Starting in St. Niklaus, situated in the lowest-lying mountain valley in Switzerland, and ending on Riffelberg by Gornergrat, the highest-altitude finish line in Europe at 2,585 m.a.s.l., the Zermatt Marathon is the supreme alpine racing challenge. This event will be the most exciting and ambitious marathon competition in Europe. On …
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Starting in St. Niklaus, situated in the lowest-lying mountain valley in Switzerland, and ending on Riffelberg by Gornergrat, the highest-altitude finish line in Europe at 2,585 m.a.s.l., the Zermatt Marathon is the supreme alpine racing challenge.
This event will be the most exciting and ambitious marathon competition in Europe. On the first 20 kilometres of the race from St. Niklaus to Zermatt, the course continues through the valley floor, mainly along the left bank of the Vispa River. The half-marathon distance will be reached at the Zermatt Bahnhofstrasse. From there, the course winds along an alpine road up to Sunnegga. The next leg of the race is via Gant, and after a stretch of flat land, competitors will reach Riffelalp at 2,222 m.a.s.l. Here is where the heat is really on! Because over the remaining kilometres an elevation of almost 400 metres has to be overcome before finally reaching the finish at 2,585 m.a.s.l. on Riffelberg by Gornergrat.
While the runners of the Zermatt Marathon pass the chapel on the Riffelberg and have the finish within reach, the runners of the Ultra Zermatt Marathon will still have exactly 3.4 kilometers and 514 high meters to achieve. The view from the Gornergrat at 3’089 meters is unique and will compensate for all the efforts.
Starting shot
St. Niklaus, a legendary provenance of alpinism, can look back on a proud tradition of being the birthplace of outstanding mountaineers. Numerous are the ‘four-thousanders’ which were first conquered by the native sons of St. Niklaus. It follows that St. Niklaus is the absolutely ideal starting point for a new generation of intrepid spirits on their way to the top – the marathon runners. So, don’t miss the starting shot at 08.45 a.m., which is scheduled to go off in co-ordination with the MGB Railway’s timetable.
Half-time
Zermatt, the epitome of alpine resort sophistication with its overwhelming view of the world’s most glorious mountain – the Matterhorn. The Bahnhofstrasse in cosmopolitan Zermatt marks the athletes’ fleeting and final passage through the realm of civilisation before they once again compete with the forces of nature on their ascent to Sunnegga.
Breathing space
Sunnegga, the long ascent through pine forests and alpine pastures, acknowledges the athletes’ spirit with a magnificent panoramic view of the Alps. The next few kilometres over flat terrain offer a welcome breather.
Last lap
Riffelalp, lying at an altitude of 2,222 metres. One glance at the resplendent Matterhorn fortifies the athletes for the even greater test of strength to come. For the arduous ascent from Riffelalp up to Riffelberg is next – and this last lap scales an elevation of yet another 400 metres.
Finishing line
Riffelberg, 2,585 metres above sea level. The pain subsides. Breathing becomes easier. 29 four-thousand-metre mountains cheer each runner who reaches the finishing line – because everyone who makes it up here by 16.20 pm is a winner.
LESS
5 stars all around
This was my first trip to Switzerland and wanted to incorporate a race. We chose the right race! Even though I "only" ran the half it was a wonderful experience. … MORE
This was my first trip to Switzerland and wanted to incorporate a race. We chose the right race! Even though I “only” ran the half it was a wonderful experience. Race logistics were easy. Bib is your train ride back into town but we also used the bib to explore the Gornegrat the day before the race. The views were spectacular. Post race area was great and well spread out. A pasta dinner was included. We returned to have a bartwurst after the race and stayed to watch the awards. Award winners got huge wedges and wheels of Gruyeres cheese! I highly recommend this race!
Toi-Toi-Toi Hopp-Hopp-Hopp
The Zermatt Marathon starts from the bottom of the valley below Zermatt in the town of St. Nicklaus at 1116m and gradually goes up along a very scenic mountain valley … MORE
The Zermatt Marathon starts from the bottom of the valley below Zermatt in the town of St. Nicklaus at 1116m and gradually goes up along a very scenic mountain valley to Zermatt at the half marathon point. You’ve gained 500m at this half way mark. Zermatt is approximately at 1616m(5300ft) of elevation. The first half of the marathon is mostly on gravel roads or paved roads with short sections of single track trails. You’ll go through a couple of small villages on your way to Zermatt and there are a fair amount of locals cheering you on with the ubiquitous “toi-toi-toi” and “hopp-hopp-hopp” that essentially mean “good luck/break a leg” and “go go go”. Hopefully you have saved your climbing legs for the next half as you will begin to really ascend after a brief 4km tour out and back through the town of Zermatt. Unless you are a very strong mountain runner expect lots of power hiking up to Sunnegga just above the forrest about 7km after leaving Zermatt and about 500m of ascent. If you’ve dialled in your nutrition and having done your altitude training and not too jet lagged(none of those applied to me and my struggle bus) the next 7-8 km is actually runnable and where you should pass other runners or be passed at times. You should be aware the marathon and ultramarathon starts from St.Nicklaus around 8:30am but the half marathon starts from Zermatt at 10:15am approximately following the second half of the marathon course. Depending on your timing you will be mixed in with large contingents of half marathoners leading to some conga lines on some of the single track. Anyway, if you’ve made it to the 39km mark at Riffelap you’ve got a 3km power hike ahead of you with about 350m ascent to Riffelberg and the finish (42.2km). Finish line is at 2585m(approx 8500ft of elevation) for marathon. There’s an “ultra distance” option of 45.6km all the way to the Gornergrat but that’s another 500m up from the marathon finish (can you say “yes, I’d love to power hike another 3km straight up”). Finish line elevation for the ultra is 3089m(approx 10,100ft). There is a ski station and restaurant at Riffelberg and there is a band playing Swiss mountain versions of both traditional and contemporary songs(amusing) below the finish line. Lots of spectators at Riffelberg and there is a convivial atmosphere. Hey you can get a tallboy Heineken or two in the finish line aid station. Thumbs up to that!
Aid station food in general was more marathon than trail/ultra marathon scene meaning less variety. There were 10 aid stations over the marathon course all had “power bar” gels/shots/bars/drinks, water, bananas, riegel (local high protein and low carb bar–literal translation means the bedrock under a glacial valley–tastes about as appetising as that translation). Later in the course there was coke, tea and starting at Sunnegga and higher in the course there was a salty broth (boy, did I need that, wish it was at the earlier aid stations).
The expo or bib pick up was a little disappointing unless you’re shopping for Salomon products or want to buy special race related swag. You get your finishers t-shirt and medal at the finish, so don’t DNF. The cut off for the marathon is 7hrs 15min. Both the technical shirt and medal were top shelf. Each year the medal has a representation of one of the high summits (4000m + mountains) around Zermatt. This started with the 2012 version of the marathon.
It should be noted that transportation to and from finish line for family, crew, well wishers is to be done on the local train system. Zermatt itself is reachable by car but the town is pedestrian only and you’ll need to park in the designated areas outside the city. The race offers a free train pass for runners for the weekend (you’ll take the train back from the finish line to either Zermatt or St. Nicklaus depending where you are staying). There is a day pass for train that is discounted for crew/family for the day of the race. It was about 77CHF and right now the swiss franc is essentially 1:1 with the US dollar. Things are not cheap in this part of Switzerland/Zermatt area. Be aware. If you don’t have local connections you’ll likely want to stay in Zermatt and take the train to the starting line. You should arrange accommodations early as Zermatt gets busy marathon weekend. Even if you don’t sign up for the “ultra distance” you’ll want to take the train up to the Gornergrat (end of the line) to not only cheer on the “ultra” stragglers as they cross the finish line there but to see the spectacular views of the numerous 4000m+ peaks and the associated glaciers. Don’t forget that picture of you and your medal with the Matterhorn in the background.
Toi toi toi!
Amazing Race!
This race is one of my favorites. It is well organized and the locals are the kindest people. The course is well monitored, the volunteers and race organizers take great … MORE
This race is one of my favorites. It is well organized and the locals are the kindest people. The course is well monitored, the volunteers and race organizers take great care of you. The elevation is no joke, charge in and stay strong. The year I ran was July 4th, they kindly wished the American runners a Happy Independence Day before we took off. There are many great hotels to choose from to stay in at Zermatt, transportation to packet pickup and to the race start is flawless. Finishing at the high elevation is unreal, looking down into the valley to see where you came up from is an amazing feeling. This is one of the very best races!!