Time of year: | May/June or Sept/Oct |
Duration: | 7 days (incl. travel) |
On trail: | 5 days |
Max group size: | 10 – 20 participants approx |
Fees: | €1,790pp/£1,550pp approx |
Additional costs: | Flights + travel insurance |
The Alps are one of the ultimate destinations for trail runners. Don’t be intimidated by their grandeur – just go for it, you’ll love it! Trail Running Alps.
Our base in the Alps straddles the French/Italian border giving us access to the most beautiful part of the alpine range with mountains of 4,000m+ as our backdrop.
This five day running holiday takes in some classic local routes through the mountains often at elevations of 2,500m approx. We stay in a comfortable chalet with a tasty menu designed around your nutrition and well-being.
The trip suits mixed ability running groups rather well. With trails directly from the accommodation, long distance or more experienced runners can have an early morning run themselves and then be joined by their mid and short distance running friends after breakfast for the day’s main objective.
Some routes offer the option of tougher and easier sections which we link up again for a long, lazy lunch, completing our run once this has settled. Led by experienced, qualified guides, each running day varies in length from 15km to 25km with an easy to moderate pace, often separating into two smaller groups to suit pacing. Runners with ample experience in technical terrain can opt to follow self-guided routes under advice.
Mid-week, our running day will finish at lunch-time to facilitate the opportunity for massage or to simply luxuriate in the local spa.
Our UIMLA certified International Mountain Leaders love to share their passion for the mountains with you.
People who run regularly on trails, fells or open mountain. If you are a road runner and are interested in this trip, contact us in advance for trail-running training advice.
We include a training day in Wicklow with a briefing (in person and simultaneously on zoom) for all participants in advance, along with ongoing support and assistance.
We’ll be based in a very comfortable chalet with shared rooms.
We’ll provide you with a full kit list. All participants receive a 15% discount on purchases in our store in advance of departure.
This trip is 7 days in duration. This gives us 2 days travelling and 5 days in the mountains.
Yes, participants need to have a reasonable amount of trail-running experience for this trip to enjoy it. Fitness is very important.
We’ll provide a full kit list in advance. It’s essential that all participants have appropriate trail-running shoes and a running vest/pack with bottles, a rain jacket and other running basics.
We have space for up to 20 participants on our Trail Running Alps trips.
Yes and no. If you are a club or charity group – the answer is yes for the activities and accommodation, but no for travel/transfers. We offer this in recognition of the amount of work undertaken by the lead person in a group. Depending on how much is involved at your end, some organisers use this discount to lower everyone’s costs, some use it for themselves – that bit is up to you! T&Cs apply.
The expedition fees are €1,790pp/£1,550pp. This includes:
> All in-country transport
> Accommodation
> Catering (Breakfast, packed lunch, dinner)
> PL insurance
> UIMLA certified International Mountain Leaders
> All fees are approximate and depend on final numbers
Running in the Alps at these times of year is very pleasant, we avoid the heat (and crowds) of the summer months. On some routes, snow may persist early in the season.
It’s not a serious issue, some days we will run high and participants may feel the effects – moving slower is the usual one. However, our time at altitude is not very much and you’ll have the benefit of all those extra red blood cells when you return home.
No, we may be passing some snow patches but the mountains are generally clear of snow at this time of year.
Flights, you can have your travel agent arrange these or we can have ours look after all flight logistics for you.
The extra kit as per the kit list. If you’re missing anything, we can advise on how to best purchase.
Any extra tours or spa treatments that participants choose to take. Your own snacks and beverages.
Each participant will require specific travel insurance, see below.
It is essential that all participants take out additional travel insurance for the trip. This should cover repatriation to UK/Ireland and rescue fees. Your insurance must list Europe as a destination and have trail-running as an activity. Let us know if you need details on insurance companies. We also advise that you apply for your EHIC (formally E11): Irish residents. UK residents.