DHL Stafetten

DHL Stafetten is a Danish company relay where five people share a 5 x 5 km race, with each runner covering one lap of a circuit. It runs every year and now has editions in Copenhagen, Odense, Aalborg, Aabenraa, and Aarhus. The race began in Copenhagen’s Fælledparken in 1981 and grew from a small workplace relay into one of the biggest mass-participation running events in the world. Most teams come through employers, so the field is full of office groups, public-sector staff, club runners, walkers, and people who may only race once a year with colleagues. The format is simple: a team of five sends one person out at a time for 5 km, then hands over to the next runner. The Copenhagen race still uses Fælledparken, while the other city editions use major parks such as Fruens Bøge in Odense, Mindeparken in Aarhus, and Kildeparken in Aalborg. Sparta has organized the race from the start, and DHL has sponsored it since 1991. Its growth says a lot about Danish workplace sport: the event is less about elite racing than getting thousands of teams out after work, with company tents, shared food, and a practical relay setup that lets mixed-ability groups take part together. The concept has also spread beyond Denmark, with versions in places including Greenland, Dublin, Stockholm, and Berlin.