Vortex Race: the race that goes to your head and puts your legs through it

In Lausanne, someone had the slightly crazy idea of turning a circular building into a racecourse. The result: a 2.8 km ramp, eight floors to climb and 2,000 runners ready to go round and round… all the way to the roof. Welcome to the Vortex Race, the wildest event on the Swiss racing calendar.

On the University of Lausanne campus this Thursday, October 16, the Vortex is already turning heads. A huge ring of glass and concrete perched on stilts, it was built to house athletes competing at the 2020 Youth Olympic Games before becoming student accommodation. Eight floors are linked by a continuous indoor ramp, rising at a gentle 1% gradient but stretching for 2.8 km. More than enough to spark an idea.

One evening, a group of students set themselves a challenge: “What if we ran all the way to the top?” The kind of joke that ends up becoming an official event. A few years later, the Vortex Race is already in its fifth edition, and it is sold out.

Running in circles, but not for nothing

The concept sounds simple: start outside, dive into the ramp, climb all eight floors to the roof… then head back down the other way. But the faces at the finish tell a different story. The gentle incline turns into a quiet ordeal, the endless curve puts the legs under serious strain, and lap after lap eventually scrambles the brain. “It’s a race unlike any other,” one participant told France 3 Alpes. You have no reference points, you keep turning and lose track of where you are. But when you reach the top, the view and the atmosphere make every bit of effort worthwhile.”

Somewhere between vertigo and pride, everyone finds their own rhythm. Some charge for the fastest time; others are there out of sheer curiosity. You do not get many chances to run through a university building.

A madness managed down to the last detail

For all its mates’ challenge vibe, the event is organised with military precision. Wave starts, music, entertainment and student volunteers everywhere. There are two formats to choose from: the “Campus” version, around 7 km with an outdoor section before entering the ramp, and the shorter “Classic” version, focused entirely on the spiral.

Nearly 2,000 runners turn up each year, coming from across French-speaking Switzerland and beyond. Over the years, the Vortex Race has earned its place among the country’s most entertaining races. Some describe it as “the craziest of the year” (La Tribune was not exaggerating). On the roof, there is a 360-degree view over Lausanne and Lake Geneva. Down below, a DJ, food trucks and a relaxed atmosphere. This is a long way from the no-nonsense feel of the major marathons. Here, the motto is simple: enjoy racing in a different way.

Two French runners in the top 10

Just over 21 minutes, 21:19 to be exact, were enough for Swiss runner Maxime Fluri to power up the 7 km course. A few seconds behind, fellow Swiss runners Rico Punter (21:33) and Max Witteveen (21:36) held on to their podium places, while two French runners battled their way into the top 10. Youngster Simon Guillou finished his climb in eighth place (22:52), while Mathiss Maury crossed the line in tenth, clocking 22:59.

Body, mind and a touch of madness

On paper, the gradient does not look intimidating. One per cent is nothing. Except when it lasts for almost three kilometres, with no break and no straight section. The legs heat up, the calves start to pull and the brain gets tangled. No visual reference points, no left or right turns, just one continuous, hypnotic curve that eventually sends you into a strange state of mind.

Some see it as a metaphor for student life. Others simply see it as an excuse to push their limits a little further. One runner summed it up neatly: “You think it isn’t really going uphill, but by the time you reach the top, you’ve given everything.”

An unidentified object in the running world

In a running landscape often built around tarmac, finish times, aid stations and medals, the Vortex Race breaks the mould. It does not need an Alpine panorama or an endless straight road. Its setting is the architecture. Its atmosphere comes from the energy of the campus. Its spirit lies in making everyday life more playful, repurposing a place and turning it into a playground.

The event shows that a running race can be serious and light-hearted, competitive and unconventional at the same time. A challenge, certainly, but one that does not take itself too seriously.

Going round in circles… but not in vain

There is something almost poetic about the Vortex Race. A perfect loop, a lap around yourself, an ascent without a mountain. The runners turn, climb, sweat and laugh, then head back down with the strange feeling that they have taken part in something out of the ordinary. While others stack up the miles in city marathons, these runners choose to climb inside a circular building simply for the joy of the challenge. And perhaps for the symbolism too: in a world where everything keeps turning, some people have chosen to do it on the run.

So if you are fed up with straight lines, enjoy races that are a little unhinged and like making memories that stick, head for Switzerland. Going round in circles has never felt so good.

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