Zug, Switzerland - Active health promotion is becoming increasingly important for Swiss companies - a trend that has been confirmed by the growing number of participants in the first five races of the B2RUN Schweizer Firmenlauf series. A total of close to 11,000 participants from approximately 500 companies ran the around 6k races in St Gallen (22/06), Geneva (23/06), Bern (24/06), Kreuzlingen (25/06) and Basel (26/06) and crossed the finish line in a major Swiss stadium.
It is the first year that the event has been run under the international brand B2RUN. The final race will be held in Zurich on 2 September, with companies, teams or individuals still able to register under www.b2run.ch.
Zurich is not only the location for the sixth round of the series, but also for the grand finale. Besides the participants from Zurich, the best runners from the previous five events are competing for the overall victory of the Swiss series with its finish in the Hallenstadion.
10 per cent growth over the previous year
The established venues in St Gallen, Geneva, Bern and Basel have achieved a 10 per cent growth in participants compared to last year. The participants of the newly launched event in Kreuzlingen increased the total number of participants even further.
Olivier Senn, Director of Event Operations and Management, InfrontRingier, draws a positive interim balance: “The growth of 10 per cent in the established rounds of our series is above average and proves the trend towards sportive activity. Our paramount goal is to inspire companies and their employees to have an active lifestyle, thereby enabling an unforgettable team experience. The increasing number of participants and positive feedback from runners confirms the success of the B2RUN format with the finish in a well-known sports arena repeatedly ensuring excitement.”
Famous Swiss athletes
The fascination of the events is further compounded by prominent figures supporting the amateur runners at the individual venues. Tadesse Abraham, the Swiss long-distance runner, was present in Geneva, along with the European marathon champion Viktor Röthlin in Bern and Nicola Spirig, the 2012 Triathlon Olympic champion, in Kreuzlingen.
For each participant, B2RUN Schweizer Firmenlauf donates CHF 1 to “Laureus Girls in Sport”. This project regularly carries out sport and movement summer camps for girls and young women aged between 12 and 16. It promotes sporting enthusiasm and the joy of movement and also takes aspects such as personal development, health and nutrition into account. The overall objective of the project is the promotion of physical activity and exercise for girls and young women.
Sponsorship activation at the events
Also for the sponsors, the B2RUN Schweizer Firmenlauf is a worthwhile commitment, opening up a versatile communication platform. The national partners Ochsner Sport, Suva and SWICA are not only promoting fitness and health to their customers and partners but also to their own employees - with dedicated teams participating at each event.
Endurance events are not only highly popular in Switzerland but also in other international countries. In Germany, the B2RUN company runs are taking place for eleven years and are annually enjoyed by up to 5,000 companies as a platform for team building, employee motivation and employer branding. The first B2RUN winner was awarded in Munich in 2004 and now the team events inspire runners in an additional eleven German cities. In France, the B2RUN series is taking place for the first time in 2015 with five events spanning five different cities.
About InfrontRingier
InfrontRingier Sports & Entertainment Switzerland AG, based in Zug, Switzerland, is a 50/50 joint venture between the international sports marketing company Infront Sports & Media and the largest Swiss media group Ringier. It unifies the competencies and experiences of both mother companies and has developed into the leading sports marketing company in Switzerland throughout the last three years. InfrontRingier supports organisers of sports events as well as top athletes as a marketing, consulting and service partner. The high-level national portfolio includes, besides others, the Raiffeisen Super League, the Swiss Ice Hockey Cup, the Basel Swiss Indoors and the Tour de Suisse.
