HjulmandKaptain has supported the marathon since 2010: ”Skagen Marathon is at a very high level”

• We should definitely be part of that. It was a really good initiative, says Jakob Johnsen.

Jakob has himself taken part in many marathons all over Denmark, and since the first race in 2010 he has had the opportunity to follow Skagen Marathon closely. Today, his experience is that the race is at a high level.

• I have run many marathons, and I really think that Skagen Marathon is at a very high level. It is very professional and just really good, he says.

HjulmandKaptain is not only participating as a sponsor. Many of the employees from the office also dust off their running shoes and take part in the race when it all kicks off in Skagen every year.

For Jakob, however, the company's backing is not about being able to put a concrete figure on what the sponsorship gives back in return.

• We cannot really measure what we get out of it. But it creates visibility, and it shows that you want to engage with the local community.

More life outside the summer

According to Jakob, the Skagen Marathon also helps to create life in the town outside the summer season. He also highlights the Skagen Winter Bathing Festival as a good example of how events can help to extend the season.

• It is really good with initiatives like the Skagen Marathon and the Winter Bather Festival, because it creates events in the shoulder season.

His impression is that a great many people come to Skagen in connection with the marathon, and that the event has only grown over the years.

But according to Jakob, it is not just the event itself that helps to create the success. Skagen is good at pulling together, he finds – both among citizens and businesses.

• You cannot put on events like that without support. I think Skagen is really good at pulling together. Everyone gets behind it.

Blown away by Skagen Marathon

Although Jakob has been close to the race from the beginning, he is still impressed when the marathon is over.

• I am blown away after every marathon.

After the race, Jakob and his colleagues often stay in town. They use the day as an opportunity to experience Skagen and have lunch together.

Particularly the atmosphere along the route has made an impression on him. The many volunteers who stand ready and guide the runners through are, according to Jakob, an important part of the experience.

• The helpers on the routes are very friendly. Those organising the marathon can be very proud of it.

For Jakob, the Skagen Marathon is also an opportunity to experience the town from a different perspective. The nature, the atmosphere and the time of year provide a different experience from the one many associate with Skagen in the summer.

• You get the opportunity to experience Skagen in a different season and see nature in a different way. It might also create value for a different type of tourist, who gets the opportunity to experience the town in that way.

And perhaps that is also why Jakob returns year after year. Not just to run, but to be a part of the experience that Skagen Marathon is really good at creating.