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Vitaliy Shafar wins Jungfrau Marathon

4000 runners start at the Jungfrau Marathon. The winner crossed the finish line after just over three hours.

Vitaliy Shafar mastered the 42.195 kilometers and 1953 meters of altitude the fastest and took victory at the Jungfrau Marathon 2024. The Ukrainian mastered the route from Interlaken to Kleine Scheidegg in 3.04.10 - the last meters on what is probably the steepest red carpet in the world and to great applause.

Third and thus the best Swiss was Dominic Rolle. In the women's race, the victory went to Susanna Saapunki. The Finn is not only a good skier, she has also already scored World Cup points in cross-country skiing.

"The Swiss government wishes you all the best, enjoy the run in this wonderful weather," said Federal Councillor Albert Rösti into the microphone before he gave the go-ahead with a shot. The participants stood in individual sections: the elite at the front of the start gate and those who will probably reach the finish at 2320 meters the latest, further back on the Höheweg.

None of them are completely alone on the road: 1500 helpers are on duty, 160 medical professionals, there are 22 first aid stations and 22 defibrillators. Food is available at 22 stations. On the way, they occasionally see relatives who make clever use of the Jungfrau Railways railway system. And the population of the transit communities gives courage with applause.

(09/07/2024) Views: 210 ⚡AMP
by Samuel Günter

One of the largest mountain marathons in the world celebrated its comeback

After the cancellation last year, several thousand runners were again at the start of the Jungfrau Marathon in Switzerland.

The route was adapted for this year by the organizer: Of course, nothing has changed in the fantastic panorama. The course led from Interlaken Airport to the Eiger Glacier. The runners passed Böningen, Iseltwald, Wilderwil, Zweilütschingen and Lauterbrunnen, among others. The eponymous four-thousander "Jungfrau" was, just like the mighty Eiger north face, in the immediate vicinity and in the field of vision of the athletes.

Fight for the 3-hour mark and victory

For the 42.195 kilometer marathon route with around 2,000 meters of altitude, top times of around three hours were to be expected. The winner of the last edition two years ago was the Briton Robbie Simpson, who at the time cracked the 3-hour mark in wintry conditions with 2:59:30 hours. For women, Simone Troxler is the defending champion from 2019.

Colombians triumph

The Colombian Jose David Cardona was in a class of his own that day. He was able to break away from the last pursuers after less than half of the race and clinched an undisputed victory with 3:05:01 hours. More than five minutes behind followed Stephan Wenk after a great race to catch up.

Laura Hottenrott lived up to her role as a favorite for women. The German professional runner was over 13 minutes ahead of Georgina Schwiening after 3:27:30 hours.

(09/11/2021) Views: 1,616 ⚡AMP

Great Britain mountain runner Robbie Simpson again wins the Jungfrau Marathon

Robbie Simpson secured the victory again at the traditional Jungfrau Marathon. The Scot remained below the three-hour mark at 2:59:29, distancing Moroccan Abdelhadi El Mouaziz by 2:35 minutes and Colombian William Rodriguez Herrera by 2:47. In the women's race, Simone Troxler (Chardonne) beat Theres Leboeuf (Aigle) and Sara Willhoit (GBR).

Robbie Simpson knows the route from Interlaken to Kleine Scheidegg at 2061 meters above sea level. leads, inside and out. In his fifth participation, the defending champion came but only at the end of tours. Until kilometer 38, a trio led by El Mouaziz, Eritrean Petro Mamu and Rodriguez Herrera. El Mouaziz, who already won the marathons in London and New York, made his debut at the 27th edition in Interlaken. Just four kilometers from the finish Simpson turned on and hung his competitors in an incredible finish. "I did not feel so good today. Only at the end did it go up for me. That's why I'm so happy about this victory, "said Simpson.

Of the 4,000 runners who were put on the track in Interlaken by the five-time OL World Champion Judith Wyder, the Zurich Stephan Wenk ranked as the best Swiss in sixth place. The 36-year-old, who already won the Swissalpine Marathon this year and placed second in the "Eiger Ultratrail", was more than satisfied with his placement: "From kilometer 10 on I felt more and more comfortable and I was doing very well. The weather did not play a big role for me today. Nevertheless, I missed the substance at the very end and I lost two more seats. My time of 3:05:23 hours is my best result ever, "rejoiced the exhausted Wenk.

A "super happy" winner,  Simone Troxler, the favorite and winner of the women, raved about the atmosphere on the 1829 meters of altitude. "It was just a wonderful experience. All the bells, alphorns and so much more - it was awesome. "Last year, the Vaud woman made her debut at the Jungfrau Marathon and is also a strong street runner, as she proved with her second place in the Lausanne Marathon in 2018. The route to the Kleine Scheidegg demanded everything from the 23-year-old. "I had to suffer a lot from Wengen. The cold was blatant and I had cramps. I really did not know how to get up there and it was also mentally difficult because I led the field alone, "Troxler admitted. With her time of 3:36:13 hours she was, despite all difficulties, only three minutes slower than last year.

Big challenge with the weather, The cold snap and snowfall of the past days presented the organizing committee with great challenges. "Thanks to great helpers, we cleared away the snow on the track and we knew that we would be struggling with some rain and a lot of fog," said OC President Toni Alpinice. His team has worked tirelessly in the last few hours to ensure that all runners arrive at the finish line at Kleine Scheidegg. "We provided more than 5,000 sheets of heat and made sure we could distribute more warm drinks".

Popular races on the Höhematte in Interlaken, On the day before the big marathon, many para-athletes use the opportunity to prove their speed. So dominated once more the Pararace mile Marcel Hug before Beat Bösch and Heinz Frei. In the women's race, Manuel Schär beat Sandra Graf.

Virgin Minirun and Mini Marathon - the race for all, Shortly after 15 o'clock also the little ones started their races. The Jungfrau-Minirun in categories from MuKi and VaKi to the U16-Kids always attracts a lot of interest. An experience was certainly not just the run. Many children were handed over the medals by former World Cup ski racer and world champion Marco Büchel.

(09/07/2019) Views: 2,333 ⚡AMP

Martina Strähl wins the Jungfrau Marathon with almost a quarter of an hour advantage securing her victory for the second time

At the 26th Jungfrau Marathon from Interlaken to the Kleine Scheidegg, Martina Strähl celebrated her 2nd victory after the success of 2016. The Marathon European Championship seventh in Berlin missed the course record in just 3:14:36 ​​hours by just 100 seconds. The second-placed German Michelle Maier lost almost 15 minutes on Strähl. Third was with Michela Segalada another Swiss. Among the men, the Scot Robbie Simpson prevailed. The Swiss Volley-Nati of the women gambled their first victory in an annoying manner at the end of the Masters in Montreux. After a 2: 1 sentence lead and match balls in the 4th set, they were forced by the Cameroon women in the decision set. There the local girls went down with 1:15. Thus the Swiss selection ends the tournament on the 7th final rank. (09/08/2018) Views: 1,842 ⚡AMP

Martina Strähl from Switzerland is considered the favorite at The Jungfrau Marathon

Martina Strähl, who won the World Championships double gold in 2015 as world champion in long-distance mountain running, ran in 2016 at the Jungfrau Marathon with a new course record to victory. However, last year Strähl had to hand over this record to the Vaud woman Maude Mathys. Strähl is now aiming for the record again after she finished seventh in the marathon at the European Championships in Berlin just a few weeks ago. Strähl is demanded by the German Michelle Maier, the runner-up of the last two years, and the Italian Ivana Iozzia, who won the Zermatt Marathon this year. The men's track record is still held by Jonathan Wyatt. The New Zealander ran the track in 2003 in 2: 49.02. On September 6, the three-time Jungfrau Marathon winner will speak about «his perfect race» starting at 8:00 pm at the Hotel Carlton-Europe in Interlaken. Wyatt will be back in 2018. However, the favorites are Jose David Cardona from Colombia, Robbie Simpson from Great Britain, Birhanu Mekonnen from Ethiopia and Shaban Mustafa from Bulgaria. Mustafa, Simpson and Cardona have already won the Jungfrau Marathon. Patrick Wieser from Aadorf or Stephan Wenk from Uster should be the best Swiss. (09/04/2018) Views: 1,985 ⚡AMP

Maybe the Most Beautiful Course in the World?

MBR UNIQUE RACES: The Jungfrau-Marathon is one of the most beautiful marathon courses in the world - marvelous mountains scenery and the excellent change of the landscape between the start in Interlaken Switzerland and the finish on Kleine Scheidegg. There is no Marathon in Europe with such great dimensions. Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau the most famous mountains peaks of the Alps loom majestically over the course! The Jungfrau Marathon is one of the most popular mountain marathons. (12/21/2017) Views: 1,744 ⚡AMP