Category Archives: Uncategorized

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 →

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 →

Run the Alps is pleased to share this story from our self-guided guest, Carl Stauffer, from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Carl and three friends trail ran the full, 100-mile long Tour du Mont-Blanc. Here’s their experience as they wended their way around Mont Blanc.  Ever since I was a young child and heard the story of Heidi, I have   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 →

Just off the plane and looking for a way to wake up your legs? In Chamonix for a few hours and want a quick loop trail run right from town? Or maybe you’re looking for a recovery run, followed by lunch in a scenic spot? Here’s our recommendation: Chalet Floria. Okay… So, the fact is,   Continue Reading →