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 →

Editor’s Note: We’re psyched to share this great article from Salomon athlete Cat Bradley. Cat won the 2017 edition of the 100-mile long Western States Endurance Run, and in the fall she set a new Fastest Known Time for the highly sought-after Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim run. She lives and runs in Boulder, Colorado.  Sitting on   Continue Reading →

Home to hundreds of kilometers of single track trails, vertiginous climbs, cozy mountain huts, and Europe’s premier trail races, Chamonix, France really is the world’s trail running capital. But, what to do when you’re in town… but not racing? Run the Alps polled our guides, staff, and other trail running friends in the valley to   Continue Reading →

At some time unknown, the 31-km Alps trail race known as Sierre-Zinal slipped into my subconscious as a special event. It was one not to lose track of, a race to do one day, a bit like an exceptional mountain to climb. But I wasn’t really sure why. The race is located in the Southern   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 →

It was nice to feel the pre-race butterflies again. The familiar feeling – nerves rising from the pit of my stomach – came on strong as I walked towards the bib pick-up in Sierre, a small city in the Swiss canton of Valais that borders France and Italy. The onset of pre-race jitters was both nerve-wracking   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 →

I never thought I’d get the itch to do an ultra.  The trail races I grew up with were typically less than 10 miles, and four years of collegiate training for 6km cross-country and 5km on the track made trail racing of any distance beyond 10 km seem like a whole different world.  Besides, part   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 →