For running enthusiasts, the Jungfrau is one of the most famous and prestigious mountain marathons in the world, winding from Interlaken 42km up the mountain trails to the edge of the Eiger Glacier, overlooked by the imposing Eiger, Mönch and Jungrau mountains.
This September 6 and 7, Interlaken will be taken over by running enthusiasts and their supporters. Around 4.000 runners take part in the marathon each year, with a further 5.000 people coming along to cheer them on.
The marathon makes the most of this amazing atmosphere, with plenty of supporting activities, food trucks and live music. On Friday the popular fun races take place. These are still proper races, but the emphasis is on having a good time. Throughout the day, the focus is on children and families, with parent and child races, as well as a mini-marathon for children, with course lengths ranging from 200 to 1.600 metres.
In the evening, there is a 200m race for athletes with a disability, but the whole event has a theme of "never walk alone". This means that all races on Friday are also open to athletes with a disability should they wish to take part. Finally, there is a mini-marathon for anyone to take part in, with a length of 4.219m.
The Marathon Village in Interlaken will be bursting with exhibitors and stalls, so if you want to get some of the latest and best running or hiking gear, this is a great place to stock up!
The 42km of the Jungfrau Marathon starts in the cute town of Interlaken, just (for Switzerland) 568m above sea level. It is a mixture of asphalt roads, hiking trails and mountain trails.
The first 10km is a gentle, flat warm-up through the streets of the town and along the edge of the lake. It then climbs gently to Lauterbrunnen, at 812m above sea level. Once that marker has been passed, it moves into the mountains proper and quickly follows a series of tight switch-backs known as the "Wall of Wengen". This steep climb rises almost 500m to 1.283m above sea level at Wengen. The course finishes at Ziel, at the edge of the Eiger Glacier, a massive 2.320m above sea level!
There is a station of the mountain railway at the finish point to take the runners back at the end of the day, via Grindelwald, but this also means supporters can be waiting at the top to celebrate their loved ones' achievements. Scottish bagpipers stand at the finish line to accompany the runners across the finish line.
Interlaken is well connected to other Swiss cities by public transport, and as many roads can be closed around the event, it is not recommended to arrive by car.
Registration for the main marathon always sells out early, but if you've missed out on that, the mini-marathon usually has spaces until very near the date. You can register for any of the races and find out more about the event on the Jungfrau Marathon website.