Geneva rejoins marathon circuit

swissinfo.ch

The Geneva Marathon is making its reappearance this weekend after an absence of more than 20 years.

The return of the race coincides with a resurgence of long-distance running throughout the world and Switzerland, where around 20 marathons are being held this year.

After Zurich, Basel and Lausanne, it is now Geneva’s turn to clear the streets of traffic and make way for a river of runners willing to sweat blood and tears over 42 kilometres.

For many people, the idea remains anathema; but growing numbers in Switzerland, especially among the over 40s, are slipping on their running shoes and iPods and eating up kilometres instead of an extra portion of rösti.

Of the 3,435 runners lining up on Saturday at the Place des Nations for the start of the city’s marathon and half-marathon more than half of them have waved goodbye to their 30s.

“You need a certain amount of discipline to run a marathon. You shouldn’t drink and smoke and you have to lead a certain way of life,” said Laurent Paoliello, spokesman for the Geneva Marathon.

“What we are seeing is that the closer people get to 30 or 40, they tend to take a great deal more care of their health. If you train regularly, marathon running is easy for the body to cope with.”

Second wind

Marathon running has now got its second wind. According to sport sociologist Mark Lamprecht, the first surge of interest came in the late 1970s and early 1980s when many of today’s competitions originated. The last Geneva marathon was held in 1984.

But while the early road races tended to attract mainly good runners, today the field has widened to attract a different class of athlete.

“Whereas the first boom really focused on performance, nowadays it’s accepted that people take four to five hours to finish a marathon. Just taking part and completing the challenge has a value in itself,” said Lamprecht.

He says the sport’s revival has also coincided with a trend over the past decade towards more individual sports, especially among the over-40s.

“Club sport – football, volleyball, handball – is limited to people under 40,” said Lamprecht. “Marathon running tends to attract people who’ve switched to their second sports career, people over 30 and often even over 40.”

Fun factor

The sport sociologist points to the emergence of “fun and trend sports” in the late 1980s and early 1990s as a defining factor for marathon running.

One example he gives is snowboarding where to start with there was no competition, no systematic training or discipline, just fun and a funky lifestyle.

“You had to have the right clothes. Those runners sweating and looking at their watches were unfashionable,” said Lamprecht.

“Today the running movement is back, but as a combination of performance, lifestyle and fun.”

Paoliello agrees that the onus on Saturday will not be on breaking records but on enjoyment.

Organisers of the Geneva Marathon have deliberately plotted a scenic route to appeal to both runners and spectators alike.

Scenic route

After leaving the Place des Nations, the 1,700 marathon runners will stream into the city centre from the north and head out along the southern shore of Lake Geneva.

Apart from a 12km detour to the south of the city, the bulk of the course hugs the lakeshore and finishes opposite the city’s most famous landmark, the Jet d’Eau.

Even though the event will be a far cry from the “super marathons” of London and New York, organisers are confident that the Geneva race is here to stay. So confident are they of success that they have already booked a date for next year’s race: April 30.

“We will never have a million spectators so we cannot even think about rivalling the likes of New York. Geneva is a fantastic city but it is not New York or London,” said Paoliello.

“But we do intend to make it a big event for the people. It will be really beautiful to run along the lake and the atmosphere should be terrific.”

swissinfo, Adam Beaumont

Key facts

Other forthcoming marathon dates in Switzerland:
May 29: Winterthur
July 2: Zermatt
August 28: Basel
September 10: Jungfrau
October 23: Lausanne

In brief

The race gets underway on Saturday at the Place des Nations at 8.15am when the half-marathon runners set off. The marathon runners leave half an hour later.

The course take runners out along the southern edge of Lake Geneva, then out to the Stade de Genève in the south of the city and back up the northern lakeshore, before finishing opposite the Jet d’Eau.