01Mental strength
Your head has a say.
At some point your legs get tired. Then the mental challenge becomes decisive. You learn to deal with doubt, to motivate yourself again and to take the next step.
Lake Zürich ChallengeThe Zürichsee-Marsch by PushZurich
Lake Zürich Challenge: 104 km.24 hours.One team.
Your limits are only the beginning.
One loop around the whole of Lake Zürich. Day and night. Physically extreme. Mentally even tougher. When your legs get tired, the real challenge begins. And that is exactly when we find out what we can achieve together.
- 104 km
- < 24 h
- 1 team
Why this challenge?
Because only at your limits do you find out what you are really made of.
104 kilometres. A whole lake. A day and a night.
At the start everyone is motivated. The mood is good, the legs are fresh, the goal seems within reach. But at some point it gets hard. Your feet hurt. Your energy fades. The night gets long. And a question appears in your head: “Why am I actually doing this?”
That is exactly why.
Because in everyday life we far too rarely find out what we are really capable of. Because personal growth doesn’t start where everything is easy, but where we face a real challenge.
The Lake Zürich Challenge isn’t just about covering 104 kilometres. It’s about overcoming doubt. Building willpower. Keeping going when it gets difficult. And experiencing how much strength there is in a community.
You start with a group of people. You go through highs and lows together. You motivate each other, help each other and grow through this challenge.
And when you look back on these 104 kilometres at the end, it isn’t only about the distance. It’s about the realisation:
“I trusted myself with more. I went beyond myself.”
That is the Lake Zürich Challenge.Not just collecting kilometres.But pushing limits together.
What you take with you
02Community
Together we are stronger.
You don’t have to master this challenge alone. When someone flags, the group motivates them. When someone doubts, the others help. Everyone brings their own story – and all share one goal.
03Personal growth
An experience that stays.
Whether you complete the whole loop or reach your personal limit: you take away experiences that go far beyond this day. Courage, self-confidence and the memory of something extraordinary.
When your legs want to give up, the mental challenge begins.
Sign up nowThe experience
One lake. One night. A challenge that stays.
This is how the loop unfolds – calculated at a group pace of about 5 km/h with a 06:00 start.
06:00
Start
km 0 · Bürkliplatz
Still dark, head torch on. The group sets off together on the lakefront in Zürich – fresh legs, good mood.
07:40 – 16:45
Day
km 0 – 42 · Left shore to Lachen
Thalwil, Horgen, Wädenswil, Pfäffikon. About nine hours of daylight along the water – find your rhythm, collect kilometres.
approx. 16:45
Sunset
km 42 – 58 · Lachen → Schmerikon
The longest section, over the Buechberg and across the Linth. The light goes, the head torch comes back out.
18:51
Turning point
km 58 · Schmerikon
Hot meal, dry socks, 40 minutes to breathe. From here it’s back towards Zürich.
19:30 – 05:00
Night
km 58 – 96 · Rapperswil · Stäfa · Meilen
About 14½ hours of darkness. This is where the challenge turns mental – and where the group carries you.
approx. 05:33
Finish
km 104 · Bürkliplatz
Back where you started, just before sunrise. Finish closes at 06:00 – after 24 hours.
Route & facts
One loop. Around the whole lake.
From Bürkliplatz, anticlockwise: via Thalwil and Pfäffikon around the Obersee to Schmerikon, then via Rapperswil and Meilen back to Zürich. No shortcut across the Seedamm.
- ~104 kmguide figure · 104–110 km by path
- 12stages, each with a station
- 06:00start · finish closes after 24 h
- 5 km/hgroup pace · 2:45 h of breaks
- Start & finish
- Stage town with station
- Obersee, km 35–69
- Seedamm, not part of the route
35 kmLeft shoreto Pfäffikon
34 kmAround the Oberseeto Rapperswil
35 kmRight shoreto Zürich
The distance is a guide figure. The final route will be measured as a GPX; depending on the path taken it is 104–110 km.
The twelve stages
- 0110 km10
Bürkliplatz Thalwil
Arboretum, Mythenquai, Landiwiese, Wollishofen, Kilchberg, Rüschlikon
- 026 km16
Thalwil Horgen
Oberrieden
- 038 km24
Horgen Wädenswil
Käpfnach, Au
- 045 km29
Wädenswil Richterswil
along the lake
- 056 km35
Richterswil Pfäffikon SZ
Bäch, Freienbach
- 067 km42
Pfäffikon SZ Lachen
Altendorf
- 0716 km58
Lachen Schmerikon
Nuolen, Tuggen, Buechberg, Schloss Grynau
- 0811 km69
Schmerikon Rapperswil
Bollingen, Jona
- 0910 km79
Rapperswil Stäfa
Kempraten, Feldbach, Uerikon
- 109 km88
Stäfa Meilen
Männedorf, Uetikon
- 118 km96
Meilen Küsnacht
Herrliberg, Erlenbach
- 128 km104
Küsnacht Bürkliplatz
Zollikon, Tiefenbrunnen, Zürichhorn, Bellevue
Lake Zürich stages estimated, Obersee stages rounded from documented hiking stages.
Detailed schedule
06:0012:0018:00Midnight06:00
Daylight approx. 07:40 – 16:45
PlacekmWalkingArrivalBreak
BürkliplatzStart00:0006:00—
Thalwil102:0008:0010 min · Toilet, drink
Horgen163:2209:2210 min
Wädenswil245:0811:0820 min · Food
Richterswil296:2812:2810 min
Pfäffikon SZ357:5013:5010 min · Check your feet
Lachen429:2415:2415 min · Head torch at hand
Schmerikon5812:5118:5140 min · Hot meal, change socks
Rapperswil6915:4321:4315 min · Food
Stäfa7917:5823:5810 min
Meilen8819:5601:5615 min · Warm layer
Küsnacht9621:4703:4710 min
BürkliplatzFinish10423:3305:33—
Calculated at a constant 5 km/h: 20:48 h of walking plus 2:45 h of breaks, finish around 05:33, 27 minutes in reserve. If the pace drops to 4.5 km/h from Schmerikon, the loop takes 24:34 h. Daylight times apply to late November.
Wayfinding: four rules for the right loop
Key section Obersee · Lachen – Schmerikon
The longest section runs from Lachen via Nuolen and Tuggen up the Buechberg and across the Linth at Grynau Castle to Schmerikon – the only one with notable climbing (about 160 m) and the only one without a station directly on the route.
- 01
On Lake Zürich, don’t follow the yellow route-84 signs
The official route deliberately leaves the shore there. On the Obersee it’s the other way round: the Erlebnisweg Obersee largely follows route 84.
- 02
At Pfäffikon, don’t cross the Seedamm
Walk past the Seedamm towards Altendorf and Lachen. Crossing the dam would cut about 29 km off the loop.
- 03
Horgen → Wädenswil without the Au peninsula
The peninsula loop is beautiful, but it costs kilometres without moving the loop forward.
- 04
Cross the Linth at Grynau Castle
Over the Buechberg and across the Linth at Grynau Castle to Schmerikon.
Preparation & safety
Am I ready for this challenge?
The Lake Zürich Challenge is no stroll. It is meant for people with endurance experience – and for ambitious newcomers who prepare deliberately.
Good starting points
- You have done day hikes of 30 km or more.
- You can hold a pace of about 5 km/h for many hours.
- You have tested your shoes and kit on long distances.
- You are ready to walk through a whole night – in cold and rain too.
- You know your limits and listen to your body.
Everyone who signs up gets a training plan and a checklist in advance.
We challenge you. We prepare you. We support each other. But we also respect our limits.
Group pace & breaks
The group walks at a steady pace of about 5 km/h. Breaks are at the stage towns, 2:45 h in total – the longest with a hot meal at the turning point in Schmerikon.
Night
In late November Zürich gets only about 9 hours of daylight. About 14½ hours of the loop – roughly 60 % of the route – are in the dark. A head torch and reflective elements are mandatory.
Weather
Late November is cold, often wet and windy. Rain and wind protection are therefore part of the mandatory kit. If there are severe weather warnings, the organisers decide on adjustments and inform everyone registered.
Dropping out & getting home
Every stage town has a station – you can drop out at any time. The biggest gap is Lachen – Schmerikon: 16 km without a station on the route. After midnight only the night network runs; plan how you would get home for those hours in advance.
The group supports you – but it is no guarantee that everyone completes the full distance. Anyone who drops out along the way has still achieved something big.
Group leadership, support and the emergency plan will be announced together with the training plan.
Mandatory kit
- Head torch and spare battery
- Reflective elements on jacket or pack
- Broken-in shoes, not new ones
- Two pairs of spare socks, blister plasters, tape
- Rain and wind jacket, warm layer, hat, gloves
- 1–1.5 l of water and a reserve of your own
- Phone, power bank and a public-transport ticket for dropping out
Stations on the route
- Thalwilkm 10
- Horgenkm 16
- Wädenswilkm 24
- Richterswilkm 29
- Pfäffikon SZkm 35
- Lachenkm 42
- Schmerikonkm 58
- Rapperswilkm 69
- Stäfakm 79
- Meilenkm 88
- Küsnachtkm 96
About PushZurich
An association that gets people moving.
PushZurich is a non-profit association for movement and community from Zürich. We organise open trainings, community events and the world record attempt. The Lake Zürich Challenge is our format for everyone looking for a real test of their limits – together instead of alone.
The whole team →
Carmelo Taglialegami
Founder & President
Conan Narbutas
Vice-president
Corina Arcelia
Head of event coordination
Taking part
The whole loop. CHF 79.
How registration works
- 1Fill in the form – you’ll get an email with the payment details right away.
- 2Transfer the entry fee: CHF 79.– per person.
- 3As soon as your payment has arrived, you’ll get your definitive confirmation.
Per person
CHF 79.–
Included
- Food along the way
- Hot meal at the turning point
- Drop bag to the turning point and back
- Finisher medal and certificate
- Guided group for the whole loop
- Training plan and checklist
Sign up now
After submitting you’ll receive the payment details by email. Your place is definitive as soon as the entry fee has reached us.
30 % group discount from 5 people
If five or more of you sign up together and pay in one transfer, the challenge costs CHF 55.30 instead of CHF 79.– per person – five people pay CHF 276.50 instead of CHF 395.–. The registration email explains exactly how group sign-up works.
Cancellation
- Up to 14 days before the event
- 100 % back
- 13 to 7 days before
- 50 % back
- From 6 days before
- no refund
Questions? Route, preparation, dropping out or partnerships – write to us.info@pushzurich.ch
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How fast does the group walk?
The plan assumes a steady pace of about 5 km/h and 2:45 h of breaks in total. That gets the group to the finish around 05:30 – just before the finish closes at 06:00. If the pace drops to 4.5 km/h in the second half, the loop takes about 24½ hours.
Do I have to complete the whole route?
No. Every stage town has a station, so you can drop out at any time. The group supports you, but nobody has to go beyond their health limits.
What is the night like?
In late November about 14½ hours of the loop are in the dark, roughly 60 % of the route. A head torch with a spare battery and reflective elements are mandatory. After midnight only the night network runs – plan a possible exit for those hours in advance.
How is food organised?
Food along the way is organised and included in the price, and there is a hot meal at the turning point in Schmerikon. Your drop bag with a change of clothes waits for you there too. A small reserve of your own and 1–1.5 l of water still belong in your pack.
What if the weather is bad?
In late November expect cold, rain and wind – the mandatory kit is designed for it. If there are severe weather warnings, the organisers decide on adjustments and inform everyone registered.
When is my place secured?
After submitting the form you’ll receive an email with the payment details. Your place is definitively confirmed as soon as the entry fee of CHF 79.– has reached us – you’ll then get a separate confirmation by email.
Is there a group discount?
Yes. From five people signing up together, everyone gets 30 % off: CHF 55.30 instead of CHF 79.– per person. One contact person sends us the names and email addresses of all participants and transfers the total in one payment.
Can I cancel?
Up to and including 14 days before the event you get the full fee back, from 13 to 7 days before half of it, from 6 days before there is no refund. For groups, refunds go through the paying contact person.
How long is the route exactly?
104 km is our guide figure. The final route will be measured as a GPX; depending on the path taken it is 104–110 km.
How much does it cost?
CHF 79.– per person, CHF 55.30 in a group of five or more – including food along the way, a hot meal at the turning point, drop bag, finisher medal and certificate.
You walk for yourself.We fight together.
Sign up nowLake Zürich Challenge · Organiser: PushZurich, association for movement and community, Zürich. Route sources: zvv.ch, outdooractive.com, netz-wandern.ch.