Biel 100 km (Bieler Lauftage)

Runners start · local time — 100 km and Military 10:00 pm, 2-person and 5-person relays 10:30 pm, half marathon 10:40 pm/10:45 pm, 10 km 11:15 pm/11:20 pm (based on the 2026 edition, Friday night)

The Biel Running Days (Bieler Lauftage), first held in 1959, are among the oldest 100 km races in the world.

The organizers call it the "Night of Nights".

The course is a single loop: from Biel through Bellmund, Jens, Lyss and the Limpach valley,

along the Emme past Kirchberg and Bibern, around Büren and back to the arena.

By the organizers' account, it crosses two cantons and more than 20 municipalities overnight.

Runner reports put about 70% of the route on asphalt and the rest on dirt tracks and riverside paths, with around 700 m of total climbing.

The climbs are short, but many runners say you need the strength to get back up to speed on the flats.

The 100 km starts at 10 pm on Friday with a 21-hour time limit.

Much of it is run in daylight the next day, so you get both the dark of night and the midday sun.

The Swiss 100 km Championships are held within the race.

The start and finish have moved from the old conference hall in the city center to the Tissot Arena.

One runner wrote that the arena start is less boisterous than it used to be, but that the roadside support and the volunteers' energy haven't changed.

The half marathon and 10 km start late the same night and finish before 2 am, so you can soak up the night-race atmosphere without the big commitment.