About this race
All races conclude at Wirzen 129 in Guttannen, a village in Switzerland's Bernese Oberland. The Göttanner Stärnenloif, also known as Stärnenloif Guttannen, is held in late October, offering both running and walking events instead of a single start.
The primary race covers 9 kilometers with a 249-meter elevation gain, making it a short but challenging course. The event also features a 2.0 km walk, a 2.1 km relay, a 2.7 km children's race, and shorter youth races starting from 1.5 km. The relay consists of four participants covering legs of 250 m, 500 m, 300 m, and 1050 m, resembling a team sprint more than a typical road relay. Children and youth have dedicated races, and the Hauptlauf serves as the 9 km adult option. Past events have used distances like 7 km, 3.7 km, and 3 km, indicating a format evolution while maintaining Guttannen as the central location. Essentially, it is a condensed mountain-village race day featuring a steep main run, brief family categories, and a shared finish line for all participants.