Swiss Alps 100: Race Director Jakob Herrmann’s American-Swiss Connection

The Swiss Alps 100 Endurance Run is having a moment. 

The race, based in the Swiss Valais village of Fiesch, has been growing in numbers and attention since its inception in 2017. (It didn’t hurt that a guy named Kevin Schmidt ran the race in 2023, crewed by his wife, a certain Courtney Dauwalter). 

Today, Swiss Alps 100 has become four races ranging in distance from a 10.3km vertical race with 1,830 meters of climbing to the big 100-miler (160km). There’s also a free kid’s race and a run-and-fly event for the paraglider-trail runners out there.

The 100-miler is a qualifier for two premier ultra races in the US: Hardrock and Western States, and it’s a preferred qualifier for the prestigious Badwater Ultramarathon. The 100km race is also a Western States qualifier – if you run the course in under 22 hours.

For this comparatively young Alps trail race, there’s much more in the works, too. 

Meet the Race Director

Behind it all is the event’s upbeat, energetic, director, 53 year old Jakob Herrmann, who has his own interesting Swiss-American story. Jakob grew up in Brig, Switzerland, just a handful of kilometers from where the race starts and finishes. He spent his college years at Santa Monica Community College in California, and then stayed. Today, he lives in Yorba Linda, California with his wife, Linda, and four daughters, ranging in age from 7 to 23. 

He likes to trail run, too– a lot. Jakob has completed over 100 ultras, most notably the Lake Tahoe 144-miler and Western States 100. When he’s not out on the trails or getting ready for the next edition of Swiss Alps 100, Jakob manages the social media web site PenPal World. And, just to add a bit more to an already extensive list, he’s a co-owner of the Angeles Crest 100-Mile Endurance Run and a Director of the Southern California Ultra Series. 

Run the Alps recently sat down with Jakob to talk about Swiss Alps 100, the differences between trail running in the US and the Alps, and what’s next for this up-and-coming event. 

Run the Alps: How did you get the idea for Swiss Alps 100?

Jakob: It’s thanks to my parents, actually! They used to come every 2 to 3 years from Europe to visit us in the States. But starting in 2015, they said they did not want to travel that far anymore. They were both close to 80 years old back then. I thought, “I still want to see them, but I can’t fly a family of six to Switzerland every year. I’ll go broke!”

At the time, I was scouting Southern California for a new trail race course. But everything there was saturated. Suddenly I thought, “Why don’t I just put on an event in the Valais? That would also give me an incentive to visit my family. Besides, I grew up in that area and our family hiked on those trails many times. “

So, that was the spark.

(Editor’s note: The Valais is the mountainous Swiss canton on the French and Italian border.) 

Run the Alps: How did it go?

Jakob: Well, I thought I’d give it a shot. I told myself, “If I hit a roadblock, I’ll just call it a day.” I was convinced the first major roadblock would come fast. I set myself a goal of getting 50 runners every year.

Run the Alps: That was a decade ago. Clearly, no big roadblocks!

Jakob: Right. I started scouting courses in 2015 and must have designed at least 30 variations. Luckily, I found a good course and the first race was in 2017.

Run the Alps: How did you decide on the course? 

Jakob: I wanted it to be both challenging and beautiful. I was looking for an epic start and finish. I had an initial point-to-point route in mind but I wasn’t too pleased with it. I ran the first 10 miles or so and I did not feel it was a good course.  

So, I started scouting for another course starting in the canton of Oberwald and finishing in Simplon Dorf. I ran the course with my friend Dan Marinsik and his son Steven, while our wives crewed us. We basically ran the whole 80km course and we loved it.

(Editor’s note: Oberwald is a tiny, high elevation hamlet at the source of Switzerland’s Rhône River, and Simplon Dorf is a small village that is considered one of the most beautiful in Switzerland.)

Run the Alps: And you felt like, “This is it!”?

Jakob: I thought that was a really solid course. Runners can enjoy the green valleys and also the ridges, plus they would get to run over a suspension bridge and through classic villages. There’s another fun aspect to the course, too: runners are on a track for the start and finish, just like the finish at Western States. 

Run the Alps: As a race director on two continents, you’re uniquely positioned to talk about the differences between US and European trail races. What’s it like from your vantage? 

Jakob: My experience started US-based, because I was involved in the Angeles Crest 100. I also donated my time, designing and building websites for about a dozen ultras, to give back to the community. As part of that process, I talked to many race directors, in particular former SD100 RD Scotty Mills and former BullDog 50K RD Nancy Shura. I learned a great deal from them. 

So, when I started Swiss Alps 100 I thought I would get it right. I thought it would be a matter of “copy and paste.” But I was wrong! 

Expectations from the runners are higher in Europe. Small things matter. For example, in Switzerland, I took some heat for not having a shower at the finish line. In the US, that’s not something you’d normally see. I have run over 100 ultras in the US, and I have seen only two races with showers at the finish. 

The other issue is course design. In the US, point-to-point race courses seem to be more prestigious. The first race I directed in Europe had a point-to-point course. And I thought, “That’s fun, right?” Well, not according to everyone. I got some heat for that, too. Runners wanted a big loop, like the Ultra-Trail Mont-Blanc. 

Run the Alps: Do you see a difference in races between the US and Europe?

Jakob: I think they’re similar. Obviously the races in Europe have many more runners– they can go into the thousands. In the US, however, race numbers are restricted by state park permits, Forest Service permits, as well as other agencies and land managers. When I tell friends here in California that I have over 800 registrations now, they are amazed and think it’s a huge race. But that’s still a modest number here in Europe.

Run the Alps: How many people participate in Swiss Alps 100? 

Jakob: Well, the first year of Swiss Alps 100, I started out with 50 runners. It just kept growing and I’m so proud and grateful that every year we have had a new registration record. Last year, we had 729 runners. And this year we’ll have about 850 runners from over 50 countries, which is mind-blowing.

Run the Alps: Who do you have to consult to get permission to organize a race in the Alps? 

Jakob: I have to get permission from the 12 municipalities through which we run. They are very supportive and always give us a green light. The next step is to get permission from five government departments, such as Forest, Nature, and Landscape. Those each come with a set of rules we have to follow and can change yearly. Lastly, I have to reach out to the cantonal police and show them all the permissions. They have the last word.

Run the Alps: Is everyone generally supportive?

Jakob: Yes, but problems do happen especially if a race is growing in numbers. 

For example, in 2022 the race started, and everything was going well. While the 160km runners were on the trail we got news that a shepherd on the course did not move his sheep away from the trail, and his guardian dogs were still out there. Worse still, he had an electric fence blocking the trail and a big sign that the trails were closed.

We went into high gear, modifying the course to avoid this area, informing the affected aid stations and putting up signs for runners, explaining the course change. It ended up being a change for the better, and we kept that modification going forward!

Run the Alps: Guardian dogs are not uncommon in the Alps. Those dogs can be very protective!

Jakob: For sure! They won’t let you pass if they consider you a threat to their flock, especially if you run into their territory at night with a headlamp.

(Editor’s note: Guardian dogs are a topic about which all trail runners in the Alps should be informed. Owned by farmers, they protect flocks from predators such as wolves. Read more about Guardian Dogs.) 

Run the Alps: For someone who’s never trail run in the Alps, what would you say about it? How would you describe the experience?

Jakob: It’s magical.

There are so many beautiful places around the world, but if you are standing high in the Alps and you soak up the views, I really think you’ll experience something magical. The Swiss Alps are truly incredible. There’s a reason the 23-kilometer long Aletsch Glacier has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage since 2001. I’m glad we can have three of our races run alongside this glacier.

Also, Swiss hiking trails are beautifully maintained. If you come and run here you’ll be offered incredible views, spectacular suspension bridges, idyllic villages, friendly people, and happy cows, sheep, and goats chewing away. 

Run the Alps: This year, you’re adding a Backyard Ultra, where runners complete a 4-mile loop as many times as they can. The last person standing is the winner. What’s the backstory to this addition?

Jakob: Backyard Ultras are an interesting concept. I’ve been curious about them since I watched Harvey Lewis race. (Editor’s note: American ultrarunner Harvey Lewis is one of the world’s best at this niche trail running activity. In October of 2023, Lewis set a Backyard Ultra record by running 450 miles over five days.) 

I didn’t want to add more aid stations or have to find a lot more volunteers, so the idea of a Backyard Ultra fit it nicely. Unfortunately, we organized this a bit too late this year, so we decided to move the inaugural Backyard Ultra to 2025.

Run the Alps: You’ve done quite a lot in not so many years. How would you characterize the experience?

Jakob: Stressful but fun. It’s a full-time job. There is so much that goes on behind the scenes to make this event happen, and every year it becomes a little more work.

But it’s all good – this event is growing in the right direction. 

Fortunately, I can do 90% of the race work from anywhere. Technology helps a lot, and luckily I’m a web developer. I built the race website and an admin site that keeps the race organized. I’m also very lucky to have a team of ten amazing people in Switzerland. They are my hands and eyes there. 

I do this all, because the ultra running community has given me so much over the last 19 years. I want to give something back to the runners that come to Swiss Alps 100. I try to be accessible to anyone who has questions or concerns, and I want the race to have a family feeling.

In the meantime, I am also very aware and concerned about our planet. As a team, we think a lot about sustainability and do as much as we can to minimize our impact. 

Run the Alps: Jakob, thanks for your time! This has been interesting. Any closing thoughts?

Jakob: I’d like to tell you about my favorite part of the race. I am always at the finish line on Saturday around 10am, that’s when the first 160km finisher arrives. And I stay there for 24 hours to greet each runner who finishes. 

That is what it is all about for me: seeing the runners with happy faces, knowing they gave it their all out there, and being able to share that moment. I know exactly what they all went through to get there. And that’s pure magic to me!

Learn More

Swiss Alps 100 Run the Alps Race Finder

Swiss Alps 100 Race website

Swiss Alps 100 | The Pain Cave Film by Rafael Hidalgo

Racing and Surviving 100 Miles in the Swiss Alps ELITEAM blog by Doug Lewis

Courtney Dauwalter & Kevin Schmidt Swiss Alps 100 Freetrail interview

_{All photos: Swiss Alps 100/ Damiano Benedetto}