Author Archives: Doug Mayer

Guest Post by Paul Martin CCC, short for Courmayeur-Champex-Chamonix, is sometimes referred to as UTMB®’s “Little Sister”– a 100 km trail race that runs over the second half of the UTMB® course, from Courmayeur, Italy to Champex, Switzerland and finishing in Chamonix, France.  In recent years, however, the CCC has come into its own, with a   Continue Reading →

Among the many events that make up the Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc weekend in Chamonix is the PTL, or Petite Trotte à Léon. (The name is wink to PTL founder Leon Louvey, a longtime UTMB® volunteer based in Champex Lac, Switzerland.) The stats on the course are simply jaw-dropping: 300 kilometers long, with 25,000 meters of   Continue Reading →

Guest Article by Willie McBride, Columbia Montrail Athlete and co-founder/owner of Wy’east Wolfpack. Traveling to the Alps in Chamonix, France for the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc® week is a very special experience, especially for trail runners from the United States. It’s like going to the Super Bowl– after only watching high school football. The sheer energy,   Continue Reading →

It’s the big Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc® week here in Chamonix, France, and the town has come alive with tens of thousands of trail runners and friends. It’s an exciting time to be here in the home of Run the Alps. There are events all over town throughout the week, and Run the Alps is pleased   Continue Reading →

This past weekend, I took part in Europe’s first Running Up For Air event. It was held in my hometown of Chamonix, France. The goal of “RUFA” is to bring awareness to the issue of air quality. None of us can trail run without clean air, of course. And as the owner of a trail   Continue Reading →

This short interview with US trail runner Rickey Gates is an opportunity for me to finally give some credit where it’s due. So, a brief digression. It may be that there is no one person who has been more formative to trail running in the United States in recent years than Rickey Gates. That’s ironic,   Continue Reading →

Editor’s note: Mark Brightwell is a guide for Run the Alps. He grew up in suburban Hampshire – England’s gently rolling South. He served from 2005 to 2011 with the Royal Gurkha Rifles and was injured during the Iraq war. Trail running has since become an important part of his life: a way of experiencing   Continue Reading →

This coming trail-running season, Run the Alps is excited to be offering the Via Valais, a new multi-day, trail-running route developed by the team over at ALPSinsight. A new twist on the classic hiker’s Haute Route, the Via Valais focuses on the very best mountain running available in the region. Run the Alps has just   Continue Reading →

“The beauty is unparalleled, the trails are dreamy, and the peaks are inspiring, but what never leaves you is the spirit of the people.” That’s US ultra runner David Laney, who finished third in the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc in 2015, sharing his thoughts about what makes trail racing in the Alps so special. (You can   Continue Reading →

“Still living the dream, are we?” Simon, arguably the funniest of our Run the Alps guides, shuffles out into the living room of our staff apartment in Chamonix, France. It’s 7:00 am on an August day last summer, and I’ve already been working for two hours. I sigh loudly. “Ah! There it is! The famous   Continue Reading →