Why Run the Alps?

Run the Alps is committed to delivering a high-quality experience every step of the way. We work with trusted, long-standing partners to provide at least 3-star accommodations in every town we visit, and we know the best mountain huts for an authentic Alpine experience.

Our guest-to-guide ratio is as good, or better than, any other tour provider we know. It’s usually a maximum of 7:1.  Plus – each participant receives tailored materials, including our exclusive Guide to Trail Running in the Alps.

From the moment you first get in contact, you’ll speak with trail running experts who know the Alps inside out.

Our team is available year-round to answer questions, provide advice, and help with logistics. During the trail running season, we also maintain a 24/7 helpline for on-the-ground support in the Alps, ensuring you’re always connected if you need assistance.

Run the Alps focuses exclusively on trail running in the Alps. Our team has lived, raced, and run here for years, and we know the region inside out.

All our guides are experienced trail runners—not hiking guides who happen to be guiding a running trip. Some are elite athletes ranked by the International Trail Running Association (I-TRA), while others have been running or racing in the Alps for over 20 years. Every one of them has an inclusive, welcoming style and is passionate about sharing their knowledge and love of trail running.

Our Founder Doug Mayer has spent over two decades traveling between the Alps and the U.S. before settling full-time in Chamonix, France. He’s a frequent writer for trail running media, an author of several Alps trail running books, and is always ready to share his thoughts on what makes trail running in the Alps both unique and wonderful.

Guests often tell us they love the range of trips we offer. We have trail running tours across Italy, France and Switzerland, with options for every level of runner. You can choose to go guided, self-guided or privately guided – and in every case we’ll take care of all the route planning and logistics for you.

We also offer trips that include the option to take part in one of the many Alp trail races. We reserve bibs through long-standing race partnerships, and support runners with preparation and guidance.

We actually do run the Alps, and have for decades! Our guides have years of experience trail running and trail racing in the Alps, and many of them call the Alps home, too. And when they’re not in the Alps, many of them are deepening their guiding experience with expeditions around the world.

No matter how many clients have signed up, if you’ve signed up for one of our standard guided trips, the trip is going. That means no juggling of vacation schedules or travel plans.

On rare occasions, some special trips, such as those with guest runners, require complex planning and costs and may be subject to trip cancellation. Please contact us for details.

Our guide-to-client ratio is as good or better than any other tour provider we know. Most of our trips have a 6:1 client-to-guide ratio or better, and our level 1 tours have a higher guide to client ratio.

International Mountain Leader (IML) guide certification is the law in France, Switzerland and Italy, and is the industry-standard level of training for European guides. Our IML-certified guides include leaders in the field — many have more than a decade of full-time guiding experience.

Our guides have a specific focus and interest in trail running — they’re not hiking guides leading a trail running trip. Some of our guides are elite runners who are highly ranked by I-TRA, the International Trail Running Association. Others have been trail running or racing in the Alps for more than two decades. In every case, they have a strong interest in sharing their knowledge of trail running in the Alps.

When you call larger companies, it’s rare to get somebody on the phone who really knows the on-the-ground details. We do, and can give appropriate advice each time you call. From May through September, we also have maintain an on-the-ground, 24/7 help line in the Alps, to assist if any challenges arise.

Our trips maintain a level of accommodations that include amenities such as bedrooms with accompanying ensuite private bathrooms, except for our stays at rustic alpine huts, most of which have shared facilities. We work with high-quality hoteliers with whom we have long-standing relationships.

Our trail running materials are more than just hiking guides that can be purchased online. We’ve worked hard to develop written materials specifically focused on the needs of trail runners. Each of our run descriptions includes detailed information on day’s route, and every guest receives a copy of the third edition of our full-color, 58-page Guide to Trail Running in the Alps, which includes a training guide by US ultra runner Krissy Moehl, full trip preparation information, and a variety of supporting information.

Run the Alps was founded by Trail Runner magazine Contributing Editor and Trail Runner Nation podcast Producer Doug Mayer, who for more than two decades has traveled between the Alps and the United States, and now lives full-time in Chamonix, France. That life has given him a unique perspective on the different nature of trail running in the Alps — from minor considerations like the use of trail running poles, to larger topics like unique alpine weather considerations, that are important for a safe and successful trip.

If you’re interested in taking part in one of the many Alp trail races, we can help. Run the Alps has deep trail racing knowledge among our staff and guides. We reserve bibs through our partnerships with most of the major trail races in the region, and our race preparation service provides supporting information, including managing the nuances of medical race certificates in France and Italy.

We encourage you to contact past trip participants, and read online reviews. (You can some reviews right here.) We work hard to make our trips special experiences, the memories of which will last a lifetime!