50th SIMM - Swiss International Mountain Marathon 16+17 August 2024 Klosters GR

The SIMM (Swiss International Mountain Marathon) is THE unique outdoor event for orienteers, trail runners, mountaineers, runners, endurance and adventure athletes, walkers and hikers, in teams of two, as a couple or even with the family, in short: FOR SPORTS ENTHUSIASTS WITH BRAINS.

The route via the prescribed checkpoints can be chosen freely and can only be mastered with the help of the national map 1:25,000 and compass as well as your own food and safety equipment.
A minimum of material for the overnight stay at the destination of the first stage in the terrain, for food and first aid is mandatory and must be carried in the backpack over the entire distance.

WHY SHOULD I TAKE PART?
The fascination of the Mountain Marathon is difficult to describe - but those who took part in the event, as participants or in the team of helpers, seem to be infected by a special passion... which can perhaps be captured with the following keywords:
• Experience nature in the beautiful mountains of the Swiss Alps
• Community experience with partner and fellow competitors in nature and in sporting competition
• Cultivate old friendships - and make new friends among like-minded people
• Discover regions that you might never get to know on your own
• Approach your own physical and psychological limits
• Optimization of effort and yield, first in putting together the package, later in the choice of route and in the actual mastering of the course, while recovering in the camp, etc.
• Do and experience something new
• to be able to strive towards a goal (for many participants, the Mountain Marathon is an important sporting and social goal of the year)

For us organizers, there are other elements to be added:
• We think it's great to organize such an event together with friends
• Each time we meet many people in a more or less familiar place who meet and support us in our work
• After all the effort and exertions that the event also demands from the organizing team, we see the many happy faces at the finish of the second stage, which have encouraged us every year to tackle another edition of the Mountain Marathon

ROUTES: Orienteering, Score and Trail
The 3 main courses are called Orienteering Marathon, Score and Trail Marathon.
The Orienteering Marathon is for connoisseurs in dealing with the map. The courses are demanding in terms of orientation and maps, as most of the courses are run off the paths. They are aimed at athletes and orienteers who are experienced in using the map. The checkpoints must be approached in the prescribed order. There is a long and a short distance: Orienteering Marathon Strong and Orienteering Marathon Light.
The runners on the score course also know the map well. The goal of the score marathon is to "run" as many points as possible within 5 hours per day. At the start, each team is given two cards with the possible posts and the respective scores. Now the task is to design a route in which as many points as possible are scored without exceeding the time limit. It is important to note that the posts weigh differently depending on the level of difficulty and points are deducted if you exceed the time. This course offers the most freedom of choice of all, as you can choose your own route and are always classified. Therefore, it is particularly suitable for families and occasional athletes.
The two Trail Marathon distances lead mostly along the hiking trails. Basic knowledge of map reading is sufficient here. These courses are easy in terms of orientation and maps. The posts to be approached serve as checkpoints and must be approached in the prescribed order. The route between the posts is via easy-to-find hiking and mountain trails and other guidelines. The trail marathon thus also allows runners to participate who are less enthusiastic about map reading than about running in alpine terrain. The short distance of the trail marathon is also very suitable for walkers / Nordic walkers. Here, too, there is a long and a short distance: Trail Marathon Strong and Trail Marathon Short.

Provisional route data on assumed ideal route:
Course 1 Orienteering Strong: Day 1: 20 km / 2000 m ascent / = approx. 40 Lkm
Day 2: 25 km / 1500 m ascent / = approx. 40 Lkm
Course 3 Orienteering Light: Day 1: 16 km / 1400 m ascent / = approx. 30 Lkm
Day 2: 19 km / 1100 m ascent / = approx. 30 Lkm
Parcours 5 Orienteering Score: 5 hours maximum time per day
Course 7 Trail Strong: Day 1: 22 km / 1800 m ascent / = approx. 40 Lkm
Day 2: 28 km / 1200 m ascent / = approx. 40 Lkm
Course 9 Trail Light: Day 1: 15 km / 1000 m ascent / = approx. 25 Lkm
Day 2: 17 km / 800 m ascent / = approx. 25 Lkm
WHO IS TAKING PART?
The field of participants in the Mountain Marathon is made up of a wide range of sports, mountain and nature lovers with various interests. Families are also welcome!
Around two-thirds of the participants come from Switzerland. The other runners come from the surrounding countries of Germany, England, Italy, Austria, France and Belgium. The field of participants is about one third female and two thirds male. The age of the participants varies between approx. 8 and 75 years.
Ten percent of the participants can be described as absolute top athletes, another 30-40 percent are competitive athletes, and the other half is made up of amateur athletes, families and hikers.

RANKINGS
There is an overall ranking list for each course. Within this, the ratings for the categories Women (W), Men (M), Couples (C) and Family (F) are specifically shown.