Location

The Glarner Alps at full scale, starting at the edge of town.

Glarus is the capital of the canton of Glarus, a small, rugged corner of Eastern Switzerland characterized by the high peaks of the Alps, the steep valley walls of the Lindth, and the geological wonders of the UNESCO World Heritage Tectonic Arena Sardona.

Start / Finish

The race starts and ends at the Sportanlage Gründli in Glarus.

All race activities take place at Sportanlage Gründli, Glärnischstrasse 9, 8750 Glarus. Runner check-in, dropbag drop-off, and the pre-race briefing happen here on Thursday evening and Friday morning. The race starts and finishes at this location, and the post-race debrief takes place here on Sunday. Parking is available on site but is not reserved for crews and is shared with the public. There are no wardrobe or shower facilities at the venue. Plan accordingly.

Travel

Glarus is easy to reach for national and international runners.

By Plane

Zürich Airport (ZRH) handles the majority of long-haul connections to Switzerland. From arrivals, follow signs to the train station below the terminal. Take any train to Zürich Hauptbahnhof, then the direct S25 to Glarus. Total travel time from the airport is around 90 minutes. Basel EuroAirport (BSL) is a reasonable alternative if your routing favors it, with Glarus roughly two hours away by rail via Basel SBB and Zürich.

By Train

The S25 runs directly from Zürich Hauptbahnhof to Glarus in about one hour, with departures every 30 minutes throughout the day. No changes required. Check current schedules at sbb.ch. If you're connecting from elsewhere in Switzerland, Zürich is the transfer point.

By Car

From Zürich, take the A3 motorway south in the direction of Chur. Exit at junction 44 Niederurnen and follow signs to Glarus. The drive takes about one hour from the city center in normal traffic. Street parking and a public car park are available near the start/finish in the city center.

Accommodation

Options are limited in Glarus city but available throughout the region.

Hotels, Hostels, Airbnb

Hotel Glarnerhof and Hotel Stadthof are both in the city center, steps from the train station. For budget options, Adrenalin Backpackers in Braunwald — a car-free mountain village 20 minutes away by gondola — is the closest hostel. Apartments and holiday rentals are available throughout the canton on Airbnb and similar platforms. These work well for crews who want kitchen access and room for gear.

Camping, RVing

Two campgrounds operate on the shores of Klöntalersee about 30 minutes by car from Glarus: Camping Güntlenau and Camping Vorauen. Both accept tents, caravans, and motorhomes. For vans and motorhomes, two dedicated mobile home parks are close to the start/finish: Stellplatz Buchholz in Glarus and Stellplatz LinthArena in Näfels.

Transportation

Most checkpoints are reachable by public transport, and all by car within 30 minutes.

The Glarner valleys are well connected by train and bus, with services running throughout the day. Most checkpoints are within 30 to 60 minutes of Glarus by public transport. Tierfehd is the exception — it has no direct connection and requires a car from Linthal. All checkpoints have parking, but spaces are limited and not reserved for race crews. Where possible, we ask crews to use public transport. The roads and villages on course are our hosts, and keeping traffic low is part of how we stay welcome.

Services

A visitor card and essential local resources for your stay.

Most overnight stays in the region include the GlarnerlandPass, which covers all regional trains and buses as well as several mountain railways. It's a practical benefit for anyone moving around the canton without a car. Emergency medical care is available around the clock throughout the region. The tourist office is in Markthalle Glarus.

Activities

Three distinct valleys, each with their own character.

The Klöntal is a glacial valley at the foot of the Glärnisch massif, best known for the Klöntalersee and its remote, quiet atmosphere. The Sernftal leads to Elm, a village surrounded by the geological formations of the UNESCO Tektonikarena Sardona — ancient thrust faults that pushed older rock over younger in formations visible from the valley floor. Braunwald is a car-free mountain resort above the Linth valley, reached by gondola, with good access to high alpine terrain and a well-developed trail network.