On the Tour du Mont Blanc, with Trail Racers Cruising Past

This Run the Alps Tour du Mont Blanc trail run coincided with the fun frenzy of the Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc week taking place in Chamonix, France. That turned our trip into a fantastically energized affair. Both the streets and trails were filled with trail runners from all over the world who had descended into the Chamonix valley and the region as a whole to be part of the unfolding extravaganza.

My four clients where also from all around the world. They included Danielle from the United States, who was recovering from just finishing another Run the Alps trip, Matterhorn Ultraks, where she completed the 46k Skyrace. There was Rob, also from United States, accompanied by Jules and Kristen, both from Australia.

The first shake out day in the Chamonix included a tour along the “Balcon Sud,” running through the woods of Chamonix valley to the village of Argentière, not far from the French border with Switzerland.

The following day the crew set out from Chamonix to start the official Tour du Mont-Blanc around the range. We cruised out of Chamonix following the race route. Crossing the Bionnassay “passerelle” bridge, we headed up and over the Col de Tricot at 2,120 meters, to enjoy a delightful lunch at Auberge du Truc, before descending down through the forest into the village of Les Contamines. There, we watched the runners taking part in the the TDS trail race, part of the UTMB series.  We even got to cheer on fellow Run the Alps Senior Guide Alister Bignell, who finished in an amazing 12th position.

Next came a challenge for us all— tackling the cold, wind and rain during our run over the Col du Bonhomme. We all enjoyed the respite provided by the Refuge du Col de la Croix du Bonhomme, where they provided us with a warm fire, hot soup and drinks before we headed down to Les Mottets and the delights of a hot shower, great food and live music from a hurdy-gurdy– an old style musical instrument played by one of the refuge staff.

The week’s trail running proved to be very interesting and fun. We had the mountain challenge of coping with changing weather. As scheduled, we arrived in Courmayeur, Italy to enjoy a rest day watching UTMB racers passing through the old village. We all gave our support to the thousands of runners, including Run the Alps friend and Nike runner, David Laney, who finished 14th. Also running was Run the Alps’ Doug Mayer, who completed the race after spending two epic nights out on the mountains. Sterling efforts by both Mr. Laney and Mr. Mayer!

We enjoyed chilly fall-like weather, running into Switzerland over the snow and ice-capped Grand Col Ferret. Thankfully, we were warmed by the sunshine pouring down on us as we dropped towards La Fouly, Switzerland and along the La Drance de Ferret river, up into our ending spot for the day, at the quiet Swiss village of Champex-Lac.

The rest of the trip continued to be an absolute stunner, with some great running conditions and recently-worn-over trails thanks to the trail race, which led to the group steaming into Chamonix after a superb morning of Strava-beating speeds.

All in all, this trip has been the highlight of my guiding season, having such great companions joining Run the Alps on the trails, and coinciding with the spectacular scene of what is arguably one the world’s great trail race.

A massive thank you from yours truly to the great participants on this journey and for Run the Alps, for making this such a great trip!

Thanks to our trip participants and guide Simon Conroy for the great photos!