Tag Archives: Trail running in the alps

Tips from one of Chamonix’s top Physical Therapists: Here’s a recap if you missed our Run the Alps Rendez-Vous with one of Chamonix’s top physical therapists, Neil Maclean-Martin from La Clinique du Sport.

One of the more unusual aspects of the Alps comes when one enters the high pastures. There, where shepherds have tended flocks for centuries, it’s not uncommon to see dogs guarding the animals. In particular, they are entrusted with protecting the young from predators such as wolves, lynx, foxes and bears. With their beautiful cream-colored coats, these “guardian” dogs often look   Continue Reading →

Just what is a “self-guided” trail running tour? While it’s fairly intuitive how a guided trail running trip is structured, the idea of a self-guided one is often not so well understood. Self-guided trips are some of the most popular ones that Run the Alps offers, so let’s take a moment to explore them! A self-guided tour means you   Continue Reading →

We’re ridiculously proud of our guides here at Run the Alps. Each of them is a highly skilled trail runner, with a deep knowledge of the trail running scene here in the Alps. They’re also simply wonderful people who are fun to spend time with on and off the trails.  There’s something else each of them has   Continue Reading →

Got someone with a little Alps trail running problem on your holiday list? Or, maybe you just want to bring a little bit of the Alps trail running scene home for the holidays? We’ve polled Run the Alps staff and friends for their favorite Alps trail running gift suggestions. Some of these items can be   Continue Reading →

For the first time, Patagonia’s catalog features trail running on its front cover – and we’re psyched that it’s the new Via Valais route. The Via Valais roughly follows the famous backcountry skiing and hiking “Haute Routes” from Chamonix, France to Zermatt, Switzerland, though it starts a bit closer to Zermatt, in the high mountain   Continue Reading →

The packing list for the UYN Vertical Courmayeur Mont Blanc Trail Race: Running shoes; check. Sunglasses; check. Running vest; check. Climbing helmet… Check?! The northern Alps village of Courmayeur, at the base of Mont Blanc, recently hosted one of the more outrageous trail running races in the Alps: the UYN Vertical Courmayeur Mont Blanc. The   Continue Reading →

  In June, Run the Alps’ friend David Loutzenheiser visited the Dolomites mountains of northern Italy and took part in the Dolomiti Extreme race. David found an enthusiastic community and a warm welcome and, after running his 53km race, he had the chance to meet with race directors Paolo Franchi and Corrado De Rocco. He   Continue Reading →

It’s three o’clock in the morning, and my partner Chase and I are running up Chamonix’s famous Vertical Kilometer, or “VK.” We sliced our way through spiderwebs, trudging up to the Planpraz finish with nothing to look at other than the dim circle radiating from our headlamps… but, we were on a mission. Now picture   Continue Reading →

The 2019 Mont Blanc Marathon series of races seemed to pass through the trail runner’s paradise of Chamonix as fast as the race winners themselves. The valley filled with an estimated 30,000 runners and supporters for a long weekend of racing… and then, come Monday, they scattered to the winds. As in years past, Run   Continue Reading →