Non-profit tradition since 1981
DHL Relay Copenhagen is a bit of a workplace institution in Denmark. For one week every August, colleagues, teams, and companies come together in Fælledparken to run, walk, cheer each other on, and hang out in a way that feels very different from the everyday office routine.
It all started back in 1981 with just 134 teams and a chalk line on a gravel path. Today, DHL Relay Copenhagen brings together more than 150,000 participants, making it one of the biggest fitness events in the world. But the numbers aren’t what matter most. It’s the sense of connection that grows around the event.
TOGETHER IS THE WHOLE POINT
We’re here to help colleagues connect. To create those moments when job titles and roles matter a little less, and people matter a little more. Where it’s not about how fast you run or how well you perform, but about being part of something together.
And here’s a fun fact: DHL Relay Copenhagen has carried the DHL name since 1991 and is still run as a non profit event. Any surplus goes straight back into sport, community initiatives, and the amazing volunteers who make it all happen year after year.
ALL THE WAY FROM THE USA
The idea for the relay was born in the USA in 1980, when Niels Jørgen Holdt spotted a format worth bringing home. A year later, it became a 5×5 relay race in Fælledparken. In 1991, the event got its current name when DHL came on board as the main sponsor.
STEP INSIDE THE TENT
The famous tents arrived in 1987. Back then, it took just one day to put them up. Today, it takes around two weeks. That says a lot about how much the event has grown – and how much the post-race gathering around the tables has become part of the experience.
UNIQUELY DANISH
Visitors from abroad often come to see DHL Relay Copenhagen for themselves. But they rarely manage to recreate it back home. There’s something uniquely Danish about managers and employees running side by side, sharing the same start line, and being part of the same team.
NON-PROFIT FROM DAY ONE
DHL Relay Copenhagen has always been a non profit event. Any surplus is reinvested in the relay itself and helps support running and athletics activities for children, young people, and adults through Sparta.
