Pleasing result for 2024 in Lucerne

The preliminary evaluation is consistently positive. From a sporting point of view, the equalized course record in the marathon and the new course record at the CityRun 10KM in the men’s race stand out. Next year, the marathon course will lead to Alpnachstad and will thus become a one-lap course.

With 13,122 registered runners, this year’s SwissCityMarathon was sold out well in advance. This registration record led to more running enthusiasts than ever before taking to the track and crossing the finish line. In the end, 11,444 runners started, around 600 more than last year. Of these, 11,313 running enthusiasts reached the finish line, which led to a new finisher record: Marathon with 1,635 finishers, Half Marathon with 6,735 finishers, CityRun 10KM with 2,257 finishers. This meant that the largest half marathon and one of the largest marathons in Switzerland took place in Lucerne and Horw.

The warm autumn weather provided optimal running conditions and a large audience at the side of the course. The police estimate the number of spectators at around 65,000 people, slightly higher than last year. The mood was relaxed everywhere, there were no incidents. The running day was also quiet from a medical point of view. The preliminary balance is therefore very positive, said Reto Schorno, Managing Director of SwissCityMarathon: “We experienced a fantastic day without hectic and with beaming faces. Everything went according to plan.”

In the marathon, half marathon and CityRun 10KM, the fastest women and men started in performance blocks. The men’s marathon overall winner was Britain’s Jack Nixon. With a time of 2:24:24, the 39-year-old equalled Andrea Salvisberg’s previous course record from 2022. “After my fifth place last year, I was very disappointed and came back to Lucerne to win.” When asked if he was a professional runner, the 39-year-old laughed: “No, I only run for fun. I work as a garbage man and firefighter.” Stefan Trummer from Spiez was second in 2:25:44, third was Philipp Arnold from Zug in 2:34:58.

The overall women’s marathon winner was Ronja Hofstetter from Ballwil. The 21-year-old, who only started running seriously during the Corona pandemic, was overwhelmed: “This victory means a lot to me. It was my first time running a marathon and I had never won anything before.” What helped her on the way to victory was the good atmosphere and the experienced runner Doris Nagel-Wallimann. “I just hung on her heels,” confessed Ronja Hofstetter. She finally won in 2:43:38, just under one and a half minutes ahead of Doris Nagel-Wallimann from Zug, who crossed the finish line in 2:45:09. Third place went to multiple SwissCityMarathon winner Fränzi Huwyler-Inauen with a personal best of 2:48:16.

In the men’s half marathon overall, Seare Weldezghi from Zurich won in 1:06:30. “I’m mega satisfied with my time, also because I fell seriously ill with Covid two weeks ago,” said the 28-year-old from the Generali Running Family. Weldezghi won with a lead of more than three minutes over Jerome Furer from Spiez and Manuele Polli from Lucerne. The winner of the women’s half marathon overall was also thrown back in the preparation for the SwissCityMarathon. “I approached the race cautiously because I suffered a thigh strain two weeks ago,” explained Anja Kuhn at the finish. “The fact that I’ve now won makes me particularly happy.” After fourth place in 2023, the 27-year-old won this year in 1:18:00, well ahead of Selin Scherrer from Fribourg and Alexandra Wallimann from Davos Platz.

At the CityRun 10KM Ali Abdi-Salam won again. The 21-year-old has already won in 2022 and 2023. With his winning time of 29:59, he even beat his own course record from last year by 23 seconds. “I’m very satisfied and had a lot of fun running. The atmosphere and temperature were perfect.” He narrowly achieved his goal of running under 30 minutes. “It was close, especially in the last few kilometers, and I had to be considerate of the other runners. That’s why I couldn’t run as fast as I wanted.” Eliane Gemperle from Liebefeld won the women’s race in 36:33.

The organizers also announced today that there will be a new marathon course from 2025. For the first time, the two-lap course will become a one-lap course. As before, the marathon will start at Haldenstrasse in Lucerne and lead around the Horwer peninsula. The route now continues along the lake to Hergiswil, around the Lopper to Alpnachstad. The turn is 750 metres before the Alpnachstad railway crossing. The route then leads via Hergiswil back to the centre of Horw and on the previous route via Allmend and Lucerne’s old town to the finish at the Museum of Transport. “This route is easily feasible from an organisational point of view, but from a running point of view it is simply magnificent and offers pure Swissness,” said President Jost Huwyler.

Registration for the SwissCityMarathon – Lucerne 2025 opened on Sunday, October 27, 2024, at 3:00 p.m. Anyone who wants to secure a starting place for 2025 should register quickly. This year, the SwissCityMarathon was already completely sold out at the end of August.

The SwissCityMarathon – Lucerne 2025 will take place on Sunday, October 26, 2025 .