Our first Swiss run - the Zurich Airport 17km

The Swiss are an active bunch. So Gourmet Gray fits in very well, especially as he eases himself back into running and is looking for events to enter. He ran in his first Swiss event on Thursday - the Zurich Airport 17k (or there abouts) run. My, it was so well organised but in the most laid back kind of way - which is so very Swiss.

For a start, if you don't register in advance you can just turn up on the day and run. But if you do register in advance you get a free travel pass for public transport to and from the race within the Canton of Zurich. In fact, all the large car parks around the route were closed! Which of course avoids that crazy build up of cars at race events in the UK.

And get this - there didn't seem to be any roads closed while the event took place, just a number of marshalls stopping traffic while runners went past and beckoning the traffic on whenever there was a gap. It all seemed to work very well.

The event was extremely family friendly with a children's race before the main races and lots of children ran alongside the race with their hands being high-fived by the runners as they went past.

It was infectious - you can't help but feel drawn in, however slothlike. Even this couch potato is considering entering a running event before the end of the year.

And as we made our way home Graham received a very nice personalised text thanking him for taking part and giving him his race time.