Weekend running events around Zürich

The main running story around Zürich this weekend is not a stack of unrelated city races happening at once. It’s one giant relay — the SOLA-Stafette — taking over Saturday, May 16. That matters because if you’re trying to run, spectate, or just move around the city, this is the event that will shape the day. The other notable local race this week is the Flughafenlauf in Kloten on Thursday, May 14, which turns the whole stretch into a busy running week rather than a single-race weekend. ### What is the actual headline event? It’s the 51st SOLA-Stafette, organized by ASVZ, the Zürich academic sports association. This is a 14-leg team relay spread across greater Zürich, with a total course of about 114.77 km and 2,640 meters of climbing. ASVZ calls it the biggest university sports event in Switzerland, which gives you a sense of scale — this is less a neighborhood fun run and more a citywide logistical machine. (asvz.ch) ### Why does SOLA matter more than a normal race? Because almost nobody runs the whole thing alone. Teams of 14 split the course into legs ranging from roughly 3.7 km to 14.1 km, which makes it social, chaotic, and very Zürich. One runner starts, hands off, and the course keeps moving through places like Bucheggplatz, Hönggerberg, Uetliberg, Forch, Egg, Zumikon, Witikon, Fluntern, and Irchel. Basically, the event spreads runners and supporters across a huge part of the region. (asvz.ch) ### Is it already full? Yes — and that’s one of the biggest practical details. ASVZ says the 2026 edition is sold out, and the registration window was set to close by the end of February or sooner if 1,000 teams signed up. That means the weekend story is not “should I enter?” but “how do I navigate it?” or, if you’re desperate, “can I find a team through the partner exchange?” ### When does the day actually start? (asvz.ch) Early. The first SOLA wave starts at 07:30 for slower teams, then 08:00 for faster teams. There’s a midday restart at 12:30 and 13:00, then a late-afternoon chase start at 16:30. The first teams begin finishing at Irchel from 17:00, with the prize ceremony scheduled for about 18:15. So this is an all-day event, not a quick morning race. ### What about the Flughafenlauf? That race lands on Thursday, May 14, in Kloten and adds another real spike in local running traffic before the weekend even starts. Datasport’s start lists show 1,435 registered runners in the 17 km main category, 501 in the 7.5 km fun run, 74 walkers, and several youth fields plus 289 kids in the 0.7 km run. That’s well over 2,000 entries across formats — a serious turnout on its own. (asvz.ch) ### So is the original “many big Zürich races this weekend” framing right? Not really. Turns out the cleaner version is this: one huge relay dominates the weekend, and one substantial airport-area race helps make the whole week feel packed. There are other runs later in May near Zürich, but for May 14 to May 16, SOLA and Flughafenlauf are the load-bearing events. ### What should a visitor or local actually do with this? (results.datasport.com) If you want the signature experience, follow SOLA on Saturday and plan around its handoff zones and finish at Irchel. If you want a more conventional race-day setup, look at Flughafenlauf on Thursday. But don’t assume there’s a buffet of equally large downtown races this weekend — the real story is concentration, not variety. The bottom line is simple: Zürich’s running week is real, but it’s anchored by one outsized event. (running.life) SOLA is the centerpiece, it’s sold out, and it will define the local running conversation this weekend. (asvz.ch) (asvz.ch)