- May 7, 2023

18,524 PARTICIPANTS: GENEVA VIBRATED TO THE RHYTHM OF THE GENERALI GENÈVE MARATHON FOR A HISTORIC EDITION

RECORD PARTICIPATION: 18,524 participants met in Geneva this weekend.
New records fell: Dominic Lokyniomo Lobalu (SSD) and Jenna Bolumar (SUI) in the 5km by Always, Lydia Jebichii Korir Thomas (KEN) in the 10km and Cynthia Kosgei (KEN) in the Half-Marathon.
The six-time medalist of the Paralympic Games, the Swiss Marcel Hug, retains his title in the Semi Wheelchair Racing.
The Kenyan Silas Too and his compatriot Jane Jelagat Seurey respectively won the queen distance of the event in 2h 09m 40s and in 2h 31m 40s.
More than 13,000 CHF in donations collected for The Human Safety Net for Refugee Switzerland.

The Generali Geneva Marathon, one of the most anticipated sporting events of the year in Switzerland, has just ended. 18,524 runners and walkers thrilled the entire Canton of Geneva thanks to the different race formats offered, ranging from Junior Races to Marathons. With a new starting site in Cologny and a new route, the organizers are delighted with this successful edition.

Under perfect weather, running enthusiasts and locals were able to take part in this great spring running festival with a lively village from Friday to Sunday in the heart of the Jardin Anglais. Young and old were able to satisfy their curiosity through the different stands, take part in fun activities or even participate in competitions before having something to eat thanks to the various food trucks present on site.

On Saturday from 4:00 p.m., Quai Gustave Ador was the scene of the Junior Races with 2,076 participants over distances adapted to young people aged 3 to 14 to give our budding athletes a taste for effort.

From 6:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., the meeting was held on Chemin Frank Thomas in Cologny for the departures of the 5 km by Always and the 10 km Run, Walk and Nordic Walk formats bringing together a total of more than 6,500 participants over these two distances.

The athletes present demonstrated their talent on the Geneva stage in a breathtaking atmosphere.

World-class performance

The 5 km by Always saw the victory of the rising star, Dominic Lobalu Lonkinyomo , who shattered the old men's record in 13mn 38s . He expressed his satisfaction with a smile: “It was a fabulous journey, many people were at the side of the road to encourage us. I had a lot of fun racing in Geneva. Thanks for all the encouragement. ". Among the women, the Swiss Jenna Bolumar crossed the line in 17min36s . The Kenyan Brian Kipchumba won the 10 km race in 29mn51s . Among the women, it was the Kenyan Jebichii Korir Lydia who won the race by setting a new record over this distance, with a very good finish neck and neck with the Ethiopian Alemu Bekele Kuba , in 32m 51s.

On Sunday, May 7, the meeting was set at 8:00 a.m. for the start of the Semi Wheelchair Racing and the Half Marathon. Seven-time Swiss Paralympic champion Marcel Hug won the Semi Wheelchair Racing for the second consecutive year in 43mn49s . Arriving on the Pont du Mont-Blanc, Marcel Hug declared “It’s a great race and I’m happy to be able to take part in this event in Geneva. Thank you to the organization for making this race possible .” The German Merle Menje wins again in Geneva and retains her title in 52 minutes and 02 seconds.

As for the half-marathoners, the streets of Geneva were electrified while the Kenyan, Erick Leon Ndiema among the men dominated the race in 1h 02m 45s ahead of local star Tadesse Abraham creating an unforgettable atmosphere for the spectators. On the women's side, Cynthia Kosgei won at the end of the suspense and established a new record in 1h 09m 26s after a fierce battle with Helen Bekele (1h 09m 38s) offering a breathtaking spectacle to spectators and television viewers.

The marathon runners left at 9 a.m., heading for the beautiful countryside before reaching the harbor of Geneva. Kenyan Silas Too won the men's race in 2h 09m 40s , while Kenyan Jane Jelagat Seurey won the women's race in 2h 31m 40s . In addition, more than 250 relay teams covered the 42.195 km in teams of 4 to 6 runners. In this race, victory went to the Athlemix team in 2h 21mn 41s ahead of Les Jones (2h 45mn 40s) and the Pompiers d'Annemasse (2h 51mn 02s) .

A word from the event director

The director of the event, Benjamin Chandelier, declared himself delighted with this edition: “We are very happy with this 17th edition of the Generali Geneva Marathon which was a great success. We saw an increased participation this year and are happy to rediscover this fervor around running events which is coming back stronger than we expected. This year, the new start in Cologny and the new routes made this edition particularly breathtaking, offering a multitude of landscapes across the countryside and the city of Geneva. It is a real pleasure to be able to organize this event in Geneva, in an idyllic setting. We would like to thank all the participants, volunteers, communities and partners for having contributed to creating such an edition beautiful than the one we have just experienced .

See you in 2024!

See you on May 4 and 5 , 2024 to celebrate together the 18th edition of the Generali Geneva Marathon. A waiting list is already open for 2024, in order to receive the information in advance.