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The men’s marathon is no doubt one of the Zürich 2014 highlights. No matter how things will turn out on Sunday morning, there will be a lot of running action - and many emotions. Defending champion Viktor Röthlin, who is almost 40 years old, will run the final marathon of his long career. The championship marathon will be the farewell race of one the country’s most popular athletes. ©Zürich2014 / Urs Jaudas
ZÜRICH 2014 – A champion’s farewell race
Röthlin’s preparation for the marathon went according to plan. He is even a contender for the medals. Top favourite for the title, however, is his fellow countryman Tadesse Abraham, who had received trainings schedules from Röthlin at times, is currently the faster of the two – Röthlin is more experienced.
With two very fast runners in the race, host country Switzerland is also eyeing a top result in the new team competition. The Swiss marathon team also includes Christian Kreienbühl, Michael Ott, Patrick Wieder, and Adrian Lehmann.
The marathon will start and end on Bürkliplatz. The 10km-loop will take athletes to Paradeplatz, Central, the terrace of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Bellevue, and Zürichhorn. Spectators on Bürkliplatz will be able to watch the race action on a giant screen. The steep hill leading up to Polyterrasse (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) will be a particularly tough nut to crack. And athletes will have to climb it as many as four times.
Live bands will provide the soundtrack for the race.150 musicians will play on Polyterrasse, Bellevueplatz, Bürkliplatz, and Blatterwiese.
