Running events boom in Switzerland

More and more people in Switzerland are taking part in running events Keystone-SDA

More and more people in Switzerland are taking part in races, with the number growing by over 10% in the first half of 2025.

According to the Swiss Runners association, over 260,000 people took part in some 250 events nationwide in the first six months of the year. The ten biggest events in the first half of the season even saw growth of 18% compared to 2024 – taken together they managed to attract some 163,000 enthusiasts.

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Demand was particularly strong on the first two weekends in May, according to a press release by Swiss Runners on Wednesday. The 20KM de Lausanne, the Lucerne City Run, the Bern Grand Prix and the Geneva Marathon took place during this period, leading to record participation: around 60,000 runners took part on each of the two weekends, the association said.

Increased awareness about health is one factor of the boom, the group says. “The younger generation, aged between 20 and 30, is also much more active again,” Swiss Running Managing Director Andreas Grüter told the Keystone-SDA news agency. This trend can also be observed at long-distance races. The social aspect and the topics of health and exercise are playing a major role.

According to Grüter, it remains to be seen whether the growth will continue, as organisers could reach capacity as registrations increase.

Either way, according to Swiss Runners, big participation is also expected in the second half of this year. Some races are already booked out, while others have set new registration records. For example, the 4,000 places for September’s Jungfrau Marathon have already been filled. There are also currently over 10,000 people on the start list for the Greifensee Run in canton Zurich.

Translated from German by DeepL/dos

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