Mirna Valerio
Guest Runner
What do you see when you close your eyes and think of a typical trail runner? Although trail running seems to be the domain of thin, fast people, it is also a sport that has welcomed people like Mirna Valerio, who in her own words is a plus-sized, slow-AF runner who lives and breathes the trail. This African-American adventurer, hailing (presently) from Winooski, Vermont, defies trail running stereotypes and has a great time doing it!
“This body is fierce, beautiful, and unapologetic. It’s meant to move through the world as it wishes: lifting, walking, and running, rolls and all. Love handles, bouncy boobs, curves, tummy, butt, back fat, and all.” -Mirna
Author of the blog Fatgirlrunning and best selling novel ‘A Beautiful Work in Progress’, Mirna shares her experiences as a larger woman in a world of thinner athletes. Mirna’s story has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Runner’s World, on the NBC Nightly News, CNN, on the CW Network, and in REI’s documentary, The Mirnavator.
Her writing has been featured in Women’s Running Magazine, Self Magazine Online, Outside Online, and Runner’s World Magazine. She was chosen as a 2018 National Geographic Adventurer of the Year.
What our guests had to say
I’d sign up again in a heartbeat. If Mirna does it again, I’ll definitely return, if I can sign up fast enough before it fills up. I feel lucky to have grabbed a spot.
…the opportunity to have this be a partnership with Mirna meant that the pace was going to be comfortable, there was ONLY going to be body-positive approaches, and that people were genuinely going to be awesome. I’m not sure I’d run with any other group after this, because the experience was just so intentionally crafted to align with her vision of running, her belief in all bodies being running bodies, and the pace at which we went.
Learn more about Mirna
Tour Story: Mirnavator in the Alps
Run the Alps Guide Sam Hill’s story: Mirna
Mirna’s website: The Mirnavator
Follow Mirna at @themirnavator
What’s it Like on a Level 1 Tour with Run the Alps?
Run the Alps Rendez-Vous: A Conversation with Mirna Valerio