Why go? I’d say: Why not? It might be expensive to buy food and drink here but as a city it will pay you back in atmosphere and inspiration and after a few days here, you’ll even wish you’d been born Danish!

In Copenhagen you can ride around feeling free and safe on bike lanes all over the city and out into the nearby countryside.

The food scene is big so if you’re a foodie, like we are, this is the place to be. And if that’s not enough the locals are laid-back and fun-loving. And trendy and cool but not so much that you feel left out!

We stayed at the WAKEUP HOTEL at Bernstorffsgade, a minimal and friendly hotel with its own particular style. Our room was small and white with pops of lime green and grey and the walls of the bathroom were made of opaque glass panels. It’s near the centre and the train station, too. There is a varied and healthy breakfast with a view on the 10th floor which has you itching to get out and explore the city.

Eat: KØDBYENS FISKEBAR at VESTERBRO. This industrial area used to be the heart of the meatpacking district but has been transformed into a super cool location for bars, restaurants, art galleries and clubs. It’s busy, noisy and fun.
When we came here on the Friday evening it was packed inside and out and even if you make a booking, you still have to wait a while.
It’s popular for a good reason. We dined like kings on a menu of French, Irish and Danish oysters, razor clams and langoustines; served with sour bread with seaweed butter. All the ingredients were fresh and tasty and every dish was shared was a Wow moment.

Act like a local and hire a bike from Wakeup Hotel to roam the city and take in all the views of sleek modern architecture sat on the water; green areas and enjoy taking in this clean city and fresh air. In Copenhagen you truly see how the Danish live well.

Church of Our Saviour. In a city where everything is on the flat, this tall church stands out and even more so with its whimsical shiny golden steeple. You can climb right up to the top which at the end involves going up a narrow spiral staircase sort of open to the elements. Its not for the faint hearted and you may feel queasy or start laughing hysterically (that’s me doing both!), but obviously it’s worth it for the view and to say- yes, I did it.

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF DENMARK at Ny Vestergade 10.
Museums can be tiring so I always choose one area and home in on that so here I stayed around the prehistoric rooms and loved it. Fun fact: We learned that Viking king Harald Bluetooth was the source of the name Bluetooth for wireless technology; the idea being that just as the king had brought together various tribes under the one kingdom of Denmark, so would bluetooth technology unite devices. In fact the bluetooth symbol is made up of a combination of two runes (letters of the ancient Danish
alphabet) for his initials H and B.

SMØRREBROD at VAEKTHUSET. The Danish version of the open sandwich and something that you can recreate at home. This is fresh, healthy and pretty to look at. You’ve got sourdough rye bread as the base with a topping of spicy herring, red onion, caper berries, apple, decorated with fresh dill. Served with a simple rhubarb cordial. My kind of lunch.

The Marathon Expo next to the football stadium is where you pick up your bib and a goodie bag containing some super motivational boards by Nike- which kind of say it all, really. I love words, obviously or I wouldn’t be writing this, so I found these boards really a great idea- just too big for us to carry back on the plane in our hand luggage.

The morning of the race was cold and rainy. We got there by metro and once inside the park we were welcomed with free coffee and a DJ in a gold sequinned suit (Yes! At 8am he was already doing his DJ thing!), and the mood was good and the waiting time passed by fairly quickly.

The race is mostly flat, so good for keeping a regular pace and getting that PB. The course takes you through the different areas of Copenhagen.

I stayed around the Østerbro area and found myself in a sweet place with cute yellow cottages with shabby chic gardens and the odd bicycle leaning nostalgically against a wall.

Then I spent some time in a Danish café pretending to be a local and drinking coffee while my phone was charging until it was time to get myself in a good position to take some photos of Mr CA on the home stretch. The app was useful for this, but you still spend a long time scanning the runners who all look disturbingly alike.

The meet up was the most difficult part of the organisation because we were literally a mass of people walking towards the park and it started pouring down too.
Mr CA did well to get his PB nice and early because we needed to do a quick turn around and begin our journey to the airport. This meant a wash with some wet wipes and we were on our way. Friends, it’s better to stay another night and catch a plane in the morning. We pushed ourselves and it would have been better to stay, rest and celebrate like you should.

Celebrate at NYHAVN. This is the place to be at if you want to have a beer after the race. It’s busy and noisy and you can drink a Carlsberg, the famous local beer and share your stories with other athletes and their support crew like me.