Our Favorite Alps Trail Racing Films
We’re psyched to hear you enjoyed the collection we curated of our favorite Alps trail running films. We got great feedback on it!
Several of the races below are partners with Run the Alps, and we have entries available each season, as part of our Run the Alps trips. Contact us for details.
So, grab a few gels, fill up your flask, and kick back and enjoy these films. (And if we missed one, let us know!)
Enjoy.
Trail Race Films from Switzerland
The Eiger Ultra Trail is one of the most scenic races around. All four distances have amazing mountain views as they tour around the Eiger region in Switzerland’s Bernese Oberland.
Under another iconic Swiss peak, the Matterhorn Ultraks race starts in Zermatt near the close of every August:
The Transalpine run is a 7-day stage race, run in pairs. The route varies, but usually includes parts of Switzerland, Germany, Austria and sometimes Italy:
Trail Verbier-St Bernard keeps within the south western corner of the Canton of Valais, but covers some wild terrain there. It’s a wonderful race with a great vibe:
The oldest trail races in the Alps; the Trail des Dents du Midi takes place out of Champéry, not far from the French border:
Just down the Rhône valley, on the shore of Lac Léman, the Montreux Trail Festival takes place with a range of fun races and a lively spirit, much in keeping with its founder, Swiss runner Diego Pazos:
Also starting in Montreux, the Course Rochers de Naye heads from Lake Geneva up to the peak of Rochers de Naye at 2042m:
Sierre-Zinal has a legendary status in trail running. It’s indisputably one of the most famous mountain races in the world. Here, we see the race in the Swiss Canton of Valais filmed from above:
At 52% average gradient, this is the steepest Vertical Kilometer around: The KM Vertical de Fully, Switzerland. Going directly up an old funicular route, it’s also one of the fastest:
In the far reaches of Switzerland, the Bernina Ultraks offers four different race distances through the wild Engadine region:
Trail Race Films from France
Starting in France, but passing through Italy and Switzerland too, this film captures the scale and energy of the world’s most famous mountain race, UTMB:
Just down the valley from Chamonix, we have the more low-key Trail du Tour de Fiz. Here’s a film of the 2018 edition, which was run in perfect conditions:
The Maxi-race in beautiful Annecy has become a one of the most popular early-season Alps races. It includes a variety of distances:
The Chamonix trail running season is kicked-off each year by the Mont Blanc marathon at the close of June. Distances range from a vertical kilometer all the way up to 90 km, and include the iconic 23 km Cross du Mont-Blanc, one of the oldest races in the Alps. Here’s a film of highlights from all races during the marathon weekend from last year:
Part of the Mont blanc Marathon series, the KM Vertical in Chamonix has quickly become a classic in its own right. It’s technical and steep:
Trail Race Films from Italy
Here’s a 10minute recap of the Tor des Géants 2019, where competitors were thrown the extra challenge of a snowstorm on the first day of the race. (Oh, and that’s Run the Alps friend John Anderson inhaling pizza, below!) This continuous, multi-day race has become a legendary challenge:
Also in the Aosta Valley, a huge vertical 2km race, the UYN Vertical, takes runners from Courmayeur to Point Helbronner at 3462m on the side of Mont Blanc, just below the glaciers. Helmets required:
….and the even bigger BEI K3 in Susa – 3km of ascent! This race is the only triple-vertical kilometer race in the world, meaning it climbs 3,000 meters in less than 15 km:
Further east, over in the Dolomites, the Laveredo Ultra Trail starts in Cortina d’Ampezzo:
Another Dolomites race, the Dolomiti Extreme trail has come on strong in recent years, and is proving quite popular:
We hope you enjoyed these films. Let us know if you have one you’d like to see us add! For many of these races, you’ll also find stories and article in the blog section.
