In July 2023, I became the proud owner of an actual piece of limestone rock from the Eiger. It was placed around my neck shortly after I crossed the finish line of the Trail Surprise. Part of the Eiger Ultra Trail by UTMB, the Trail Surprise is the UTMB equivalent of a fun run. The surprise is that the route and altitude profile are only unveiled three days before the race. So it varies each year but is promised to be between 10 and 15 km. With a height profile of 500 to 1000 m and a time limit of 4 hours.
At the other end of the scale, the same event features a race of 250 km (E250) with a time limit of 95 hours. Plus, a 101 km race (E101) with a time limit of 25 hours and an elevation gain of over 6700 m. In between are races of 51 km (E51), 35 km (E35) and 16 km (E16). Plus a kids’ race.
The event is hosted in Grindelwald and takes place over five days in July. The resort’s atmosphere has a fantastic sporty buzz, with a welcome ceremony, prize-givings, and thousands of runners gathering in anticipation.
UTMB requirements for running the Trail Surprise
As stated on the official website, the entry requirements are as follows:
A good physical condition and experience in trail running are required to undertake the Trail Surprise. The main aim of this race is for participants to have fun! As a competitor you must be able to complete the race in a partial self-sufficiency according to the ethics of trail running.
eiger.utmb.world
Our surprise route
As promised, the route was revealed on the Eiger UTMB website three days before race day. My husband and I sat down to study it: 12km with 760 m elevation gain. We would set off down the main road through Grindelwald, then take a right and head downhill in the direction of the Pfingstegg glacier. Then, we would climb to trace the lower slopes of the valley, looping around to the First side before dropping back down to the centre of Grindelwald.
Our UTMB race day!
Friday, July 14th, 2023, dawned with clear blue skies. Temperatures would reach a sweltering 28°C by the race start time of 12:30. We took the train up to Grindelwald a couple of hours in advance to soak up the atmosphere and pick up our race bibs.
Friday is race bib collection day for the E16, E35, E51 and E101, all of which start the next day. So Grindelwald was packed full of athletic-looking people wearing their finisher T-shirts from previous ultra races around the globe. Feeling a little out of place, we headed to the sports centre to pick up our bibs. With no kit check for the Trail Surprise, this process was pretty quick for us. Meanwhile, around the sports centre hall stood small lines of runners with their running packs ready for inspection in advance of the following day’s races. I kept my eyes peeled for ultra-running star Kilian Jornet. He was running the E16 in order to validate his spot in the UTMB Mont-Blanc, but sadly, he was nowhere to be seen.
Once we’d collected our bibs, we strolled around the Expo to admire the eye-watering CHF price tags on offer by the likes of Leki and Hoka. The whole event area is superbly situated below the mighty Eiger. The north face shone above us under the increasing glare of the sun as the start time drew closer. After treating ourselves to an Eiger UTMB Buff cap each (with inbuilt UPF 50 protection, apparently), we felt that we now looked the part. We stuffed some spare clothes and post-race snacks into a large locker at the train station and headed towards the start line.
UTMB start line for the Trail Surprise
Considering the fun element of the Trail Surprise, the vast majority of runners lining up looked worryingly serious. So we shuffled into the pack about two-thirds of the way back with the more normal-looking people. I did a bit of covert scanning of the crowd to see if many people were equipped with running poles. They were! What a relief, I could get mine out without feeling too self-conscious. My poles were only 10 days old after I panic-bought a pair, hoping to relieve the knee pain that had appeared at the start of our holiday. Poles extended, and I was ready to go.
At the sound of the start gun, we were off. Under the inflatable UTMB archway and down the main street of Grindelwald past souvenir shops selling singing marmots. It was a fun start to hear the cheers and ringing of cowbells from the people gathered roadside. My legs felt pleasingly bouncy as I bounded along, excited to be a tiny part of this big event.
The first 2 km followed the road and then a tarmac path. The going was smooth and easy and I was pulled along with the crowd at a fairly decent opening pace. But then the trail headed up into the forest, becoming rocky, narrow and steep. Everyone around me immediately slowed, and a traffic jam quickly formed. For the next kilometre or so, we all ploughed onwards, a line of runners hiking steeply up through the forest.
Occasionally, somebody pulled over and let others pass. I was mostly grateful that the people ahead were going at a pace I could just about manage to keep up. My heart rate had rocketed, and the terrain was pretty technical in places, requiring my full concentration on where I was landing my feet.
UTMB aid station for the Trail Surprise
At about kilometre five, we came out of the forest and ran down to the Hotel Wetterhorn at Oberer Gletscher. An aid station with smiley volunteers greeted us with water, energy bars and bananas while men with hosepipes offered a refreshing cool-down to send us on our way. After assuring one of the volunteers that ‘yes, I was okay’ (despite my bright red face and sweaty appearance), I left the aid station behind and once again joined the line of walking runners.
We were now fully exposed to the sun. As we joined a paved road, I could feel the heat rising off the tarmac below my feet. I was so thankful for my poles; the steady uphill gradient on this section was quite relentless. I’m sure the front runners had run this section, but everyone I could see was walking. Reaching the top and mid-way point of the race was a massive relief.
Cruising to the soundtrack of cowbells
The latter half of the route was hugely enjoyable, with an almost constant soundtrack of tinkling cowbells as we cruised past herds grazing lazily in the midday sun. Despite several sections that forced me back to pole hiking, it felt like the more runnable half.
Downhill pathways intermingled with single tracks across flower-strewn meadows and softly packed dirt tracks through cool(ish) pine-scented forests. Whenever I dared, I glanced around to absorb the unbelievable views. Lush green meadows rolled out below my feet towards the soaring Eiger, and out of the corner of my eye, flashes of sparkling white marked the receding glaciers hanging high up amongst the rocky walls.
Suddenly, I popped out of a woodland track onto the Terrassenweg above Grindelwald station. I was less than 1 km from the finish. The last section was back on the tarmac, and I somehow found the energy to put on a spurt and stretch my legs for a fast finish.
UTMB Finish Line for the Trail Surprise
As I entered the Hoka-branded finishing straight and raced towards the ‘Welcome Finisher’ sign, I felt like I was cruising along quite impressively. But then I galloped happily around the final corner and found myself at the top of a 10-metre-long ramp. It dropped off below me at the gradient of a steep escalator in a shopping centre. My head screamed STOP, but my legs didn’t have time to obey and cantered off ahead. After a small stumble, I regained control and reached the bottom in one piece. But how does a completely exhausted ultra runner manage to overcome this final challenge on battered legs after running 250 km? It must be the brainchild of somebody with a very wicked sense of humour.
Now, I just had 10 metres of red carpet to cross – just enough time to regain my smile, ready to receive my Eiger rock medal. And the all-important Eiger UTMB T-shirt, which I now wear with pride when running the trails of the British Peak District.
Unusually, this was one of the few races where I beat my husband with a significant time difference. Somehow, he’d managed to injure his ankle by walking up to the Morgenberghorn five days earlier in an old pair of big, heavy hiking boots. His ankle had objected after becoming so used to lightweight running and hiking shoes. He hobbled grumpily across the finish line twenty minutes after me, so determined was he to also get his T-shirt.
UTMB post-race goodies & pasta party
Beyond the finish line, there was a good choice of nutrition, considering this was only a 12 km route. While I waited for my husband, I rehydrated and refuelled with some watermelon drink mix courtesy of event partner Näak and refreshing fresh orange segments.
Best of all was the Pasta Party tent. Our entry fee included a voucher for a pasta meal. Perhaps due to the exertion I’d put in on such a hot day, I was ravenous. My huge plate of spaghetti bolognese went down extremely well. As an extra bonus, when my husband asked if there was any gluten-free option, they were happy to upgrade his voucher to the gluten-free curry. It’s sadly sometimes a rare occurrence to so easily find a solution in Switzerland.
It was a great atmosphere in the Pasta Party area, with a mix of Surprise Trail finishers and E16 – E101 runners on the eve of their race. We were happy to linger a while, so we stayed first to watch the award ceremony for the Surprise Trail winner (1:04:17). Wow. I finished a good 43 minutes later than that, which I was more than happy with. Unfortunately, I will never aspire to podium positions.
Spotting the UTMB stars
As it was nearly time for the Welcome Ceremony, we decided to stay on. This proved to be the right decision because the previously elusive Kilian Jornet was suddenly announced. As he appeared on stage, there was a flurry of excitement and rapid growth in the audience. People stood on picnic tables to get a glimpse and hear his words of ultra-running wisdom.
More excitement followed when it was announced that one of the E250 teams (that started two days earlier) was approaching the finish line. The crowd turned in mass to line the finishing straight. I watched and cheered along, feeling somewhat awestruck as they ran past. They looked a little dishevelled, but unbelievably, they were STILL running. After 250 km! How amazing to think they’d spent the last 55 hours or so running 18,000 m of altitude gain amongst the remote alpine Jungfrau-Aletsch region.
Summing up my experience of the Eiger Ultra Trail by UTMB
I felt incredibly lucky to be running the Trail Surprise on such a perfect, crystal-clear, blue-sky day. It was a fantastic full day out in Grindelwald, soaking up the somewhat addictive atmosphere.
We both agreed that we wanted more as we departed on the train wearing our new T-shirts and Eiger rock necklaces. We wanted to return the next day and cheer on more longer-distance runners. Sadly, that was impossible, as we would be on an Easyjet flight out of Geneva. But most significantly, we wanted to run further and longer and be here again next year.
I only heard about the Trail Surprise race last June and managed to enter with literally three weeks to go. For 2024, the Trail Surprise sold out in January! Meanwhile, the E51, E35 and E16 sold out the day they went on sale. Entries are like gold dust, so I’m extremely excited to have secured a place for the E35 for July 2024. This wasn’t as easy as I expected. The places literally sold out in minutes. A few months later, I finally got a place courtesy of the Facebook exchange platform. You can read about my adventure running the E35 here.
You can also follow me @onceaswissholidayrep to see my Instagram updates from the event.
Finding Facts & Further Information
Read more about Eiger Ultra Trail by UTMB here.
Click here to read my blog post about trail running from Schynige Platte to First and beyond.