Author Archives: Doug Mayer

Trail running has given so much to all of us at Run the Alps. And, we suspect, to you too. This holiday season, we’re returning just a little bit to the world, with our support of the Fiona Conroy Memorial Fund at Jalia. Fiona Conroy is the late sister-in-law of Run the Alps guide, Simon Conroy.

Our new store is the result of one simple question, we get over and over again: “How do I get one of those?” For years, we have heard that refrain throughout the Alps. It happened when we were doing recon for trips in Switzerland’s Berner Oberland. It happened at the finish line of Sierre-Zinal, and

A dozen different trail races each season. Some of the best mountain trails in the world. Home to one of the strongest collection of trail runners anywhere. And, what might be the most active trail running club anywhere. It just might be that Chamonix has the most vibrant trail running scene of any town in the

As Run the Alps has grown these past few years, one of the most enjoyable parts of the job has been sharing my enthusiasm for trail running in the Alps. It’s just a ridiculously beautiful and happy experience, in so many ways. If you love to trail run, I hope you get to visit at some point in

The world knows Chamonix for some of the most impressive trail races on the globe: the Marathon du Mont-Blanc, the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc, and the nearly dozen other races associated with these two overarching events. But, as September winds down, there’s a race that captures the attention of Chamonix—one that’s a favorite among valley locals: Trail des

To help you get around, we’ve pulled together this explainer, and pro tips, for traveling on SBB CFF FFS, the Swiss federal rail system.

“I watched the sky a long time, concluding that such beauty was reserved for distant, dangerous places, and that nature has good reason for exacting her own special sacrifices from those determined to witness them.”—Admiral Richard Byrd, Alone. The sound is unmistakable. Someone… something…. is breathing. And whatever it is, is very close to me.

On the eve of the 43rd annual race, Run the Alps’ Doug Mayer visited with Sierre-Zinal founder and Race Director for 40 years, Jean-Claude Pont. At age 75, he’ll be toeing the start line tomorrow morning at 5:00 am. “Last year, I had a little accident and fell, but finished around 6:40. This year, I’m

“We will do it in the Spanish way!” I have no idea what he means, but the race director at the first edition of the Courmayeur Mont Blanc Vertical Kilometer (K1000) is smiling and exuberant, as he explains the course during the race briefing. Only five minutes of the 30-minute gathering is in English, the

cham·ois ǀ noun ǀ \ sham-ˈwä \ : a small animal that looks like a goat and that lives on mountains in Europe Finding yourself in Switzerland’s Bernese Oberland, with a few hours to spare? The car-free mountain village of Wengen has a suggestion for you—one that’s 6.0 kilometers long, with 1,068 meters of climbing. Run