Neujahrsmarathon Zürich

The Neujahrsmarathon Zürich starts at midnight in Schlieren, just outside Zurich, so runners begin the race in the first seconds of January 1. It has been held every New Year’s Day since 2005 and offers a marathon, half marathon, 10 km or quarter-marathon race, relay, and a free kids marathon that starts on New Year’s Eve. The marathon starts inside a sports hall, finishes there, and sends runners back through the hall after each lap, which gives the event an unusual indoor checkpoint in the middle of a winter road race. The marathon course is four flat loops along the River Limmat, with the half marathon using two loops and the shorter race using one. Snow and ice can affect the five-hour limit, so the organizers may extend it when winter conditions make the route slower. The courses are officially measured, and the race is sanctioned by AIMS, which matters because its midnight start makes it the first AIMS running event of the year. That timing gives winners the first official national or world-leading marathon marks of the new year, one reason runners from about 50 countries come to Schlieren despite the small field.