3 Legged Charity Race - St. Patrick’s Day in Copenhagen
Started in Copenhagen in 2001, the 3 Legged Charity Race is a unique tradition that raises money for children’s charities and kickstarts the city’s St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. It’s put Copenhagen on the list of best places in the world to celebrate the day.
Shamrock Love’s 3 Legged Charity Race is proudly sponsored by 
40,000+ DKK raised in 2026 ☘️
With Copenhagen as always and a first race on Bornholm, this St Patrick’s Day was something special 💚
Great to see so many returning 3-legged racers, along with plenty of new ones 😎
Thanks to all you 3-legged legends, and everyone who donated and bought merch. Thanks to all our volunteers, the 9 pubs on the routes in Copenhagen and Bornholm, and the race’s sponsor, Guinness 👏🙌
Since 2007, the 3 Legged Charity Race and Shamrock Love have donated almost 800,000 DKK to various charities. Read more here.
The story behind the 3 Legged Charity Race
It’s a simple recipe- take a time-honoured race and some classic Copenhagen pubs. Mix with some Velcro leg ties and plenty of fun-loving revellers. Then sprinkle with some heart-warming appeal and a bit of craic, and you have the makings of the perfect way to celebrate the Irish national holiday.
Sponsored by Guinness, the 3 Legged Charity Race is Copenhagen’s longest running St. Patrick’s Day event. Started back in 2001 with just 18 teams, since then many more have accepted the challenge to become our 3 legged legends.
This wacky race, together with Shamrock Love, has donated 750.005 DKK (€100,552) to various charities and put the city on the lists of best places in the world to celebrate the day.
Ran by a committed group of volunteers from the city’s Danish-Irish community, the race kickstarts the city’s St. Patrick’s Day celebrations and brings everyone together for a fun-filled afternoon.
Check out this video from 2019 when the Embassy of Ireland in Denmark interviewed organiser Siobhán Kelleher-Petersen about how the 3 Legged Charity Race started.