The first successful attempt took place in 1882 from Miesbach to Munich at the occasion of the Exposition of Electricity in the Glaspalast organised by Oskar von Miller.
The first event, held in mid-September 2002 in Valley, Bavaria, a small village near Munich in the district Miesbach, was host to competitors from ten nations, comprising 12 teams (three were from Britain).
The Bodenschneid rises between the lakes of Tegernsee, Schliersee and Spitzingsee and lies in the southern part of the district of Miesbach right on the boundary between the parishes of Kreuth to the west and Schliersee to the east.