Zürich Marathon
Difficulty
Marathon Index Score
Next Race
Apr 11, 2027
Get Your Training Plan
Free, personalized for this race
The Zurich Marathon is an April road marathon that runs out along Lake Zurich from the city centre to Meilen and back. It is organised by ZH Marathon GmbH and held under the sponsored name OCHSNER SPORT Zürich Marathon, with a half marathon and a 10 km race on the same Sunday. The marathon starts at 08:00 on the Quaibrücke and finishes on the Sechseläutenplatz, with the other distances using the same start and finish. The route follows the lakeshore on closed roads, including the Seestrasse as far as Meilen, where the turnaround lies. The race has been held every April since 2003, after the founder Bruno Lafranchi relaunched it in 2002. An earlier Zurich marathon ran from 1984 to 1989. The time limit is 5 hours 30 minutes on net time, and the finish closes at 13:45. A broom wagon follows the back of the field from Meilen, and runners who have not reached the turnaround by 11:10 must hand in their bib and transponder. The men's course record is 2:06:38 (Tadesse Abraham, 2022) and the women's is 2:24:14 (Helen Bekele, 2023). In 2026 the combined event reached a record 18,197 participants, with 5,411 starting the marathon. The 2027 marathon and half marathon are already sold out.
Typical climate for the race month — an estimate, not a forecast or a race-day record
Mid-April in Zurich is cool: average highs are about 15°C and lows about 5°C, with rain of 1 mm or more on around 11 days of the month.
The Race
Zurich
Zurich had hosted a marathon from 1984 to 1989 before the current race was set up. Founder and organising chief Bruno Lafranchi initiated the relaunch in 2002, and the first edition on 13 April 2003 was a marathon only, with 4,667 finishers. Shorter distances did not suit Lafranchi's idea of the sport, and the half marathon and 10 km were added later.
In 2022 Tadesse Abraham of Switzerland won in 2:06:38, which remains the men's course record. It is the fastest marathon run on Swiss soil. The women's record, 2:24:14, was set by Helen Bekele of Ethiopia in 2023.
🏅 Create Your Zurich Marathon Diploma
Finished this race? Get a free certificate with celebrity comparisons & race day weather
02:06:38
Tadesse Abraham (2022)
Register Now
Official Website →
Are you the race organizer?
Free · Get featured on our homepage · Edit your race details
Get alerts for Zurich Marathon
Registration openings, date changes, sell-out warnings.