Author Archives: Doug Mayer

For all intents and purposes, trail running season is fading away in Chamonix, as it is for much of the Alps. It starts in early summer with the Mont Blanc Marathon races, and slowly builds toward UTMB’s many events at the close of August. Then, as the first snows appear on the peaks above town,   Continue Reading →

Recently, US trail runner David Laney and I had a chance to visit with the organizing committee of Trail Verbier St-Bernard. “TVSB,” as it’s known, is one of the great trail races in the Alps. In fact, it’s not just one race but four, high in the beautiful Valais canton, often meandering along or near Switzerland’s   Continue Reading →

This summer, Run the Alps was pleased to help Hillary Allen as she trail ran around Mont Blanc, getting a sense of the route in advance of supporting Colorado’s Zach Miller during the Ultra Trail du Mont-Blanc. Here’s her story.  Have you ever been so lost in a moment, so lost in a space in   Continue Reading →

Yesterday, Run the Alps Senior Guide Simon Conroy and I ran from Courmayeur, Italy to Chamonix, France, along the second half of the Tour du Mont-Blanc. The route we chose was 85 km with about 4,300 meters of climbing. I’m getting ready for a certain trail race in a few weeks.  Here’s how I fueled:   Continue Reading →

Run the Alps is pleased to offer this short piece from past Sierre-Zinal Race Director Jean-Claude Pont. Pont, retired from careers as a university professor, researcher, and Swiss mountain guide, remains a sort of Renaissance man – deeply intellectual, charismatic and thoughtful, though often holding views counter to the prevailing sentiments of the day. I   Continue Reading →

This summer, Run the Alps added a new position to our list of seasonal crew – intern and staff writer. Julia Maxwell, a recent graduate of Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calfornia, joined us in Chamonix in June and will be staying through the end of August. Julia splits her time between Run the Alps   Continue Reading →

The miracle was not that you finished, the miracle was that you had the courage to start. (Matthieu Girard, at Trail Verbier St-Bernard pre-race briefing). I’ve always agreed with that sentiment. I suspect it resonates with each of us who dares to enter a challenging mountain race. To that quote, I’d add a corollary: Too   Continue Reading →

Run the Alps’ friend Matt Flaherty, a US-based athlete running for Salomon, recently came in fifth in the very challenging Eiger 101 race in Grindelwald, Switzerland, with a time of 12:30.34. We talked to him about his race, and got a few tips in case you’re interested in tackling this course in the beautiful Berner   Continue Reading →

This past month Run the Alps, along with our friends at Elevation, wrapped up a project 18 months in the works: Run the Alps: Switzerland, 30 Must-Do Trail Runs. The book is now available in the United States, and can be purchased right here and also on Amazon. Run the Alps Switzerland launched in Europe a   Continue Reading →

Well… sort of. We didn’t really make it. It was produced and created by Chamonix, France-based filmmaker Katie Moore, with images from Seb Montaz-Rosset. But we did help out— because, well, it’s about us. More accurately, it’s about trail running in the Alps, and why we love it so much. It’s only 1:53, and we   Continue Reading →