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IN PICTURES: Runners take on Swiss glacier race despite melt

Hundreds of runners braved a lung-busting ascent into the Alps in Switzerland's Glacier 3000 Run on Saturday, albeit on a shortened course due to summer heatwaves melting the ice.

Published: 7 August 2022 16:14 CEST
Runners on the last kilometres of a shortened version of Switzerland's Glacier 3000 run above Les Diablerets
Runners on the last kilometres of a shortened version of Switzerland's Glacier 3000 run above Les Diablerets on August 6, 2022. Photo by Fabrice Coffrini / AFP

The event’s 14th edition was back without limitations after being cancelled in 2020 due to Covid-19 and run in 2021 with restrictions imposed due to the pandemic.

The race is normally run over 26.2 kilometres but was contested on a slightly modified 25.2km course this year due to the glacier melting, with the last pass over its surface shortened.

Runners make their way under a ski lift on the glacier run in Switzerland

Runners make their way under a ski lift during the last kilometres of the Glacier 3000 run. (Photo by Fabrice Coffrini / AFP)

“The accelerated melting of the top layer of the glacier has created a camber and a soft layer which the runner sinks into,” said race director Oliver Hermann.

“Rather than intervening to flatten the track, we preferred to deviate the course.”

Runners on last stretch of Switzerland's glacier run

On the final stretch of this year’s shortened course. (Photo by Fabrice Coffrini / AFP)

The finish line is 1,886 metres higher than the start, at nearly 3,000 metres up in the mountains by the Scex Rouge peak.

READ ALSO: Heatwaves close off classic Swiss and Italian Alpine hiking routes

The route begins in the jet-set ski resort town of Gstaad, at 1,050 metres above sea level.

It passes through forests, green mountain pastures before heading into rocky lunar-like landscapes and taking in the Tsanfleuron Glacier.

The course follows the Saane river upstream for 15 km before climbing up 1,800 metres over the remaining 10 km to the finish line — at an altitude of 2,936 metres.

A couple hold their hands while walking on the melting Tsanfleuron Glacier above Les Diablerets

A couple hold hands while walking on the melting Tsanfleuron Glacier above Les Diablerets, where the Glacier 3000 Run took place on August 6th. (Photo by Fabrice Coffrini / AFP)

Some 311 men and 98 women completed the individual course, while 50 two-person teams also took part.

READ ALSO: Why Switzerland’s glaciers are melting faster than usual this summer

The first man to finish was Kenyan competitor Geoffrey Ndungu in two hours and 17 minutes. He had finished in second place last year.

He was followed by compatriot Abraham Ebenyo Ekwam in 2:21 and then Switzerland’s Jonathan Schmid in 2:23.

Victoria Kreuzer was the first woman to finish, in 2:46, ahead of Nicole Schindler and Pascale Rebsamen — a Swiss clean sweep.

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ENVIRONMENT

Why has Switzerland banned dozens of foreign plants ?

On September 1st 2024 , 31 plants that are not native to Swiss territory were officially banned. This is what you should know if you have any of them in your garden or on the balcony.

Published: 2 September 2024 12:52 CEST
Why has Switzerland banned dozens of foreign plants ?

The prohibited plants come from North America, Asia, Africa, New Zealand and Australia.

They are considered invasive species which threaten native biodiversity and “may cause ecological, economic and health harm” as they grow and spread, according to Federal Office for the Environment. 

They not only reduce biodiversity among plants, but also have consequences for other species — for example, for insects, caterpillars, fungi, mites or butterflies, which are deprived of habitat or food by the extinction of native plants.

While some of these  foreign plants sometimes disappear on their own, others manage to establish themselves and cause not only ecological harm, but also damage infrastructure and cause health problems — for instance, allergies among humans.

Which plants are now banned?

Laurels, the popular shrubs omnipresent in public spaces and on private properties alike, will no longer be permitted.

Other plants and flowers no longer allowed in Switzerland are ‘Ticino palms,’ empress trees, summer lilac, mimosa, Cotoneaster horizontalis, lupin, Virginia creeper, tree of heaven, ragweed, and giant hogweed, among others.

What happens if you have any of the prohibited plants on your property?

If they are already present in gardens, they don’t have to be uprooted.

However, it is now prohibited to sell, import, plant, or reproduce these plants in Switzerland.

It is also not allowed to offer (or accept them) as gifts.

The fines for doing so will be set by individual cantons and / or municipalities.

Other invaders

While the new rule concerns plants only, Switzerland has been trying to eradicate a number of ‘foreign’ entities from its territory.

There are currently around 1,300 exotic species — animals, plants and fungi — established in the environment, of which about 200 are invasive.

According to Swiss Federal Institute For Forest, Snow, and Landscape Research (WSL), “every year, new plant and animal species migrate to Switzerland, or are introduced in various ways from other continents. While some are harmless, others cause considerable damage.” 

Among the latter are the Asian long-horned beetle, introduced into Switzerland with packaged wood, the ash borer beetle that is threatening ash trees,  and Neomycetes fungi which are not native to Switzerland. 

But that’s not all: even some ‘native’ species can be hazardous to Switzerland’s biodiversity

About 1.85 million cats currently live in Switzerland, a number that includes both indoor and outdoor felines.

While the indoor cats don’t pose any problems, the ones that roam outdoors are bad for the environment, according to the Swiss Climate Protection Association, which is planning to bring this issue to the ballot box

The reason, the group claims, is that  outdoor cats are notorious hunters, killing an estimated 30 million birds a year, in addition to a further half a million lizards, frogs, toads, and dragonflies — all of which are essential for biological diversity.

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