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23,000 runners took over Copenhagen’s streets on Sunday for the Copenhagen Marathon. But behind the medals and personal bests, a gear culture is taking hold, where the pursuit of faster times can send the bill soaring into the thousands of kroner.

5,000 kroner for a day’s worth of fun: »It’s worth every penny«

It can quickly get expensive if you’re the kind of runner who insists on lining up for the Copenhagen Marathon in the newest gear every time. Foto: Claus Bech/Ritzau Scanpix
It can quickly get expensive if you’re the kind of runner who insists on lining up for the Copenhagen Marathon in the newest gear every time. Foto: Claus Bech/Ritzau Scanpix
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A young woman sits on the train wearing a running vest, short tights, and brand-new, pricey running shoes. She’s wedged in close with others who look just like her. They all have the same white bag on their backs with a yellow square that reads ’42.195’ – the number that serves as today’s status symbol.

Her watch is too old to download the running app Strava, which logs every single kilometer and shares it with friends. That’s why she’s wearing a running vest, so she has somewhere to put her phone, she explains to the others on the train.

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