The colorful flags at Place de la Navigation in Lausanne, Switzerland

The French-speaking city of Lausanne in Switzerland is the permanent headquarters of the International Olympic Committee and a city dedicated to various sports. It is also considered as the skateboarding capital of the world. It overlooks The French Alps and is a favorite starting point for adventure climbers and trekkers.

The city was hosting the 24th edition of the Lausanne Marathon 2017 on October 22, 2017. We took the 11:15 AM easyJet flight to Geneva from Brussels on Saturday, October 21, 2017. The flight was only an hour and 15 minutes. From intercity train from Geneva Airport to Lausanne gare at 1:20 PM was another 52 minutes, and another 11 minutes on the metro to Ouchy-Olympique.

We walked straight to the marathon expo on Place de la Navigation.

Registration fee for the race was 80 Swiss francs or 78.30 euros and included the race shirt. I bought two neck buffs at the expo for summer and winter use.

Our home for the race was Movenpick Hotel Lausanne, a beautiful hotel overlooking Lac Leman or Lake Geneva and the French Alps on the opposite bank.

We walked around Le Port d’Ouchy, posing for few souvenir shots.

Breakfast the following morning was a delight with lots of fruits, pastries, and eggs cooked to order.

The race started at promptly 10:10 AM at Parc de Milan in Avenue de Cour. Time limit was six hours.

The course paralleled Lac Leman or Lake Geneva, providing us a spectacular scenery where the water met the land and the sky. We ran by the vineyard terraces in Lavaux, the UNESCO world heritage site.

Richard took a lot of photos while waiting for me to finish.

The finish line was in front of Musee Olympique, a short walking distance to our hotel. We were given a late checkout so I was able to take a shower before getting on the plane.

We returned to Brussels from Geneva the same Sunday evening on the same airline, flying at 7:40 PM and landing at 8:55 PM.