PACERTRIP CITY EDITIONCH / RACE GUIDE

Course de l'Escalade

Name: Aftermovie 2025 - Course de l'Escalade
Uploaded: 2025-12-11
Description: Course starts at Parc des Bastions, passes through Geneva's Old Town and finishes back in the park. The length of the looped course varies by event. Between the mass-participation events open to all

The city you want to run becomes your next trip.

Geneva
CH

Deniev Dagun · CC BY 4.0Wikimedia Commons · Stéphane Pecorini, CC BY-SA 2.0 frWikimedia Commons · Mike Peel, CC BY-SA 4.0Deniev Dagun, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia CommonsDeniev Dagun, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia CommonsDeniev Dagun, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Race date in 56 days: Dec 6, 2026 Sun
City · Distance: Geneva · Distance TBD
Entry fee: CHF 42Varies by event and entry period
Status: OpenMon, September 14, 2026 ~ Mon, November 16, 2026See how to enter ↗

Official website ↗D-day as of Oct 11, 2026

About the race Runner stories How to enter Course Race Prep Travel

Why you dream of this race

THE DREAM

ABOUT THE RACE

A day you'll remember,
long past the finish line.

Course starts at Parc des Bastions, passes through Geneva's Old Town and finishes back in the park.

The length of the looped course varies by event.

Between the mass-participation events open to all ages, the international elite men’s and women’s Escaladélite races take place.

The final event is the Marmite.

It is untimed, and the many costumed participants give it the feel of a carnival procession.

The road to your own record

Picture the course in advance
and find the pace that fits you.

When the city cheers

Streets lined with cheers, runners all around.
You'll be part of that scene.

The trip that follows the run

Take it slow with the finish still in you,
and meet the city all over again.

Stories from runners who've been there.

From the joy of finishing to the tough moments — read what runners wrote themselves.

Race reports: 2

RunningMaxRan in 2010 · Finish time 30:26,4

“I didn't break 30 minutes, but I'm very happy with my time.”

At Geneva's Course de l'Escalade, the runner enjoyed warm support in the old town on a snow-shortened 7km course. Although they missed their sub-30-minute goal, a net finish of 30 minutes 26.4 seconds left them pleased with their improvement over a previous visit.

Quoted from the original · translated

Original quote

Je suis très satisfait de mon chrono, bien que je ne sois pas descendu sous les 30 minutes.

Read the original on Le blog de RunningMax

tig_chRan in 2004 · Finish time 25:33

“The pain disappeared and my stride lengthened again. I could hear applause and cheers.”

At Geneva's Course de l'Escalade, the runner followed a friend at a fast clip, then eased off on the final lap's climb to recover. Accelerating again on the last descent, they finished in 25 minutes 33 seconds, pleased to beat their target amid enthusiastic cheers.

Quoted from the original · translated

Original quote

La douleur n'existe plus, la foulée s'allonge à nouveau, applaudissements, encouragements...

Read the original on Kikourou

We translated a short line from each public race report and summarized the experience. Finish times are as stated by the author, and past editions may differ from this year's weather and operations.

See it on video,
feel it through their stories.

Preview the course and read what runners who went before you wrote.

Finisher vlog

Course de l'Escalade · Finisher vlog

View on YouTube

This may be from a past edition. Check the organizer for this year's course and operations.

The way in that fits you

YOUR ENTRY

How to reach the start line —
start with what fits you.

Here are the ways to enter and what each requires.
Check the organizer's page for whether entries are open.

We'll fill this in once the official entry rules are out.

Official race website Entry options

From the start line to the finish

RACE WEEK

Course

Know the course and time limit, and race day comes into focus.

From the 2025 edition

Runners start · local timeFrom 14:50

City center · not the start line

We have not confirmed the start line coordinates yet. The map shows the host city.

START

Geneva

The start line is painted on Rue de la Croix-Rouge.

The course runs through Geneva's Old Town, past St. Pierre Cathedral and Place Neuve, and finishes in Bastions Park.

Until 2014, the men ran three laps and the women two.

Since 2015, runners have been free to choose either distance.

The 2015 race had 42,456 registered runners, and 37,108 finished.

First held in 1978, the event has been Switzerland's largest road race since 1990.

More than 45,000 people take part every December, from elites and amateurs to children.

Walking and Nordic walking divisions have been official since 2007.

The race also has a separate costume division, the Marmite.

The event itself began as a way around a 1960 ordinance that restricted wearing disguises in the street, and the Marmite became an official division in 1991.

Typical race-season temperature: around 0°C (33°F): Long sleeves + a throwaway layer for the start

Participant benefits

Timing chip

All foot races

Restrooms

All race categories

Bag drop

All race categories

Start shuttle

Walking

Changing rooms

All race categories

Lockers

All race categories

To the start line,
step by step.

Pick up your bib, check your wave.
So on race morning, you can just run.

From the 2025 edition

Pick up your bib at the expo

The 48th edition will be held from 2026 December 5 (Sat) to 6 (Sun), and bib will be distributed at the Escaladexpo tent in Bastion Park.
The official information does not specify the distribution start date, time slots, or whether proxy pickup is allowed.

Large Escaladexpo tent in Parc des Bastions, Geneva

Google Maps

Stations & transport near the venue

Getting to the startRue de la Croix-Rouge at Place de Neuve, Geneva Old Town — TPG tram stop 'Plainpalais' (lines 12,15,17,18)…
Transit cardIf you're staying in a Geneva hotel, get the free Geneva Transport Card (digital, emailed before arrival) for unlimited unireso bus/tram/train travel for your whole stay; otherwise buy a ticket or day pass from a machine at any stop using contactless card, cash, or coins. Where to buy
Getting to the finishParc des Bastions, adjacent to the Old Town · Place de Neuve start area

Source · checked Aug 22, 2026 · Source · checked Aug 17, 2026

More details

Getting to the start

Rue de la Croix-Rouge at Place de Neuve, Geneva Old Town — TPG tram stop 'Plainpalais' (lines 12,15,17,18) or 'Bel-Air' (lines 12,14,17,18); ~20min walk from Gare Cornavin; ~10min tram from Léman Express stop 'Lancy-Pont-Rouge'

Starts are staggered. Per the 47th edition (Dec 2025 — road-closure specifics 'per prior edition'), Place de Neuve and adjacent tram stops ('Coutance', 'Bovy-Lysberg', 'Place de Neuve', 'Palais Eynard') are closed to traffic on race day; runners should get off at 'Plainpalais', 'Bel-Air', or 'Rive' and walk in.

Buses terminate at 'Bel-Air'.

Map

Getting to the finish

Parc des Bastions, adjacent to the Old Town/Place de Neuve start area

About a 15min walk from Gare Genève-Champel and 20min from Gare Cornavin; same nearby tram stops as start apply.

Map

Start shuttle

access is via Geneva's regular TPG tram/bus network with the closures noted above.

Transit card

tpg pay (prepaid contactless card, optional)

TPG ticket machines/vending machines at stops Not accepted at the gates — get the local card above

Alternative: Geneva Transport Card (free for hotel guests) / unireso Zone 10 day pass Geneva Transport Card: free for overnight hotel guests; unireso Zone 10 day pass: CHF 10; single ticket: CHF 3 (60 min) — The free Geneva Transport Card is worth getting the moment you check into any Geneva-canton hotel — it covers the whole stay including airport transfer. There's no tap-in/tap-out gate system in Geneva — you buy a ticket or pass in advance (from a machine, which does accept contactless bank cards for payment) rather than tapping your bank card directly as a fare.

Vending machines at trams/major bus stops take coins, Swiss cards, and contactless cards.

Where to buy

Source · checked Aug 22, 2026 Source · checked Aug 17, 2026

READY TO RUN

From race morning to after the finish.

Your start time, fuel and bag drop.
Know them ahead and the run feels easier.

Geneva's average December high is 5~6°C, with lows between -1°C and 0°C.

Conditions are closer to early winter than late autumn, so prepare for the cold.

Course passes through the streets of Geneva's Old Town.

It goes by historic sites including St Pierre Cathedral and Place Neuve before finishing in Parc des Bastions.

The 'Marmite' event takes its name from the Escalade, the historical event behind the race.

In 1602, when troops from the Duchy of Savoy launched a night attack on Geneva, Catherine Cheynel, known as 'Mère Royaume',

is said to have poured a pot of boiling vegetable soup from a window onto the attackers, helping to repel the invasion.

In her honour, the tradition developed of the oldest and youngest people in a household breaking a chocolate pot-shaped pastry together.

Walking and Nordic walking events have been offered separately since 2007.

Times are local to Geneva. Check the latest official information before the race.

A trip built around the race

STAY A LITTLE

MAKE IT A RUNTRIP

The race is one day,
the trip can be longer.

From a hotel that makes race morning easy,
to the meals and views you'll enjoy with the medal on.

Hotel Bristol

Hotel · 632m

9.2/10(1592)

View on Booking.com

Lausanne: Self-Guided Boat Trip to Evian

₩76,612

View on GetYourGuide

Private Electric Tuk-Tuk Tour & Geneva Fondue Experience

₩439,724

Course de l'Escalade

About Course de l'Escalade — what makes it special

A day you'll remember,long past the finish line.

The road to your own record

When the city cheers

The trip that follows the run