2026 Sierre-Zinal Live Coverage

Coming in hot as one of the most competitive mountain running races on the calendar, the 2026 Sierre-Zinal kicks off on Saturday, August 8, with a staggered start for the men and women in the start town of Sierre. The women’s race kicks off at 10:30 a.m. Central European Summer Time (CEST), and the men follow 30 minutes later at 11:00 a.m. CEST.

Given that last year, the women’s winner was nearly 27 minutes slower than the men’s winner, it should be a fast and busy finish line in the village of Zinal as racers make their way over the 31-kilometer (19.3 miles) course through the Valais Alps of Switzerland, climbing 2,200 meters (7,200 feet) and descending 1,100 meters (3,600 feet). In a unique course feature, nearly all of the descending — 750 meters — comes in the final 7k.

Philemon Kiriago wins the 2025 Sierre-Zinal. Photo: WMRA/Marco Gulberti

We’ll be live blogging the event at iRunFar’s X feed with photos and commentary from around the course, and we’ll post the same material below in this article. Follow along!

Here are some resources to help you follow the race:

Thanks to the World Mountain Running Association for supporting iRunFar’s 2026 Sierre-Zinal coverage.

Here we’re live blogging the progress of Sierre-Zinal, and sharing same content as on our feed on X. Enjoy viewing it here or on X! Also, give it just a moment to load.

Caroline Kimutai of Kenya was awarded the win at the 2025 Sierre Zinal after Joyline Chepngeno was disqualified. Photo: WMRA/Marco Gulberti