Author Archives: Doug Mayer

As we head into 2015, and I look back on this past season of trail running in the Alps, it’s often the people who come to mind as much as the mountains and the trails. And, top among those people this year was someone who has run over 375 races in the last three decades, René Pletschet. By itself,

Warning: Trail running in the Alps can be infectious! We’re pleased to share this guest race report from Nate Moore, husband of Run the Alps’ Heddi Nieuwsma. We see more races with twenty-degree slopes in Nate’s future.  After a long hiatus since moving to Switzerland in 2012, I started trail running again about a year and a

As we look back on a great season trail running in the Alps, here’s part two of our interview with Adidas Ultra runner Brian Tinder, in which we talk about his second-place finish in Europe’s oldest mountain race, the Trail des Dents du Midi. The race takes place each September in the mountain town of Champéry, at one

Editor’s note: July and early August 2014 proved to be one of the wettest periods in Switzerland in more than sixty years. Views were far and few between, alas. Nonetheless, Run the Alps’ self-guided trail runners Walt and Melissa Bleser made the best of a cloudy situation. While there, they took part in one of

We’ve just added a new trip to our lineup for summer 2015, and wanted to share the news! Our new September Dents des Midi trip is something a bit different. The focal point is Europe’s oldest mountain race, the Trail Dents des Midi, which dates back over fifty years. The trip is self-guided… with a twist. Participants

Run the Alps is pleased to share this short story from Jim Frey and his daughter, Katie. At age 13, Katie was one of the youngest participants in Les KM de Chandolin. Had she been planning all summer to run a vertical kilometer? Not exactly. Okay… not at all! She decided literally the day before— about 10 minutes

Adidas-sponsored ultra runner Brian Tinder is a busy guy. He runs 60 to 70 miles a week and races throughout the year. Together with his wife Shea, they have two kids, Nora, and recently-arrived Charili. Tinder runs a landscaping business in the summer, Stix and Stones Landscaping. And, now, he’s the founder of Arizona Running Adventures, a trail

It’s been a remarkable summer for Run the Alps. We owe huge thanks to a wide assortment of people. This is my thought, as I make my last 700-meter climb of the season up to the Hotel Weisshorn from St Luc. It’s my fall-back trail run, on days when I’m mostly tied up in front of my computer.

This past Saturday morning, my alarm went off at 6:00 am. I stared at the ceiling, briefly contemplating two choices. I didn’t hesitate. I chose “off” over “snooze” and forced myself upright. It wasn’t easy. Groggy from Nyquil, I was nursing an impressive cough, and most of my body ached. I wouldn’t have done this for many trail

It’s fall in the Alps. The green pastures of a Switzerland summer have turned shades of brown and red. US trail runners have, for the most part, packed up their Salomons, Hokas, and Sportivas and headed for their homes in the New World. With the internationally-flavored alphabet soup of races like UTMB, CCC, and OCC