It will come as no surprise that most of my traveling revolves around running. If it’s not for a specific race I’ll still try to sneak some running into the schedule, even if it means getting up before the sun rises. I am often, however, faced with the dilema of where to run and the follow-up question, is it safe? I do as much research as possible ahead of time (yes, I am a travel forum geek) so I was pleasantly surprised before leaving for Copenhagen when I stumbled across Running Copenhagen. Running Copenhagen offers running sightseeing tours in Copenhagen with a local guide. How brilliant is that!!! I had to put absolutely zero more thought into where I would run while there. Sign me up, take my credit card, I’m sold!
I signed up for an 8k group city tour, the more the merrier, right? I had a half marathon scheduled for the following morning so I wasn’t looking to complete any speed workouts. A leisurely run through the city as it began to wake-up and come alive sounded ideal. When I arrived at our designated meeting spot on Saturday morning I was met by Lena (the founder of Running Copenhagen) and Jorn, who would be my guide for the run. And that’s it. A group tour had suddenly turned into a private tour! 
For the next hour and a half Jorn led me around the city, stopping at various sites to snap a photo and making sure I didn’t get run over by any bicyclists (which I sincerely appreciated). Traveling alone, it was nice, if not a little awkward at first, to finally get a few photos with me in them! Running with someone who knows and LOVES the city is a much different experience than just heading out from your airbnb, gps in hand, praying you don’t get too lost. Our run was a history lesson, site seeing tour and a workout all wrapped up in one neat, sweaty package! Not only did I leave with some great recommendations on things to do and places to eat, I left with a new friend that I otherwise would never have met (btw Jorn has an airbnb in a killer location if you’re traveling to Copenhagen). Again, just BRILLIANT!
Lena’s Story
Two days later I had the opportunity to meet up with Lena. I was curious as to what had inspired her to create Running Copenhagen and also a bit envious that I hadn’t thought of it first. Lena is the epitome of the phrase “chose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.” Although I’ve only met Lena on two occasions, I’m pretty sure her smile is a staple in her wardrobe. That was not always the case. She has not always gotten paid to run. While working for Maersk, a Danish shipping company, she travelled over 200 days out of the year. As an avid runner, training for marathons, she would often find herself logging miles on hotel treadmills (if you’ve ever experienced a long run on a treadmill i’m sure you can commiserate). On one trip in particular to Vienna, her friend, also a runner, suggested they go for an early morning run together. By 8 am not only had she completed her run, she had also seen all the sites. BOOM! Lena came home from the trip, created a website, quit her job and Go Running Copenhagen was born. Now there’s some inspiration for you.
When passion and purpose collide something truly magical happens. It becomes an unstoppable force. A force beyond you. This should be the goal. To find that thing that drives your soul and “run” with it.
Today, seven years after that run in Vienna, Lena has franchises in 51 countries throughout the world including Paris, Edinburgh, Florence, Venice, Bangkok, Tampa and San Diego. If you are a runner and are traveling check out Go!Running Tours!
The days of running on hotel treadmills are over! Bravo Lena!
