Sierre-Zinal

Special aura

Sierre-Zinal, extending over a distance of 31km, and rising 2,000 metres before falling 900 metres, is one of the foremost challenges that a long-distance mountain runner can face. As such, it has its own special aura, as demonstrated by the sheer numbers of runners willing to take part: in the twenty-six years since the first race was held over this extraordinary course back in 1974, nearly 80,000 runners have pitted themselves against the mountains, urged on by some 200,000 spectators. Nowadays, the 'five 4,000s course', as it is called, is well-known throughout the world. Some even call it the 'New York Marathon of the Alps'. For this reason, most participants come in advance to check out the lie of the land, which means that, since it was created, the Sierre-Zinal course has been run more than 150,000 times!