Davos Alpine Marathon

Serpies after racing at Davos 2004

The venue

Davos is a small town in the Swiss Alps, famous for skiing and for its annual economic conference. Each July it is the venue for a well-organised day of running ranging from the 78.2km alpine ultramarathon to shorter runs of 42.2km (two courses), 30.7km, 21.1km (runners and walkers) and 10.5km. The full 78km route is circular through breathtaking mountain scenery.

Each year a group of Serpies (around 60 in 2010) will sign up for this race and opt to spend a weekend in a beautiful location, with great friends, making this an experience to remember, hopefully for all the right reasons. Note: you need to start planning early in the year to guarantee accommodation for this weekend.

The Races (In Brief)

For over 25 years the Swiss Alpine Marathon has taken place annually in Davos. Many races finish at the sports centre in Davos where there is always a party atmosphere and big crowd to cheer you over the last 400m.

The K78 (+/-2320 m) starting and finishing in Davos, via Bergün. The second half is very tough and is not for the faint hearted.

The K42 (+1890 m/-1710 m) starting in Bergün you ascend dizzy heights before finishing in Davos.

The C42 (+470 m/-1080 m) starting in Davos and finishing in Tiefencastel.

The K31 (+370 m/-870 m) starting in Davos and finishing in Filisur.

The K21 (+680 m/-190 m) starting in Klosters and finishing in Davos.

The K10 (+150 m/-130 m) starting in Davos (Laret) and finishing in Davos

Full information including registration can be found at the race website.

Accommodation

In previous years many club members have stayed at the homely Hotel Ochsen, which is ideally located next to the train station in Davos. More recently, some have used the Central Swiss Sporthotel which is right next to the stadium.

Neither of the options above is particularly inexpensive so since 2009 most club members have been booking their accomodation in the Davos Youth Palace YHA. The cost for a dorm room bed (4 or 6 beds per room with ensuite) comes in at less than £40 per night and they also have a small number of double rooms however these are substantially more expensive. Both options include half-board which ends up making the trip very cost effective when compaired to staying at a hotel and eating in town. The food on offer at the YHA is surprisingly good and they also serve alcohol for those that choose to partake. Bookings can be made online and via phone; it is definitely worth ringing to check on availability even if there are no bookings available via their website. Remember to book early as accomodation fills up completely two or three months ahead of the race itself.

Booking late and missed out on a space? Put the word out on the club's egroup and keep your ear to the ground, there are always people who are trying to get rid of beds they can no longer use closer to race day.

Getting there

Flying to Zurich is the best option. If you book early enough, then you can fly cheaply with Easyjet from London Luton or Gatwick. BA and Swiss operate cheap flights from London airports as well. It is up to you to book your own travel!

From Zurich you take the train to a station called Landquart. Here you transfer onto the mountain train for the remaining part of your journey. There is no payment required for this train journey, the entire journey from the Swiss border to Davos is included as part of your race registration.