Danish descendant to run marathon in Denmark
BUTLER TWP — Although she spent about two weeks in Denmark in 2010, Shannon Weber will soon see more of the European nation than ever after winning a lottery.
The lottery was for entry to the Copenhagen Marathon, an annual event Weber said chooses 35,000 people out of more than 80,000 applicants to participate in. This was finally her year after entering the system a few times.
And it’s not just the run she’s excited about — Weber’s dad was born in Denmark and she still has family living there — so the Butler Township resident won more than a chance to enter the marathon.
“My dream is to just get my kids there with my parents so they can see like where their heritage is and where my dad was born,” Weber said Saturday, Aug. 22. “Some of my cousins… They're going to find little pit stops around the route for me to be able to see my family.”
Weber learned she was selected for the marathon last month. She said she cheered and cried when she found out, which only happened after she translated the Danish words to English.
After the initial excitement of being selected, reality set in. Although Weber has run in the Pittsburgh Half-Marathon twice, she has never run the distance of a full marathon, 26.2 miles — or, for those in Europe, 42.195 kilometers.
She realized she had to start training.
Weber has a plan that will get her up to speed for the marathon, which is May 9, 2027. She has been running around her neighborhood and on trails, such as at Graham Park in Cranberry Township and Butler County Community College, to prepare. She is now building up her endurance to be able to move for 26 miles.
“I find music that I can run to the beat with, so sometimes it's not even about the songs, it's about the beat,” Weber said. “I have a big plan. My training is for August through September or October, through September, and then January up to the race.”
Weber said her father passed on some of his Danish traditions to her family; but when Weber found out she was selected for the Copenhagen Marathon, the first person she told was her dad’s sister: her Aunt Eva.
“I was the first one she told, I'm thrilled for her,” said Eva Robinson. “She and her sister, my brother and his wife and my sister, many of them are going this time because they have not been there since.”
Robinson was also born in Denmark and has been back there many times since moving to Butler in 1961. She said her relatives in Denmark are always happy to meet their American cousins. She said she is happy her domestic family is acknowledging Danish culture.
“It's holding the European family together with the American. They're thrilled with it,” she said.
The last time Weber was in Denmark was before she had met her husband or had children. She and about a dozen members of her family spent about two weeks there exploring castles and the countryside, meeting her relatives along the way.
Weber said she didn’t hesitate to buy a race bib as soon as she learned she was selected for the marathon, thanks to some encouragement from her mother, who started getting her family on board to make it a group trip.
“It's amazing just to see the culture,” Weber said of Denmark. “We still have a lot of family over there, so we already have a place to stay and it's going to be a lot of fun.”
While Weber is building up her endurance for a 26.2-mile race, she is also building up her Danish vocabulary. She said she is working on learning the language better to prepare to be in the country, using Duolingo as a teacher.
Weber also noted the trip will be a good Mother’s Day gift to herself and her family members, who will be in Denmark on Mother’s Day. The holiday falls on May 9 in Denmark.
“I'm super excited about that because my mom will be there and my twin sister is coming, so we'll be able to celebrate,” Weber said.
Weber said she got into running on a bit of a whim. She signed up for her first 5K race in 2021 while at the beach with best friend, Meagan Johnson. Since then, she has been a certified runner, participating in the Pittsburgh Half-Marathon in 2023 and 2025 and the Pittsburgh Marathon Relay and Pittsburgh 5K in the intervening years.
Weber ran alongside her son in the 5K and Johnson in the half-marathon and relays.
“She has been my rock for years. We ran many, many races together,” Weber said of Johnson. “I just feel like I want to keep running for her. She's my inspiration.”
The distances have given Weber a challenge. However, the full marathon is a whole new ball game, she said. The terrain of Copenhagen is not like that of Pittsburgh or Western Pennsylvania — the marathon course is pretty flat, according to Weber, which is one upside of making the Danish marathon her first full 26-mile run.
But Weber said she is still nervous about the endeavor.
“I'm definitely nervous, but I also said, 'This is an experience, once-in-a-lifetime,’” Weber said.
Weber commented she is building up her endurance for the race by running outdoors, but will have to change her tactics when the weather gets cold and she’ll probably have to settle for getting her steps in on a stationary treadmill. She said her 11-year-old son is starting to get into running, having participated in a 5K with her in Pittsburgh, which is exciting to her.
Also motivating to Weber is the Copenhagen course itself. The route takes runners through historic spots, such as the Royal Danish Theatre, Queen Louise’s Bridge, the Marble Church and the Royal Library. Weber said seeing castles and highlights of Danish architecture are on her and her husband’s bucket list.
So even though she expects the race to be grueling and difficult, Weber is keeping her head up and looking forward to the once-in-a-lifetime experience.
“I joked, I said, ‘Even if they're picking up the cones behind me I'm going to finish it,’” she said. “And I'm going to document everything and I'm super excited to cross that finish line.”
