Half marathons in the canton of Bern

The Bernese half marathon is chosen like a menu: flat and fast in Biel/Bienne, sporty and spectacular in Lauterbrunnen. The canton brings both atmospheres together, and the half marathon in the canton of Bern does the splits with elegance 🏃.

Biel/Bienne, a bilingual city where the signs display two names, Biel and Bienne, borders a lake with ever-changing reflections. The courses there stay fast and flowing, perfect for a personal best or a first half marathon. Your strides pass walkers, sailboats and vineyards on the hillsides, a setting that makes you forget the kilometers. At the other end of the canton, the Lauterbrunnen valley, famous for its waterfalls tumbling down the cliffs, changes the game completely 💦. The season runs from May to August, with cool mornings in spring and warmer starts in summer, but the mountain air quickly refreshes tired bodies.

The half marathon calendar starts in May with the Bieler Lauftage, the big running event in Biel/Bienne. In June, Les Courses de Bienne continue the celebration in the same place, so you can aim for two races in a short time. In August, the Inferno half-marathon heads up to Lauterbrunnen for a high-mountain atmosphere, with slopes and landscapes 🏔️. Fans of flat profiles will choose Biel/Bienne, while lovers of panoramas will prefer the valley.

Biel/Bienne presents itself as a watchmaking city, a place where time is measured to the tenth of a second, which is handy when chasing a personal best 😄. Around it, the Three Lakes region, with its shores, vineyards and paths, is best discovered at a good pace. Everyone will find their half marathon according to their level and current form, from a first 21 km to a personal record, with a well-deserved coffee and croissant at the finish. For other ideas outside the canton, further afield in the country, the half marathons in Switzerland complete the picture.