The starting signal for the 16th SwissCityMarathon - Lucerne will be given in 10 days' time. This year, the event has set a new registration record of over 12,000 runners. Due to the existing capacities, the event is therefore completely sold out - and has been for a month already. Thanks to the first military world championships in the half marathon, new course records are also expected.
The demand for starting places at the SwissCityMarathon - Lucerne was higher than ever before this year. The 10,000 registration mark was already broken at the beginning of September. At that time, the half marathon was already sold out with 7,000 starting places. The CityRun and the CharityRun, both over 10km, have also been sold out since the beginning of October. The limit here is 2,500 runners. A maximum of 1,750 people can start in the marathon. These categories have also been completely sold out since 6 October. "We are very pleased about the great interest," says Reto Schorno, Managing Director of the SwissCityMarathon - Lucerne. "Even though we are sold out, runners can expect a relaxed race atmosphere. This is due to our new and ingenious start system. We will send a maximum of 550 runners onto the course at the same time in staggered start slots." Anyone unable to take part in the SwissCityMarathon can complete the new Virtual CharityRun. "With the ViRace app, you can complete a distance of 10 kilometres at any location during the marathon weekend and experience the SwissCityMarathon feeling via headphones," promises Schorno.
First half marathon military world championship
This year's SwissCityMarathon will also see the first half marathon military world championships take place. Around 220 runners from 41 nations are expected to take part. One women's and one men's team will be competing for Switzerland. The World Championship field of top athletes will open the running day at 08:25. "We're expecting a fast and exciting race," says Reto Schorno. "There are top runners from all over the world at the start, who could well set new course records if the conditions are right. For the men, a time of under an hour for the 21 kilometres would even be possible, while the women's winner could finish in under an hour and ten minutes." The Swiss team includes Adrian Lehmann (current Swiss marathon champion) and Marcel Berni, who will be competing in his last race. Hendrik Pfeiffer, German marathon champion in 2022, and Aleksandra Lisowska from Poland, European marathon champion in 2022, will also be at the start.
Well-known names at the start
The SwissCityMarathon is a popular sporting event - a running festival for everyone. Top athletes are deliberately not invited. Nevertheless, there are some well-known names on the start list. These include Stefan Hendtke. The runner from Potsdam was leading the 2022 SwissCityMarathon by a large margin and was well on his way to winning the marathon when a fatigue fracture forced him to give up. At this year's SwissCityMarathon, Stefan Hendtke will be starting again for the first time since his injury, albeit without any ambitions in the CityRun 10 KM. Swiss fencer Max Heinzer is also on the start list for the CityRun. In the half marathon, Sarah van Berkel (formerly Meier), European figure skating champion, Olympic rowing champion Mario Gyr and bachelor Rafael Beutl will be running. In the marathon, all the runners who finished first to fourth last year will be at the start again. In addition to the defending champion Kristin Colard, these are Susanne Kaufmann (formerly Rüegger), Doris Nagel and the four-time SwissCityMarathon winner Franziska Huwyler-Inauen. Last year's third place finisher Philipp Arnold from Cham is also on the marathon start list.
Innovative approach in the digital space
The SwissCityMarathon is taking an innovative approach in the digital space. This is made possible by the Swiss Muuvr app, which is available free of charge for iOS and Android. Muuvr analyses users' sports activities and rewards them with Muuvs, which can be redeemed for the purchase of sports goods and services from a range of reward partners. Muuvrs not only earn Muuvs, which they can exchange for real-world items, but are also motivated to level up through their activities and unlock in-app achievements - such as the finisher medal for the digital trophy cabinet after successfully completing the SwissCityMarathon. Looking ahead to next year, various promotions will be available in the SwissCityMarathon Club on Muuvr: Among other things, you can earn a special race number for the SwissCityMarathon 2024.