In September 2024 I had a holiday based in Wengen above the Lauterbrunnen valley in Switzerland. I’d been before, but it’s a stunning location in a stunning area, and it really impressed itself on me as somewhere I wanted to come back to again.
But a piece of happenstance influenced me in a very specific way. I found after arrival that the apartment I was staying in was at 32km on the route of the Jungfrau Marathon, which was taking place while I was there.
The seed of an idea was planted in my mind that maybe I should give it a go. The possibility was removed for 2025 by other plans with family, but in some ways that reinforced the idea for 2026, and I found myself entering within minutes of entries opening on 14 February.
It’s a brute of a marathon, starting in Interlaken and finishing up the mountain** at Eigergletscher station, with about 2000 metres of ascent along the way, and finishing at 2320m above sea level where the altitude (thinner air) will be having an impact as well as the gradient of ascent. It is more than 7 times more ascent than my hilliest marathon (Milton Keynes), and 50% more elevation than my hilliest one-day hike.
**Notwithstanding the name “Jungfrau Marathon”, it’s really run on the slopes of the Eiger rather than Jungfrau, albeit the Jungfrau is preeminent in most of the views.
The challenge of the ascent is compounded by the first 26km or so being relatively flat, so almost all the ascent is pushed into the final 16.2km, including the sudden transition to the infamous “Wall” from Lauterbrunnen up to Wengen, though by a small margin the steepest sustained gradients are reserved for the end.
Training for an uphill mountain marathon presents challenges in Suffolk, where the biggest hill climb available is just 40 metres, and there are no ascents at all as steep as the steep Swiss mountain sections.
In January 2025, when the option of September 2025 was still in my mind, I did run up the 600 metres of Black Combe in Cumbria, completing the 7.5km of distance and to the top and back again in about 70 minutes, and that certainly encouraged me that with proper training, I could put in a good effort – and I’ve lost a good deal of weight since then.
I’m still developing thoughts around my training plan, but it will likely involve a lot of leg strengthening exercises, some intervals on the real hills I do have, perhaps a few day trips to elsewhere in England, and probably a good deal of work on an inclined treadmill (the so-called “treadhill”).
Because this is so very different from anything I’ve done before, the primary focus is on enjoying the occasion and experience (if I can!), and on just finishing. It’s quite novel to be running a race with no intention of getting anywhere near a personal best time.
But being me, I will develop, and over time refine, some thoughts on timing – not so much about a target finish time per se, but more about having a good pacing strategy, as the route goes through multiple phases. Not going too fast (or slow) in the first flat 10km, or the next slightly uphill 13km and the gently downhill 3km, but then knowing what pace to be aiming at for the Wall – eventually for the day itself, but also for any comparable training efforts. There are also cut-offs at Wengen at 30.7km (4 hours 25) and Wixi at 38.5km (5 hours 50) where they stop people who haven’t reached those points by those times, and so a plan to stay well inside those is essential.
As I say, just finishing is the primary goal; 6 hours 30 was my first thought. Some online calculators suggest my marathon ability (which of course has faded since my last marathon in 2024) or at any rate my half-marathon ability, should equate to 5 hours 45 on the Jungfrau route. That feels optimistic, and very probably they are taking elevation gain into account but not terrain, but at least it makes 6:30 feel more realistic, but we’ll see how training goes.
For my races so far that have gone essentially as planned, which have all been virtually flat road (or tarmac path) races, by time I’ve reached race day I’ve had a very clear time goal, a very clear pacing strategy, and have usually finished within a minute of my goal, sometimes within seconds. This is going to be very different, but an interesting journey.
Leave a Reply