Author Archives: Doug Mayer

Did you get into one of the trail races of the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc series in Chamonix, France at the end of August? Congratulations! Taking part in UTMB, CCC, TDS or any one of the other races in the series is, for many, one of the highlights of a trail running career. The energy, the   Continue Reading →

One of our most enjoyable and interesting times of the season is our Wilderness Medicine trip with our good friends at Tahoe Wilderness Medicine. John Anderson, the trip leader and one of the founders of Tahoe Wilderness Medicine, is a wonderfully bright and talented Emergency Room doc and a strong ultra runner in his own   Continue Reading →

Our Run the Alps guides got their end of the year grades, and, for the first time, we are sharing the results with everyone, publicly. Why? Simple. Like a parent seeing their son or daughter’s stellar report card, I’m proud. Our guides are some of the best people I know. The fact is, Run the   Continue Reading →

What’s it like, living in Chamonix, France, the iconic mountain town that’s been described as the world’s home of trail running? Here in “Cham,” ours is a small, close-knit, friendly community. We support each other through our inevitable tough times, and we celebrate wins and successes together. In short, we’re tight. This past year, we   Continue Reading →

Last month, the Eiger Ultra race series based in Grindelwald, Switzerland announced a new event– Eiger 250, an epic run around the Jungfrau-Aletsch World Natural Heritage site. The glaciated region of over 200,000 acres includes eight peaks of over 4,000 meters, and is widely considered to be one of the most dramatic regions in the   Continue Reading →

Grand Trail des Templiers is one of Europe’s most famous trail races. An astounding 13,000 runners take part in one of 15 races over three days at the close of October. Based out of the city of Millau, in the south of France, the region is filled with ancient villages, castles, and plenty of great   Continue Reading →

Salut from Chamonix, France! Pssst…. Run the Alps is going on tour!  Okay, it’s just a two-stop mini-tour, but it’s still great to be back traveling in the US and meeting our friends, alumni and future guests. Here’s the scoop! Boulder, ColoradoDate: Thursday, November 11, 5:30 pm Tor des Geants show, 6:30 dinnerLocation: The Westend   Continue Reading →

Here in Chamonix, trail running is rapidly evolving. New races are added and the calendar grows both in depth and duration during the trail running season. No event is more active than the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc®, or UTMB®. And, today, the race announced that California’s Western States® 100-Mile Endurance Run will join the new UTMB®   Continue Reading →

Early yesterday morning, Chamonix-based trail runner Hillary Gerardi headed out for a run on the town’s famed Vertical Kilometer with photographer Dan Fitzgerald. Gerardi, a sponsored Black Diamond athlete, is also an Ambassador for Run the Alps. She and Fitzgerald were headed out to capture some photos for an upcoming Run the Alps project. The   Continue Reading →

Here’s a truism about European and American trail runners: they don’t always dress the same. As a friend of mine once said, “Everyone in the US wants to look like Anton Krupicka.” What she meant was: shorts, no shirt, shoes, and– maybe if it’s cold outside– a pair of socks. Meanwhile, my first few years   Continue Reading →