Swiss Canyon Trail 2026

Runner friend, get ready for an intense encounter with the "Green Fairy"! 🧚 We take you to the canton of Neuchâtel, in the heart of Val-de-Travers, for a challenge that will make you forget your interval training on asphalt. The Swiss Canyon Trail isn't just a leisurely stroll; it's a pilgrimage for calves in search of thrills 🦵, scheduled for the end of May 🌸. Here, we don't joke with the terrain: it's wild, it's raw, and it's definitely a big piece of Jura history. This is Switzerland after all! 🇨🇭 We're far from sanitized courses where you check your watch every two seconds ⌚️. Here, if you don't watch where you place your feet, it's the scenery you'll get a close-up view of ⛰️. Trail running in all its glory! 😉

The menu of this Swiss weekend offers a plethora so no one is left out 😇. The main event, the Ultra 111K with its 5,294 mD+, is what we call at home a "judge of peace." To give you an idea, it's like climbing and descending the Eiffel Tower eighteen times in a row, but with rocks 🪨, roots 🌲, and a much nicer view over the Jura 🧗. It's hard-core Ultra-Trail! Right behind, the 81K (3,491 mD+) and the 51K (2,632 mD+) aren't here to mess around 📿: these formats "pack a punch" and require metronomic management 🕰️. For those who like it a bit more fast-paced, the 31K (1,380 mD+) and the 16K (577 mD+) offer a condensed thrill on trails that continually challenge ⚡. And because passion doesn't wait for age, the Youth Challenge completes this picture so the mini-trailers can also enjoy the local mud 🧒. Between the high altitude trails, the mountains, the forests, and the cliffs, you should find your bliss 🙃. The memories will only be better, we guarantee it! 💯

But the real secret of this race is its smuggler past. The Val-de-Travers is the birthplace of Absinthe 🍾. In the 19th century, when the drink was banned 🚫, locals used these same steep trails to move their bottles out of sight 🕵️. Running here is walking in the footsteps of these rebels. It's even said that some clandestine distilleries still hide in the valleys 👀. So if you meet a green fairy at kilometer 80 of the 111 km 🧚, it's either the region's history catching up with you 🤪, or your glycogen reserves replaying you a scene from Inception 🌀.

You'll be scrambling on the ridges of the Creux du Van, a monumental rocky cirque 🏞️. The view is so dizzying that even the chamois sometimes seem to wonder what they're doing there 🐐. The atmosphere reflects the local people: sturdy and generous 🤲. We're not talking about an anonymous human tide, but an authentic organization where you feel welcomed like at home 🏠. Between two technical passages, you might even hear some cowbells serving as your personal fanfare 🐮. Once you cross the finish line, we'll ditch the energy bars and restore our health with local specialties, especially the Neuchâtel fondue. The Anniviers cured meats, Valais mountain charcuteries of remarkable quality will also tantalize your taste buds 🥩. Seems only fair after you've given your legs a serious workout... 😜 Also, the Neuchâtel Jura has enough to keep you occupied for an entire weekend 🤩. Neuchâtel deserves a post-race getaway: its medieval castle overlooking the lake 🏰, its 12th-century Romanesque collegiate church, university atmosphere, and quays are among the most balanced urban scenes in French-speaking Switzerland 🖼️.

Whether you're on your 111 or your 31, the Swiss Canyon Trail will warmly welcome you 🤗. So what are you waiting for?