Running in Geneva

We found ourselves in Geneva on our way to Chamonix where we planned to spend the remainder of the summer while I prepared for UTMB. Rather than rush the travel portion (and as a general principle), we decided to spend a couple days in Geneva before catching our shuttle to Les Houches (near Chamonix). I’m glad we did!

We run nearly every day without exception. As we travel from destination to destination we always have to figure out where to run in our new, temporary home. Sometimes this is easier than others, but more often than not, it is a challenge. We scan the internet, we look for blogs, we check Strava and Mapmyrun.

We wrote what we couldn’t find on the internet: a quick guide for running in new locations. If there is info you’re interested in that we didn’t think to include, or there are places we should be running in that we’re not, please tell us. It’ll make our lives better, our research easier, and it’ll help all the other runners out there that are looking for places to run in new locations.

View from the waterfront

View from the waterfront

Fast Facts:

When: 4-6 July 2016

Miles run: 16.8

Where we lived: Hotel right next to the train station

Pollution (self-made index 1-5): 1

Elevation: 1,250’

Shoes Worn: Nike Pegasus 31

Paavo’s age: 7 months

Quickscore (1-5 scale): 4

 

-Where did you run? – specific routes or areas

  1. Still crowded at 9pm

    Still crowded at 9pm

    Call me lame, I ran the same route both nights we were in Geneva, both times around Lake Geneva. I was also blown away by the place. Perhaps it’s because we had just spent two months in Mexico and Geneva seemed so vastly different, but my thoughts as I ran each night were along the lines of, “Where the hell am I?”, “Is this for real?”, and “How have I never been here before?” There were runners, cyclists, and walkers. There were people barbecuing, drinking coffee and after dinner drinks. And there were so many people! It was after 9pm when I finished, the sun was still setting on the surrounding mountains as I ran around the beautiful lake – it just felt so ridiculously nice.

-How accessible were the good running locations? Road, track, trail?

I only ran from the main city center to the lake, along the perimeter, and back each night. I imagine that there are parks and trails here too but I didn’t do the research ahead of time, and was “stuck” running the lake.

Running past the train station on the way to the waterfront

Running past the train station on the way to the waterfront

-Safety

Felt completely safe the entire time.

-Weather

Geneva in early July was absolutely gorgeous. Perfect temps, late nights, minimal bugs. It was great.

-What was the running vibe?

Lots of runners about, along with lots of others enjoying the beautiful summer nights.

-Best parts about running in city

It was really pretty. I would love to go back and explore more.

What did we miss? Other great places to run in Geneva?

Showing Paavo the waterfront

Showing Paavo the waterfront

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