Mountain Races in the Greater Zurich Area

Zurich has no major peak, but it has an excellent viewpoint. From the heights of the Uetliberg, you can make out the chain of the Alps rising south of Lake Zurich ⛰️. The canton sets the stage with hills over 1,000 m and trails that climb without asking permission. For a mountain race in the greater Zurich area, the setting begins right on your doorstep.

The Bachtel and the Hörnli, in the Zürcher Oberland, make an ideal training ground. The Hörnli, the highest point in the canton, reaches 1,133 m, enough to string together steep climbs without leaving the region. In spring, the trails clear quickly. From July, the high-altitude pastures of central Switzerland take over, and autumn brings a crisp light on the ridges 🍁.

For the mountain race calendar, you need to widen the circle a little. The RunThrough Trails Engelberg, at the foot of the Titlis, takes place on August 20, 2027 on high-altitude trails, about 1.5 hours from Zurich. The Madrisa Trail climbs from Klosters on August 6, 2027, in the heart of the Graubünden, with formats from 11 to 54 km 🏔️. These two events give a good overview of what the Swiss mountains have in store for runners coming from Zurich.

On Sundays, a good share of Zurich residents head for the Alps by train, backpack on, and alpine cheese rewards the effort 🧀. This habit makes the city a natural starting point for elevation lovers. Every runner measures it out in their own way: a hill climb to get started, a long alpine course to test yourself. To compare the options, take a look at the mountain races in Switzerland and the trails in the greater Zurich area, then choose the goal that suits you 🚆.