Jungfrau Marathon - Race Reviews

I ran Frankfurt, Berlin, Hamburg and New York. The Jungfrau has been the nicest and most challenging for me ever ever. Though this was in 2003 (not 2010) and I need to do this again. Thanks Jungfrau Team,

I picked Jungfrau for my 100th marathon because I wanted it to be something epic. I was not disappointed. By far the most stunning scenery of any race I have ever run. I am a 3:30 flat marathoner and finished Jungfrau in 5:13. The course is more crowded than I would have liked if I was shooting for a specific time, but did not mind a bit as going more slowly allowed me to enjoy the views more. We stayed in Lauterbrunnen and I rode the train in (free with race number) on race morning with no problems. If you are thinking about making the trip to Switzerland, schedule your trip around this race.

It is an absolute privilege to be able to participate in this event!!! The scenery is stunning and it has to be the most beautiful of any race. Plus it is well organized with plenty of aid and well supported by spectactors and fellow runners. The first 16 miles are rolling hills on a combination of trails and paved roads. You can push yourself during this stretch since the steep inclines during the last 10 miles require a lot of walking with a few runnable stretches. The last 4k is surprisingly congested single file climbing with minimal chances for passing. But the view of the Jungfrau at this point can be truly appreciated during the slow pace (take a camera!). The race has a 6:30 time limit, but it is the 5:30 cutoff time at the 38K that is strictly enforced. The congested climbing for 3K with a 1K decent to the finish, can take an hour. As a regular 4:30 road marathoner from Ohio (with no mountains to train on) I passed the 38K at 5:10 and finished in 6:10. There is plenty of food and beverages available for purchase at the finish area. Hot showers and drop bags are also nice at the finish before the train ride down. Be prepared for a long congested train ride full of friendly spectators and finishers. The train service to the start and from the finish makes it convenient to stay in some of the beautiful, quieter surrounding villages of Interlaken (Wengen, Lauterbrunnen, Wilderswil). As someone who has completed over 70 marathons in beautiful places, I can not say enough good things about this event and the beauty of the scenery. It helped that the 2012 race had perfectly clear conditions. It is hard to get into this race but if you get the opportunity you will not be dissapointed.

I did my 50th marathon in my 50th year and eight years down the line I was persuaded to join a couple of lads from my club to have a go at the Jungfrau. Apart from my 50 marathons I have cycled a bit , Time Trials up to 100 miles and sportives of over 100 miles. Also as we speak I am European Duathlon age group champion but last week tops the lot, the cammaradarie, the pain, the euphoria, the emotion,I have never known an experience like it. I ran wearing a Scottish vest and to have a piper play Flower of Scotland for me at the highest point was somthing else. Full marks to the organisers too, faultless. A fantastic event which in my opinion warrants the title 'The Ultimate Marathon Challenge.'

This was my second running of the Jungfrau Marathon, having run it once in 2009. You can expect to run the first 16 miles of this marathon before hitting the first serious incline. At that point, unless you have amazing lungs and quads, you will be walking for a bit. Just when you think you will be walking for the next 10 miles, you will hit a stretch where you can run again. That is how the final 10 miles of this marathon play out, and that's the reason you will see the distance markers broken down into quarter-kilometers during this phase of the race. Don't despair, though; the scenery surrounding you will almost certainly take away any pain. You cannot stop staring at the snowcapped mountains as you draw closer to the Jungfrau. If you want a good estimate of how long this marathon will take you to run, just add about 1 hour and 45 minutes to your road marathon time. If you are not running a sub-four hour marathon, you really should not be attempting the Jungfrau. There is a cutoff time of 6 hours 30 minutes and it is enforced. Along the course, you will have plenty of water/fuel stops as well as cheering spectators. The only complaints I have is that at the pasta party you only get one plate of pasta and a banana. A second plate really would be appreciated along with some salad. My other complaint is that at the finish, they hand you a bottle of a sports drink, but no water is available right away. It is a fairly long way from the finish area to the refreshment area so some water early on would have been welcome. This year, I put two liters of water in my bag knowing that getting water after finishing would be an issue. Finally, be prepared for a very crowded train ride down the mountain once you are ready to leave.

Organized with the precision of a Swiss clock, with wonderful support through the villages and extremely helpful water/food/aid stations. Starting in Interlaken you get glimpses of the distant mountains, then through the progressive climb these get closer and closer. After the final climb, it's downhill to the finish under the Eiger/Monch/Jungfrau range is spectacular and spiritually elevating. I felt that I had really earned both the view and the T-shirt. My first mountain marathon, and I'm still buzzing. The only problem is to find something as exhilarating to follow this.

Fantastic from start to finish. I'd been injured most of the summer but the views and crowd spurred me on. Not a great time, but who's looking at the clock in an environment like this? Will be returning in 2011.

The Jungfrau Marathon is astounding! The most beautiful event I've ever done, and organized to perfection. Do yourself a favor and be in good shape for this one. The first 10K are flat, the next 10K contain gradual climbs and then... it gets TOUGH as you go up the mountain. This is sort of a hybrid event because it gets so steep in many parts that you can't run. But it's so worth it!! This one is for people looking for a unique challenge in a spectacular place.

What a fantastic race! This is a marathon that everyone should do at least once in their life. It is a major challenge with lots of power walking up the hills. The course is very crowded throughout the run, so try to seed yourself correctly at the start. Otherwise just enjoy the race and pace yourself. Weather this year was overcast by noon, so you could not see very far once you were going up the mountain (it may have been a good thing). The finisher's shirt and medal are worth the effort (if you finish the entire course).

Everything is perfectly organized. The scenery is amazing throughout the entire course; there were times when I did not know whether to admire nature or keep on running. I ran 5 races before, but this was the first I did not finish (on time). After 30K, the organizers were basically chasing the last runners (including myself). Unfortunately I was stopped at 5:45, with 4K to go. I still believe I could have finished on time. Anyway, I got my medal and finisher shirt. Looking forward to running and finishing this spectacular race.

If you only ever do one more marathon then make it this one. It's a complete and utter privilege to be able to do such a run, so I'm doing it again this year (2008). Enter it as soon as possible (guaranteed entries still available if you go on the training week or weekends). I did the training week last year and it was fantastic.

This is the only marathon I have ever done where I was not glad to see the finish; I was enjoying the experience so much I would have happily had it last a bit longer. The scenery is superb, the finish below the Eiger unforgettable, and there is great support, a great atmosphere, and top-notch organization. Covering the course within the 6.5-hour cut-off is not a foregone conclusion (particularly with the time needed to take all those photos) so be prepared (unlike me). My only negative thought about the event is that it could be a long, long slog in bad weather.

Great experience overall, wonderful opportunity for runners from all parts of the globe to come together and share in this awe-inspiring event. The beauty of this course does not compare to any other event I have ever entered.

If you are not going to be able to finish in 6.5 hours (tougher than it sounds), then you might as well not run. They (race organizers) will treat you as if you don't matter. They start shutting down the course and if you continue on after they do so, you will not be given a finisher's shirt and medal, plus there will be no one at the finish line. They also don't tell you that if you quit after going 6 miles and turn in your chip they will give your finisher's shirt and medal even though you didn't finish. I finished after the 6.5 time, but they refused to give me a finisher's shirt and medal even though I did finish and earn it. Other than these things the marathon has a good amount of support stations (if you stay within the 6.5 time), great spectactors, and a spectacular course and scenery.

A very well organized challenging marathon. From a beginning flat 10k to a difficult steep uphill the last 17k. Great spectators in the towns, lots of aid stations (including massages) along the way. The scenery in the Alps is fantastic, from forests to snow, even though the weather was about 75 F. This is my favorite marathon and I have run Paris, Boston, New York, Berlin, etc. Everyone should try it.

A great change from flat running, pleasant, easy 1st half. Beautiful, ultra tough 2nd half. Great just to be there and be part of it. Great organization when you consider the logistics of it. And a great area to be in for the rest of your stay. Can't recommend enough - awesome!

I did it again; I was again almost the last one to cross it on time... but the feeling of having achieved it is nevertheless incredible... To all marathon runners: do it once! You will never feel sorry! If you don't, try another one in the Alps (e.g. the Zermatt Marathon).

I ran this year it was my first alpine marathon. Being from Florida I was not prepared for the drastic change in the course after the 21k mark. Though I had to drop out due to lack of time to finish. I will return and finish hopefully in 2004. I would recommend this race to anyone who is up to a challenge. Spectators are concentrated in the small villages that one runs through. Their exuberance is infectious.

Defintely the most beautiful marathon but don't expect any PRs or negative splits. The first half is fine but the second half there was not much running. I saw a video of the previous year's race and everyone was walking, not me I thought! How mistaken I was. My quads were bruised from pushing on them most of the second half. The weather was beautiful in 1999 and the view from the top was truly a spiritual experience. An experience born from grit and determination. The best moments we marathoners experience are earned through great efforts.

Unbelievably beautiful race! Rain, mud and snow are nothing compared to the feeling of having finished this challenge!

I went into this race with about 2 months of training and some minor hill training to be honest. After a bout of flu which threatened to derail my participation; I got well like one week before the actual race. And what a surprising marathon it was. This collection of words summarizes the 2001 marathon - 'rain, snow, mud, hills, sun'. No one should be surprised by the 5 star rating of the course. The Jungfrau region is just so pretty despite its ominous look. In terms of organization; this marathon is the first one to fly the flags of countries that comprises the runners collective. I am Malaysian and seeing my country's flag lining the street is emotional and inspriring (I was the only Malaysian in this year's race). Most marathons pay little attention to the design of the bib but Jungfrau's was colorful and the best designed I've ever seen. I gave 5 stars for 'spectators' because the support we got from the villagers in the little towns that we passed through was splendid to say the least - people hugged the streets on both sides and you could almost touch them. The best marathon I've run in my whole marathon life since 1998.

As a two time finisher of this spectacular event, I have a real appreciation for the requirement for hill training. Don't let the first half of the marathon give you any misleading confidence for the second half. There are actually portions of this race that cannot be run, but with a brisk stride one can actually attempt to defeat gravity with the elevation change from approximately 2500ft to about 7500ft. There is no doubt that this is one of the most beautiful marathons in the world as it was that magnetism that drew me back for my second punishment. The subsequent run, I found to be more intimidating as I knew of the treachery that was lurking in the hills between Lauterbrunnen and Wegen and the monsterous Eiger Wall strategically positioned so that it is not visible until the last 7km of the race. The Swiss mountains are definitely a scenic place to run a marathon. Surprisingly, this marathon has one of the highest finisher rates as very few people come unprepared. Elite marathoners will finish about 40-45 minutes slower than a flat course and the rest of us commoners can expect an additional 60 minutes on our finishing times. I will definitely challenge myself with this event again as there are marathons and then there are mountain marathons. It's like going from a BMW motorbike back to a moped.

The Jungfrau Marathon was my first marathon and even though I ran several marathons after that (e.g. New York 1998) I still remember the Jungfrau Marathon better than any other one. True, I love the mountains, but nevertheless, to run through this unbelievable panorama while approaching the base of one of the most famous and beautiful mountain ranges of the world was just unbelievable exciting. The marathon starts easy cruising through the famous tourist village Interlaken and touching on turquoise Lake Brienz before it goes up to Lauterbrunnen through a spectacular valley. After 13.1 miles (21K) you see to your left a roughly 2,000 feet (600m) high wall carved out by glaciers where you have to look twice to even spot the way to ascend. Later you run along mountain single trails and on the ridge of a glacier moraine before you reach the finish line at 6,500 feet (2,000m). The course ascends 5,971 feet (1,820m), most of it on the second half. The organization is perfect. They even manage to bring a sufficient quantity of warm showers to the finisher line. The only problem I have with the organization is that they only accept 3,000 runners due to the narrow single trails. However, they should try to start the several categories in intervals or something similar to stretch the field in order to give more people the chance for such a great experience. There are of course not that many spectators as in Boston but they are just as supporting. I'm going to run Boston this Monday, April 17th, 2000. I hope it will be good weather.