The 16th SwissCityMarathon - Lucerne took place in perfect weather conditions and with international flair. This resulted in four course records, one finisher record and around 60,000 spectators along the course. The running day opened with the first half marathon military world championships.
With 12,444 runners, the SwissCityMarathon set a new registration record this year. Due to capacity, the event had therefore been sold out since the beginning of October. In the end, 10,820 runners took part. Of these, 10,681 running enthusiasts reached the finish line. This represents a new finisher record. There were 1,455 finishers in the marathon and 6,346 finishers in the half marathon. The CityRun 10KM recorded 2,390 finishers.
60,000 people at the edge of the course
Once again, the autumn weather was glorious on the day of the run, which made for ideal running conditions and a correspondingly large crowd along the route. The police estimated the number of spectators at around 60,000, the same as last year. The atmosphere was relaxed everywhere, and according to the Lucerne police and fire brigade, there were no incidents worth mentioning. From a medical point of view, the running day was similar to last year and therefore stable. Around 200 people received medical care. Seven people were taken to hospital, five of whom had already been discharged by the afternoon. The other two people are stable.
Preliminary assessment is positive
The organisers' preliminary assessment is also very positive. Organising committee president Jost Huwy-ler: "The atmosphere has been excellent everywhere since the morning. It was the kind of festival we wanted. At the same time, the 16th SwissCityMarathon offered an international flair, which was mainly due to the first half marathon military world championships, which were held here. The performances and course records of the athletes from all over the world were very impressive." Reto Schorno, Managing Director of the SwissCityMarathon, was also delighted with the successful running day: "The atmosphere was phenomenal. We were very lucky with the weather and everything went according to plan. We have a record number of registrations and now also a record number of finishers, which makes us very happy. But more important than these records is the quality - and this was praised from all sides. Not least thanks to our 1,200 volunteers, who once again did a fantastic job."
Course records at the first half marathon military world championships
The running day opened with top runners from all over the world taking part in the first half marathon military world championships, which took place at this year's SwissCityMarathon. The start with over 200 runners from 38 nations took place at 08.25 am. A fast and thrilling race was expected - and that's exactly what it was. Mohamed Reda El Aaraby won the men's race in 1:01:29. The 33-year-old Moroccan set a new course record and was over four minutes faster than Christopher Zablocki in 2016. "The race was fantastic, but also tough due to the topography and the strong field," he said after the race." El Aaraby is already a double CISM Marathon World Champion. "The fact that I was able to win the first half marathon military world championships with a course record means a lot to me." There was also a new course record for the women. Violah Jepchumba Kilonzo from Bahrain completed the almost 21 kilometres in 1:07:59, almost six minutes faster than Patricia Morceli in 2010. "I am very happy about this title," said Jepchumba Kilonzo at the finish. "I like hilly terrain and therefore felt very comfortable." Violah Jepchumba Kilonzo's time is the 66th best half marathon performance by a woman in the world this year. And it was probably the fastest time ever run by a woman in a half marathon in Switzerland.
Close decision in the men's marathon
In the marathon and half marathon, the fastest women and men started in performance blocks. Among them was Jack Wood from St. Gallen. Born in England, he is actually a mountain
English-born mountain runner and was completing his first ever road marathon at the SwissCityMarathon. "The run was incredibly emotional. The crowd gave me great support and the whole scenery was very inspiring," Wood summarised at the finish. He won in 2:25:14 and ran most of the time together with Tobias Baggenstos from Gersau. Wood was ultimately 15 seconds faster than Baggenstos. However, the 30-year-old primary school teacher had no regrets about his victory: "I'm very happy with my time. It was a great experience. I particularly enjoyed the first lap." Björn Juschka from Horgen came third in 2:26:13.
Same marathon winner as last year
The women's marathon promised plenty of excitement. All of the runners who finished 1st to 4th last year were once again registered. And these four runners also made up the first four places among themselves this year - with a slight shift. As in the previous year, the clear winner was Kristin Colard from Lyon in 2:43:09. "I am very happy that I won and didn't expect this victory at all," said the 38-year-old. The reason for this was an injury to her left leg, which she had sustained while preparing for the Olympic Games. "But I really wanted to run here in Lucerne. This marathon is simply incomparable." Doris Nagel-Wallimann from Hünenberg came second. Last year, she was only three seconds off second place. This year she managed second place, with last year's runner-up Susanne Kaufmann from Cham coming third. Four-time SwissCityMarathon winner Franziska Huwyler-Inauen once again finished in fourth place.
Clear winners in the half marathon
Two young running talents won the half marathon. As in the previous year, Sina Michael from Bern won the women's race. With a time of 1:17:54, she stayed under 1:18:00 this year. I achieved a new personal best in the half marathon," said the 21-year-old. She ran alone from kilometre 7 onwards, but that was no disadvantage. Tania Chávez Moser from Frankfurt crossed the finish line just under two minutes behind, ahead of third-placed Lea Laib from Winterthur. In the men's race, the German Tim Wagner secured victory in 1:07:42: "The course is hillier than I remembered from the inspection in the summer," said the 25-year-old from Wuppertal at the finish. Nevertheless, it was still enough for victory. Second place went to Roman Renner from Lucerne in 1:08:26, with Mariusz Gizynski from Warsaw crossing the finish line just three seconds later.
Course records at the CityRun 10KM
Last year's winner of the CityRun 10KM from the centre of Horw to the Swiss Museum of Transport in Lucerne was Ali Abdi-Salam. He set a new course record last year and repeated it this year. The 21-year-old from the Generali Running Family finished in a confident 30:22, beating his course record from last year by another 54 seconds. "I actually wanted to run under 30 minutes. But I had to run a bit of a slalom around other runners, which cost me time," said Abdi-Salam. "But I'm very happy with my time and will be aiming for the 30-minute mark again next year." The German Lennart Nies ran to second place, while Tommaso Marani from Viganello secured third place. There was also a new course record for the women. Kira Weis from Gerlingen near Stuttgart won in 32:31 and improved the previous course record set by Andrea Meier in 2019 by almost three minutes. The 19-year-old is also the German 10 km road champion, but was not aiming for the course record: "I didn't come here to run a record. Lucerne simply fitted in well with my schedule." Kira Weis was very impressed by the atmosphere: "The atmosphere at the edge of the course with so many people was amazing." Siana Senn from Stäfa came second, ahead of Pia Kircher from Germany.
The SwissCityMarathon - Lucerne 2024 will take place on Sunday, 27 October 2024.
Registration is already open.
