Finally dipped my toes into the world of FKTs (Fastest Known Times), setting a FKT on my very first attempt , for the circumnavigation of Lake Biel (54km), Switzerland’s 8th largest lake! Running together with my friend Martin, we broke the previous record of 5h 14 mins and set a new record time of 4:41:03, which was really satisfying. Perhaps the coolest part of it was getting to share this experience and adventure with a friend, as FKTs really are quite a different animal from traditional races, though not any easier by any stretch of the imagination. This attempt was done in an unsupported style, with us relying on public fountains in the towns we passed to refill our soft flasks to supplement the gels we had with us.
A little about the significance of the route: French and German-speaking Switzerland meet on the shores of Lake Biel - contrasting landscapes as well, with vineyards shaping the land on the one hand and agriculture on the other. Among other things, lovely little winemaking villages await being discovered on the northern shores of Lake Biel and a charming natural shoreline to the south. A little more information about the route can be found in the link below:
https://www.j3l.ch/en/V1553/around-lake-biel
The basic circumnavigation is 43km in distance, but there is an option to take a tour of St. Peter’s Island, the finger of land jutting into the lake, which adds (+ 10 km/6 miles). We ended up tacking on this detour to our attempt, as we wanted to follow the original gpx route set by the previous FKT holder. On the route we took, we followed the gpx of the previous FKT holder, with one small exception, about 1km into the run, where we were unable to follow the 100m or so detour he took, as there was a locked gate blocking our way. On the other hand, we did do an extra 100m or so at about the 32km mark, as we took a slight detour to refill our flasks at a public fountain in Erlach. All in all, they probably cancelled each other out.
Set off from Geneva by train in the early morning and got to Biel, starting our attempt at 9 am sharp. The plan was to try to get an early start to try and minimize the time spent exposed to the summer heat. Temperatures when we started were about 15 degrees celsius , but had risen to about 25 degrees by the time we finished. The trails on the first 20km or so of the route, which I had recce-ed the Saturday before, were pretty runnable for the most part, mostly on flowy trails and dirt roads, which made for pretty pleasant running. There were a couple of small climbs, and a relatively larger one of about 100mD+, but overall it’s a pleasant route. The detour on St. Peter’s island is also pretty cool, as it’s quite an interesting place, with a small nature reserve, and a castle at the end of the strip of land. The second half of the route is quite different. It leads through a handful of small, medieval towns, the prettiest of which seemed to be Le Landeron, but we pretty much just zipped through. A word of caution: While the inbound route along the northern shore appears to be pretty flat on Strava, there are actually a few mini uphills sprinkled throughout, which can be exponentially harder to go up with 40km already in the legs. The route on the northern shore is also a lot more on tarmac and cement, which makes it somewhat less enjoyable, although it does pass through a few pretty vineyards.
If someone were interested in modifying this route, I would suggest starting and ending the route at the bridge at the end of Strandboden Park in Biel, as that would appear to be a more logical start/end point for the circumnavigation of the lake, rather than running into the city itself.