Swiss woman sets new Jungfrau marathon record

Athletes on their way up the Eiger ran through snow and rain Keystone

Swiss athlete Marie-Luce Romanens from Fribourg has set a new record for the gruelling Jungfrau marathon. The former world orienteering champion was the first woman to reach the Kleine Scheidegg mountain, behind the winner of the men's race, Morocco's Chaham El Maati.

Romanens completed the 42.195km course from Interlaken in central Switzerland to the Kleine Scheidegg in a record 3’21″03, beating by one minute the previous time set last year by Russia’s Svetlana Nechaieva.

Emebet Abomsa from Ethiopia crossed the finish line second and Switzerland’s Maria Heim came third.

El Maati narrowly beat Sergei Kaledin of Russia in the men’s race to finish in a time of 2’56’36. Ricardo Mejia of Mexico came third. Marco Kaminski was the best placed Swiss in fifth spot.

The 1823m ascent up the peak, which lies in the shadow of the 4158m Jungfrau, is considered by the organisers to be “the toughest marathon in the world”. The 3,600 participants had to run through snow and rain to reach the finish, which is at 2091m above sea level.

swissinfo with agencies