In the summer of 2022, the SWISSMAN will be held again on the original route for the first time after two years of exceptional conditions: From the palm trees in Ascona over the three Alpine passes Gotthard, Furka and Grimsel to the impressive backdrop of Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau on the Kleine Scheidegg. On Saturday, June 25, 2022, the ninth edition of the iconic long-distance triathlon will take place.
Step by step, the finish line in sight
Whoever now thinks that everything is going back to the way it was before is wrong. The SWISSMAN crew has used the flexibility and creativity demanded by the pandemic as an opportunity to fundamentally rethink and improve the SWISSMAN so that the event, which has grown close to the hearts of so many athletes from Switzerland and abroad over the years, can also be held in the future. Facing various global challenges, the focus is on the desire to make the SWISSMAN as resilient, sustainable and climate-neutral as possible. From electric mobility to catering and equipment for the crew, everything is being re-examined, and a CO2 balance sheet for the event is also to be drawn up. The first steps taken this year will continue to keep the SWISSMAN crew busy in the coming years. The sustainability strategy is currently being developed, so that SWISSMAN will become a sustainable, climate-neutral event step by step.
Exposed to the elements
The implementation of the sustainability strategy starts from many sides. The biggest change, which however does not primarily have to do with climate neutrality, but much more with consistent implementation of the outdoor character and an event that is also resilient with regard to the pandemic, concerns the briefing in Ascona.
The familiar gathering in the gym will be replaced by an opening ceremony in the Bagno Publicon. In front of the backdrops of Lake Maggiore, Gridone and Monte Gambarogno, athletes can now register for the SWISSMAN as early as Thursday. Meanwhile, the view of the lake makes the anticipation rise. Because the SWISSMAN is not a race, it is an adventure. Four cantons, three alpine passes, several lakes, one destination, 226 kilometers and over 5700 meters of altitude. That is the challenging route of the SWISSMAN.
Swissness through and through
While the crew will be clarifying the last organizational issues in the coming months and the athletes will be entering the hot training phase, one thing is already certain: this year, too, the finisher ceremony on Sunday, June 26, will be accompanied by the wonderful sounds of the alphorn players from Hofstetten near Brienz against the impressive backdrop of the Eiger Mönch and Jungfrau.
