About Grialto

Why Grialto exists

I run. Everything from 10ks and half-marathons on the flat to Sierre-Zinal and the Eiger Ultra E51 — plus one E101 that I survived rather than raced. Somewhere along those trails I learned what a finish time costs.

The idea came from the other side of the finish line. A friend was collecting donations for his race on a crowdfunding page, and two things bothered me: I couldn't give more for a strong performance — and nothing answered the question that kept nagging me: what if he doesn't finish? A flat pledge treats a personal best and a dropped race exactly the same.

Grialto is my answer. A pledge here is tied to the finish time: the faster the run, the more goes to the cause. Every second becomes worth fighting for — for the runner, and for everyone behind them.

Who's behind it

One person: Christian Rüst — software engineer and runner, based in Switzerland. I write the code, review the challenges and answer the support requests myself.

The platform is operated by Rocket Surgery Labs GmbH. All legal details and ways to reach me are in the imprint.

How Grialto earns money

Not from donations. Pledged money never touches this platform: after the race, donors give directly to the recipient organisation, following the recipient's own instructions. No percentage cut, no handling of donation money.

What keeps Grialto running is the small listing fee runners pay when a challenge goes live — plus the occasional voluntary tip, if you feel like chipping in: .

The details are in the terms.

Sound like your kind of race?