Race Queen! Princess Mary storms ahead of participants during the one-mile Royal Run in Nyborg

Princess Mary of Denmark showed off her athletic prowess as she competed in the Royal Run in Nyborg with her husband Crown Prince Frederik today.

The royal couple was also joined by their four children, Prince Christian (17), Princess Isabella (16) and twins Princess Josephine and Prince Vincent (12).

Born in Australia, 51-year-old Mary stormed ahead of other participants on the one-and-a-half-mile run in central Denmark.

Sporting prowess aside, the mother-of-four certainly looked the part, donning an athletic ensemble for the event, including a purple T-shirt with the event’s branding.

She paired her top with navy blue leggings and finished off the outfit with a white baseball cap. The finishing touch was a pair of gray chunky-soled running shoes.

The royal children also showed off their sporting prowess by posing for snaps as they showed off their medals after the run (L-R photo: Princess Josephine, Princess Isabella, Prince Christian and Prince Vincent)

To keep it in the family, Crown Prince Frederik also took part in the event today and was photographed giving an interview

And by the way, the royal was photographed with a blue hoodie tied around her waist, standing at the starting line.

Mary kept her long brown hair out of her face by braiding it into a high ponytail and kept her makeup to a minimum by wearing black eyeliner and peach lipstick.

After the race, Mary was presented with a bouquet of flowers and pictured shaking hands with other participants.

The now annual event began in 2018, with what was intended to be a one-off sporting challenge to celebrate Prince Frederik’s 50th birthday.

However, it proved such a hit with the public that the Royal Run has been held for five years now, attracting some 70,000 runners annually.

In addition to the 1.6 km run Princess Mary took part in today, there are also 10 km challenges and 5 km races in five cities.

During the 2000 Olympics, Mary met her husband, Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark, by chance at the Sydney pub, the Slip Inn, during the 2000 Olympics.

After their meeting, Fred – who was in Australia supporting the Danish Olympic sailing team – asked Mary for her phone number and a romance ensued.

Princess Mary of Denmark pictured at the starting line of this morning’s 1-mile race. The mother of four arrived dressed for the occasion in a purple short-sleeved running shirt with the Royal Run 2023 branding

Mary was presented with a bouquet of flowers and then pictured shaking hands with other participants

Princess Mary, 51, beamed in the photo after completing the one-mile race in Nyborg, Denmark this morning

Princess Mary pictured in Paris with her husband Prince Frederik earlier this month ahead of their cousin’s confirmation

They maintained a long-distance relationship for a year, with Frederik taking secret trips Down Under before Mary moved to Denmark in 2001 to study Danish at the Studieskolen in Copenhagen.

In early 2003, Frederik’s mother, Queen Margrethe, publicly acknowledged the relationship and the couple announced their engagement at Amalienborg Castle later that year, on 8 October.

Frederik and Mary were married at Copenhagen Cathedral on May 14, 2004, with the newly minted Crown Princess opting for a stunning dress by Danish designer Uffer Frank and a veil first used by Crown Princess Margaret of Sweden in 1905.

Their first child, Prince Christian Valdemar Henri John, was born on October 15, 2005; Princess Isabella Henrietta Ingrid Margrethe followed on April 21, 2007.

Nearly four years later, on January 8, 2011, Mary and Frederik welcomed the twins, Princess Josephine Sophia Ivalo Mathilda and Prince Vincent Frederik Minik Alexander, to Copenhagen’s Rigshospitalet.