SwissPeaks Trail

SwissPeaks Trail runs its tenth edition from 25 August to 6 September 2026, crossing the Valais from the Alps to the shore of Lake Geneva. Eight races share one finish line at Le Bouveret, and five of them are ultras: the Odyssey at 643 km, the Legend at 397 km, the 100 Miles at 168 km, the Ultra at 101 km and the Challenge at 72.6 km.

The Odyssey is the reason the event is known outside Switzerland. It takes nine to twelve days, climbs 43,800 m, and is capped at 100 runners who are selected on their record rather than by signing up: the race asks for a SwissPeaks 360 finish or another race of around 300 km. Its first half runs in stages between five base camps; its second half is continuous, on the Legend's course.

Every race finishes at Le Bouveret on Lake Geneva, and each starts from a different place in the Valais, so the event is really one long descent staged five ways. The Odyssey starts at Le Bouveret itself and runs out to Brig before turning back; the Legend starts at Brigerbad, the 100 Miles at the Grande Dixence dam, the Ultra at Salvan in the Trient valley and the Challenge at Val d'Illiez.

All five ultras lose more height than they gain, because they end at 375 m on the lake. The race grades the Odyssey and the Legend as very alpine and technical, worth 6 ITRA points each, and the same for the 100 Miles; the Ultra carries 5 and the Challenge 3. Only the Odyssey requires any qualification. Numbers change year to year: the 2026 races were renamed from the numeric 700, 380, 170, 100 and 70 and re-measured with them.

Entry is first come, first served through the race's own timing platform, except for the Odyssey, which selects its 100 runners on their running record. As of mid-August 2026 the four longest races were full and only the Challenge, Half-Marathon, Discovery and Kids remained open.