Lake Lucerne Ultra

A 125 km ultra-distance trail and road race circling the Vierwaldstättersee (Lake Lucerne) in Central Switzerland, run through the night and into the following day.

Friday, 2 October 2026. The gun goes off at 22:00, so you'll spend your first several hours entirely in the dark.

Start and finish are both at Brüelmoos, behind the tennis club. By public transport, take any train to Luzern Hauptbahnhof, then bus line 24 towards Meggen to the Seefeldstrasse stop. From there it's about a 3-minute walk to the start.

125 km with roughly 2'230 m of elevation gain, and about the same in descent. You can see the full profile in the Route section above.

The field is capped at 100 runners.

Anyone who feels ready for the challenge. There's no qualifying time or prior-race requirement. We trust you to know your own preparation.

Registration for 2026 is closed, and there's nothing open yet for 2027 — no date, no price, no link. Follow us on Instagram or drop us an email and we'll let you know the moment it opens.

Entry is CHF 50, covering your bib, GPS tracker, aid stations, official results, and finisher recognition.

Because a lot of ultras have gotten expensive without the race itself getting any better. LLU is built by runners, for runners, and we'd rather keep it accessible than add extras nobody asked for.

Via the GPX track. You can download it directly from the Route section above, or load it from Strava/Komoot closer to race day. Marking on the ground is minimal, so plan to navigate mainly off the GPX file on your watch or phone.

Roughly the first half is paved lakeside road and path, fast and easy to follow in the dark. From Bauen (~59 km) onward the course turns to technical trail, and grippy trail shoes are strongly recommended for the second half.

Yes. The descent from Seelisberg down to Beckenried is the most technical stretch on the course, so save some focus (and some quad strength) for it.

Yes. Every runner wears a personal GPS tracker for the entire race, giving continuous position data rather than just checkpoint splits.

Yes. The full GPS replay of the 2026 race is live now — see the Replay section above, or open it directly on the replay page.

The overall cut-off is 22 hours. Intermediate cut-offs at individual aid stations, if any, will be confirmed in the athlete guide closer to race day.

See the top results above, or the full table — including every DNF and every runner's GPS track — on the replay page. Joel Koller won in 13:51:00; 37 of 66 starters finished.

Yes, 8 stations spaced roughly every 15 km around the loop, with water, sports drink, and race food.

Yes, outside support is welcome wherever an aid station is reachable by road.

Yes, your race goodie bag doubles as your one drop bag. Hand it in before the start and it'll be waiting for you at three points on course (Fähre at about 27 km, Bauen at about 59 km, and Alpnachstadt at about 101 km), then again at the finish.

A sweep van (capacity: 7 runners) collects anyone who drops, along with their GPS tracker. With a single van covering the full 125 km loop, we can't always guarantee an immediate pickup or a direct drop at the nearest station, so please be patient if it happens to you. DNF runners and gear not collected on course can be picked up in Lucerne (exact time window confirmed in the athlete guide).

A mandatory equipment list will be published in the athlete guide before race day. At minimum, plan for a headlamp with spare batteries, since you start in the dark.

There is no dedicated race medical team; regular public emergency services apply. Carry a charged phone and know your location (your GPS tracker helps us find you if needed).

Yes, participants are responsible for arranging their own insurance (accident, rescue/helicopter, and health cover are strongly recommended for this kind of terrain).

Yes. Ultra-distance mountain and lakeside terrain carries real risk, especially at night. By registering, you confirm you're taking part at your own risk and responsibility.

Not everyone finishes an ultra. In 2026, 37 out of 66 starters did, and that's completely normal. See the sweep van policy above for what happens next.

Email lakelucerneultra@gmail.com or find us on Instagram @lakelucerneultra.