during the race, carry your own tested product.
• Faxe Kondi Booster at 35.3 km: it is sold as an energy drink, but the organizer has not published its caffeine or sugar content, and the course samples are mixed with water. Try it in training if you want it; skip it if you already took a big caffeine dose.
• Faxe Kondi PRO at 21.1 km: the organizer describes it as an isotonic drink with carbohydrate, electrolytes, magnesium and vitamins. It has not published the grams, so count it as a bonus.
• Sodium: High5 Energy Drink gives about 250 mg of sodium per 500 ml at the strength the organizer quotes. On days above 18 to 20 °C (64 to 68 °F), the organizer’s nutrition team suggests carrying salt tablets or similar to take at the depots. Use the product and dose you trained with.
• Take carried gels just before a depot, as the organizer advises, and drop wrappers in the waste zones set up before and after each depot.

Hydration and wind for an early-May morning in Copenhagen

In early May, Copenhagen averages a daily high of about 13 to 15 °C (56 to 59 °F) and a low of about 5 to 7 °C (41 to 44 °F), with roughly a 1 in 5 chance of a wet day and almost no muggy days. The average wind is about 17 km/h (10.8 mph), mostly from the west from 8 May. Last edition, the organizer reported 12 °C and overcast skies for the elite race. Most runners finish before the warmest part of the afternoon, so heat is rarely the issue; cold hands at the start and wind on the bridges are more likely. The organizer suggests 500 to 600 ml of fluid per hour and a little at every depot. World Athletics warns against drinking more than you sweat; finishing heavier than you started is a sign of overdrinking.

• Test your sweat rate in one cool and one mild long run in March and April.
• Toilets are at the start area, in the Runners Area and at all depots on the course.
• Medics are at the start, the finish and every depot. You can write relevant health issues on the back of your bib.
• Seek help at a depot for confusion, severe headache, repeated vomiting, or collapse, whatever the clock says.

Breakfast for the 09:30 start

A familiar carbohydrate-rich meal one to four hours before racing is the standard framework, and ACSM gives 1 to 4 g of carbohydrate per kg in that window. The organizer’s nutrition tips, written with Team Denmark, say to eat about 3 hours before the start, drink freely until 1 hour before and then only to thirst, and take a small snack 15 to 30 minutes before the gun. The start area opens at 07:30, and the organizer asks you to arrive at least one hour before the start. Your wave changes the clock: the green wave started 52 minutes after the yellow last edition.

• Yellow and blue waves (09:30 to 09:34): breakfast at 06:15 to 06:45, about 2 to 3 g of carbohydrate per kg, for example oatmeal with fruit and sugar, or a white bun with jam or honey and a banana.
• Purple and orange waves (09:44 to 09:59): breakfast at 06:45 to 07:00.
• Grey and green waves (10:14 to 10:22): breakfast at 07:00 to 07:30.
• With breakfast: about 0.5 litre of fluid. The organizer suggests 500 ml of High5 Energy Drink, which adds 45 g of carbohydrate; use it only if you have trained with it. A cup of coffee helps many runners use the toilet before the start.
• Leave by Metro in good time. The nearest stations are Trianglen, Vibenshus Runddel and Poul Henningsens Plads.
• 15 to 30 minutes before your wave: a banana, a bar or a gel you know.
• Your bib is at the Expo only. Pick it up early in race week so race-day morning stays calm.

Course tactics: where Copenhagen tempts you

The 2027 course has not been published yet. Last edition started, as always, on Østre Allé next to Fælledparken. These notes follow the last edition’s course and its official highlight list.

• 0 to 10 km: a crowded start with a record field. The organizer asks you not to run to the first cup: use the whole zone and take a cup further down. Take your first carried gel just before the 8.1 km depot.
• 10 to 16 km: Knippelsbro and Christianshavn at about 10 km, along Stadsgraven onto Amager and back across Langebro. The bridges and waterfront are the most open parts of the course; if it is windy, sit in a group. Then City Hall, Strøget and Queen Louise’s Bridge at about 14 km, where the crowd noise tempts a surge. Hold your pace. First Gel Aqua at 16 km.
• 16 to 24 km: Nørrebro, depots at 19.8 km and halfway, with Faxe Kondi PRO at 21.1 km. Long-day runners check the clock here against the 3-hour cut-off. Frederiksberg Allé at about 24 km runs slightly downhill; bananas and drink at 24.3 km.
• 24 to 33 km: past the Planetarium and Tivoli, along Istedgade at about 28 km, with the second Gel Aqua at 27.8 km. Then the Kaktus Towers at about 31 km. This is the course’s longest gap, 4.9 km to the 32.7 km depot, so have a carried gel ready.
• 33 to 42.2 km: Kongens Nytorv, Nyhavn, Amalienborg and the Marble Church, with Faxe Kondi Booster at 35.3 km and bananas at 35.7 km, then Nyboder at about 36 km. The last depot is at 38.3 km. After that it is 3.9 km home to Østre Allé.

The long-run rehearsal that makes the plan real

Copenhagen is a morning race, which suits most training weeks. In March and April, schedule two or three long runs that start at your wave time. Eat breakfast at the same time as on race day, carry the same products, and fuel at the same clock times. The organizer recommends training with the High5 products served on the course; buy High5 Energy Drink Citrus and Gel Aqua Berry and test them here, including how the larger Aqua sachet feels to open and swallow at pace. One rehearsal proves the timing works; the next tests it under fatigue, at goal pace for racers and at the full expected time for the long-day group.

The later rehearsals are where you simplify. If carrying many gels is awkward, lean on the 10 depots and the two course gels, and carry gels mainly for the 27.8 to 32.7 km gap and the last 4 km. If a gel every 20 minutes feels stressful, link your gels to the depots instead: most are 3.5 to 4.5 km apart. The best plan is the one you can still follow around Nyhavn at about 33 km.

Race-week Copenhagen checklist

• Recheck the official course page for 2027 depot kilometres, products and the two power zones.
• Check your start group colour on your bib and the latest arrival time for your group.
• Lay out every carried item, add one backup, and write grams and timing on one card. Mark the 27.8 to 32.7 km gap and the last depot at 38.3 km.
• Plan your morning backward from your wave start: breakfast, Metro, bag drop in the Runners Area, toilets, start group.
• Check the forecast 48 hours out for temperature and wind, and adjust fluid, salt and clothing, not the whole plan.
• Do not buy an unfamiliar gel at the Expo because the flavour sounds good.

Frequently asked questions

Sources and update notes

1. 1Copenhagen Marathon 2027 (home page)Copenhagen Marathon (Sparta Atletik og Løb)Accessed October 25, 2026; race day 9 May 2027 at 9:30
2. 2All About the Course for Copenhagen Marathon 2026Copenhagen Marathon (Sparta Atletik og Løb)Accessed October 25, 2026; last edition’s depot table, High5 and Faxe Kondi products, nutrition labels, medics
3. 3Energy PlanCopenhagen Marathon (Sparta Atletik og Løb)Accessed October 25, 2026; 60 g per hour rule of thumb, gel timing, 500 ml High5 Energy Drink = 45 g carbohydrate, 500 to 600 ml fluid per hour
4. 4Start GroupsCopenhagen Marathon (Sparta Atletik og Løb)Accessed October 25, 2026; last edition’s wave times, latest arrival times and pace teams
5. 5Race DayCopenhagen Marathon (Sparta Atletik og Løb)Accessed October 25, 2026; start area opens 7:30, arrive one hour early, Metro stations, medics
6. 6FAQCopenhagen Marathon (Sparta Atletik og Løb)Accessed October 25, 2026; 6-hour and 3-hour net cut-offs, course measurement, bib pickup
7. 7Here Is the Course for Copenhagen Marathon 2026Copenhagen Marathon (Sparta Atletik og Løb)Accessed October 25, 2026; nine highlights with approximate kilometres
8. 88 Tips for the Refreshment ZonesCopenhagen Marathon (Sparta Atletik og Løb)Accessed October 25, 2026; depot layout, gels before depots, waste zones
9. 918 Tips to Get Your Body Ready for a MarathonCopenhagen Marathon with Team DenmarkAccessed October 25, 2026; breakfast 3 hours before, snack 15 to 30 minutes before, salt tablets above 18 to 20 °C
10. 10Electrolytes: Your Best Friend on Long DistancesCopenhagen Marathon (Sparta Atletik og Løb)Accessed October 25, 2026; Faxe Kondi PRO power zone at 21.1 km
11. 11Welcome to the Runners AreaCopenhagen Marathon (Sparta Atletik og Løb)Accessed October 25, 2026; toilets at all refreshment zones
12. 12Massive Interest in Copenhagen Marathon: More Than 80,000 Runners Apply for an EntryCopenhagen Marathon (Sparta Atletik og Løb)Accessed October 25, 2026; 80,937 applicants, 35,000 entries for 2027
13. 13Copenhagen Marathon: Race Record Crushed by DebutantCopenhagen Marathon (Sparta Atletik og Løb)Accessed October 25, 2026; 12 °C and overcast at the 2026 race, 22,424 starters
14. 14Energy Gel AquaHIGH566 g sachet with 23 g carbohydrate, made with water
15. 15International Association of Athletics Federations Consensus Statement 2019: Nutrition for AthleticsInternational Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism (Burke et al., 2019), PMID 30952204Carbohydrate ranges, pre-race meal, and hydration guidance
16. 16Contemporary Nutrition Strategies to Optimize Performance in Distance Runners and Race WalkersInternational Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism (Burke et al., 2019), PMID 30747558Marathon carbohydrate intake, including up to 90 g per hour for trained runners in longer events
17. 17Nutrition and Athletic Performance: Joint Position StatementAmerican College of Sports Medicine (Thomas et al., 2016), PMID 268911661 to 4 g per kg carbohydrate 1 to 4 hours before exercise
18. 18A Step Towards Personalized Sports Nutrition: Carbohydrate Intake During ExerciseSports Medicine (Jeukendrup, 2014), PMID 24791914Multiple transportable carbohydrates and intakes above 60 g per hour
19. 19International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: Caffeine and Exercise PerformanceJISSN (Guest et al., 2021), PMID 333880793 to 6 mg per kg, about 60 minutes before exercise
20. 20May Weather in CopenhagenWeather SparkEarly-May temperature, wet-day, humidity and wind averages