For the 40st time, the Academic Sports Association Zurich (ASVZ) organized the "SOLA relay", with more than 12'500 runners. This makes the SOLA Relay the biggest University sport event in Switzerland.

Every team consists of 14 runners, among them obligatory at least two female competitors. The whole course around the city of Zurich is 116,34 km with a vertical hight of 2'635m. The length of the legs varies from 4,4km up to 14,2 km.


 

The original idea of this relay was born in Sweden in 1967. In 1972 for the first time a relay team of the ASVZ participated in Sweden and was very much convinced by the concept of this friendly competition that they brought the idea of such an event among students and alumnis to Zurich. Since 1973, this great running event is organized in Zurich, in the first years as a relay from St. Gallen University to the city of Zurich. In order to minimize the environmental burden the concept was changed in a relay around the city of Zurich. With the number every competitor can use the entire public transport system in Zurich for free.


 

The winning team of this weekend, the "Brownsche Spaziergänger XXS" won the 40st SOLA Relay in 6:58:40 hours, 11.58 minutes ahead of the "TV Oerlikon 1". From 893 teams, 876 could be classified.

Among the 12'500 competitors, a lot of VIP participated, such as Lino Guzzella, Rector of the Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETHZ), Thomas Bieger, Rector of the University of St. Gallen and Governor Thomas Heiniger from Zurich among many others. 


 

Please see the official website of the event at www.asvz.ch/sola for more information.

(Photos by: M. Weiler and A. Schneider)