Nearly 10,000 children run their Extramile – record participation this season
With a sold-out final event at Zurich’s Letzigrund Stadium, the Weltklasse Zürich Extramile 2025 has come to an end. On Tuesday, 2,500 schoolchildren from four cantons completed their mile in the historic athletics stadium – putting the finishing touch on a season that set new standards. In total, nearly 10,000 children from fourteen German-speaking cantons took part in the Weltklasse Zürich Extramile this year – more than ever before.
The Weltklasse Zürich Extramile 2025 got more children moving than ever before. The five regionally anchored final events brought the project to new areas and made the joy of endurance and playful training a direct experience.
Four locations, many highlights – and new partners on board
In 2025, the Weltklasse Zürich Extramile made stops in four very different places – and delighted children, teachers, and partners alike. In Zurich, school classes ran their mile at Letzigrund Stadium, where international athletics stars usually compete. In Baselland, the course wound through the expansive Park im Grünen, past natural playgrounds and Switzerland’s largest dinosaur.
In Thun, the Stockhorn Arena was transformed for the first time into a running arena for children – made possible through collaboration with FC Thun, which supported the project. And in Lucerne, the Swiss Museum of Transport embedded the mile into an interactive discovery journey through the world of mobility and technology.
Everywhere, the special venues and committed partners ensured that the children not only ran their mile (1,609 meters) but also experienced it as an unforgettable adventure – helping to foster lasting enthusiasm for physical activity and enjoyment of sport.
More than a running day – over 60,000 endurance training sessions initiated
The Weltklasse Zürich Extramile is much more than a single sports day. Each participating school class runs a mile at the beginning and end of the project and completes between five and eight playful endurance training sessions as part of physical education lessons. Altogether, with nearly 10,000 participating children, this adds up to at least 60,000 training sessions in which endurance skills were taught in a playful way – fully aligned with the Swiss Curriculum 21.
The focus is not on time or competition but on self-assessment, self-reflection, and personal progress. The so-called “Extramile booklet” accompanies the children throughout the project weeks and makes their individual progress visible.
Sport connects – beyond athletics
Collaboration with regional partners such as the Swiss Museum of Transport in Lucerne and FC Thun strengthens the project’s roots in local communities and brings the excitement directly to children on site.
“The children’s beaming faces at the finish line and the enthusiastic feedback from teachers are our greatest motivation,” says Co-Meeting Director Christoph Joho. “With the Extramile, we want to foster joy in movement and strengthen children’s endurance. Through many positive experiences, we hope to inspire them to want more and to discover how they can grow physically and mentally through the project.”
