By Andy Smith
Last week I completed my first virtual marathon as part of STARR’s May “Marathon Madness” event. I would like to tell you about a favourite marathon called the Jungfrau Marathon. In 2004 Leslie Ann and I took a family vacation to Europe with Leslie’s parents and her brother and sister-in-law. We chose the scenic town of Interlaken in Switzerland. Nestled in the Swiss Alps Interlaken literally means “between lakes” and it’s a popular tourist destination. It’s also the start line for the famous Jungfrau marathon, a unique race up the Jungfrau mountain as far as you can get on foot. Our trip coincided with the event, so Leslie and I decided to register! Destination marathons like The Jungfrau are a great way of combining a vacation and also a running event. Indulging in local cuisine is less guilt-inducing once you have run a marathon!
This race is different than any other we have attempted. The spectacular route is uniquely challenging due to the altitude, vertical, and mixed terrain. The Jungfrau is known for its spectacular scenery. Limited to 4000 runners it sells out every year. The Jungfrau peak is 4000m high and is sister to the Eiger and Monch. These three mountains make up a trio of famous Swiss peaks in the Bernese Alps. The marathon course climbs 1800 meters, from the village of Interlaken gradually following a mountain stream through the scenic villages of Bonigen, Wilderswill, and Lauterbrunnen, before turning violently vertical up the famous Wengen ski hill; home to iconic world cup downhill skiing races. At the top of the ski hill the course continues above the treeline along an alpine plateau before the final stretch of the course climbs single file up an esker from the mountain pass at Kleine Scheidegg to the finish line at the foot of a glacier at Jungfraujoch, sometimes called “the top of Europe” where there is a spectacular view across the alps. The scenery on this last part of the course is breath taking as there is a vertical drop off on either side. No passing, even if you still have the legs and lungs to make the attempt!
We were warned at the pre-race dinner to add an hour to normal marathon pace. Important because there are time cut-offs along the course. Tempting as it may be to take photos of the mountain scenery, many runners are disappointed to get cut off every year. If you are planning to run a fast time its important to pass other racers early in the race as the course gets progressively narrower and steeper as the race progresses. The last kilometers are steep and single file. On race day we were blessed with sunny weather as we passed flag dancers, alpine horn players, and locals cheering and ringing cowbells as we ran through postcard villages on our way to the foot of Wengen. From there the route turns from a road into a hiking trail gaining vertical rapidly as we ran-hiked up switchbacks past the treeline. The terrain constantly changes as you climb from forest to alpine meadows, ending up at the foot of the glacier on mountain rock and gravel. Scenic Swiss farms dot the lower and middle part of the course with cows wearing bells like a scene out of “Heidi” or “The Sound of Music”. A famous narrow gauge alpine railway carries spectators to the top of the course and competitors back down (it took 17 years to build!). The sense of occasion takes the sting out of your legs. It’s hard to focus on your footing when there is so much to look at! I paced myself for the final climb and arrived at the finish exhausted but exhilarated. It was wonderful to see Leslie waiting for me at the finish line (unfortunately she was one of the unlucky one’s to get cut-off).
The sense of accomplishment crossing the finish line at the foot of a glacier is hard to explain. I marvelled at the vertical as we descended the railway back down the mountain. As predicted my time was about one hour slower than my previous marathons, but it remains my favourite marathon.
As I add kilometers this month, either here in Shirley, up in Sidney, or along the galloping Goose it’s fun to reflect on some of the events we have been fortunate to have participated in. I’m still thinking about my next virtual marathon course…. maybe Dublin…. or Barcelona? If you would like to run a virtual Jungfrau marathon, check out the course map on the web along with the great photos. Here are a couple of mine!
Andy.
