Run The Alps

13/06/2026

Big news!
This summer we’re very excited to be joined by James Beard Award winning chef, Gregory Gourdet, while the Culinary Trail Tour is in Zermatt. Gregory Gourdet is author of the New York Times best-selling cookbook, Everyone’s Table: Global Recipes for Modern Health and a trail runner too!

Our Culinary Trail Tour of the Alps is based in two iconic mountain towns of the Alps: Chamonix, in the Savoyard region of France, and Zermatt, in the Swiss-German region of Switzerland.

Run the Alps reserves tables at mountain cafés along each day’s route, so tables will be waiting for us when we arrive. We also do our best to make sure the desserts and lunches for which each café is known will be ready for us!

Not only do the Alps have some of the best trails in the world, they also have great mountain cafés and restaurants!

Join us on the trails and at the tables:
July 17 - July 24, 2026!
(Just 3 spots left!)
https://www.runthealps.com/tour/culinary-trail-tour-of-the-alps/

📷: Sam Hill Willie McBride Kim Strom Mark Brightwell Gary Daines

10/06/2026

Over 20 runners, coming from six different countries, joined our Baguette Baton Relay today to raise money for the World Climate Relay. The baguette covered 20km from Boulangerie Fournil in Argentière to La Kitchenette in Les Houches, with a different runner carrying it for each section! People around the world joined in with their own runs to support Team Run the Alps, too.

There’s still time to contribute and help us reach our $5000 fundraising goal — we have $1400 to go, and our 1200km distance goal still has 400km to cover. Wherever you are in the world, please sign up here:
https://www.worldclimaterelay.org/t/run-the-alps-team

05/06/2026

For trail runners planning their summer race calendars in the Alps, there have never before been so many options to choose from. New events are entering the scene, old ones are redefining their courses, and the fields at races across the region grow larger as more runners discover trail running every year.

Niko who manages our RACE FINDER (https://www.runthealps.com/races/) shares some of these additions and changes on our BLOG:

https://www.runthealps.com/blog/alps-trail-racing-news/

New events, old ones redefining their courses, and numbers increasing as the popularity of trail running continues to grow in the Alps.

01/06/2026

IT’S BEGUN‼️

After months of research, map-scouring, route planning, and conversations with trail runners and local experts across Switzerland, our new trail running guidebook is officially moving from the desk to the mountains.

This summer, we’ll be out on the trails photographing, running, writing, testing routes, checking train connections, chasing good light, and doing our best to capture the kind of running that makes Switzerland such an incredible place to run – and we plan on sharing the adventure with you!

First up, meet Sam — one of the authors of the book, and the person behind the camera for the project. He has a busy summer ahead, producing the images for the guide and helping bring each route to life visually.

There’s a lot still to do, but the project is now very much on the move.

We want to thank Precision Fuel & Hydration for being a sponsor and keeping us going.

01/06/2026

We really enjoyed the Chamonix event for ITRA Women’s Trail Day.

You can still join in from where you are for the global Strava event: Monday, June 1.

ITRA’s Women’s Trail Day is a global celebration of women hitting the trails together — to connect, to enjoy, and to champion female participation in trail running.

📷:

29/05/2026

Run the Alps is trying to raise $5000 for the planet, and we need your help to reach that goal.

From 5–12 June, people in more than 40 countries are taking on personal challenges to raise money for high-impact climate action. Run the Alps Team is part of this global effort = . Our team is collectively running 1200km - the equivalent of the length of the Alps.

Here’s how you can help:

1. Join our team or start your own challenge. 🌎
https://www.worldclimaterelay.org/t/run-the-alps-team

2. Join our World Climate Relay event - a social run in the Chamonix Valley from Argentière to Les Houches.
Run the Alps Baguette Baton Relay 🥖
June 10, 9am – 2pm
https://www.worldclimaterelay.org/events

3. Donate. If you can’t participate, we’d welcome your support for the Run the Alps team by donating. 💸
https://www.worldclimaterelay.org/t/run-the-alps-team

Why donate for the World Climate Relay?
-Currently, only 2% of global donations go towards solving the climate crisis...
100% of donations from the World Climate Relay go to the world’s top climate non-profits, selected by Giving Green.
-Donating to these organisations is 10x more effective than the gold standard carbon offsets, and 50x more effective than tree planting.

📷: .strom

27/05/2026

Looking for some good trail running reads?

Our first trail running writers contest in partnership with Like the Wind magazine drew so many thoughtful, fun, heartbreaking, joyful, determined stories - thank you to everyone who submitted.

🎉 We’re happy to announce the winner of our Chamonix Writers Residency Contest: !

Watch for Haley’s story in the next edition of . That’ll be LtW #49 and LtW USA #2 - out soon!

We’re getting ready to meet Haley in Chamonix this summer, and can’t wait to read and share her next work.

We also selected three impressive runner’s up:
, , and !

A light-hearted and thought-provoking combo, a journey of choices, building tension with a conceptual twist, and warm appreciation for our sport with style - these stories will be published later this summer and into the fall, so keep an eye on our blog (and announcements right here).

Congratulations Haley, Chantelle, Mélanie, and Max!

And a big thanks to our judges for their consideration and support: Zoë, Simon, and Kim.

25/05/2026

ITRA’s Women’s Trail Day is a global celebration of women hitting the trails together — to connect, to enjoy, and to champion female participation in trail running.

Whether you’re a seasoned trail runner or lacing up for the very first time, this day is about showing up, stepping outside, and supporting one another.

On June 1st, women around the world will take to the trails — not for time or trophies, but to celebrate what it means to move together.

It’s a chance to reconnect with nature, empower your community, and inspire the next generation of trail runners, because every step taken together makes the trail ahead more open for all.

🌎 Join the Strava event from anywhere:
Monday, June 1, 2026 at 9:00 AM GMT+2
https://www.strava.com/clubs/577965/group_events/3464987379519658876

🇫🇷 Meet us in Chamonix:
Sunday, May 31, 2026 at 10:30 AM
https://form.typeform.com/to/WZqcmO91?typeform-source=itra.carrd.co

ITRA - International Trail Running Association

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20/05/2026

Whether you’re joining a Run the Alps tour or running the Alps on your own, Mimmi Kotka has some nutrition strategies to help keep you going.

With over a decade of competing in ultra-distance trail running at the highest level, including wins at CCC, TDS, and MMB 90K, and a podium finish at UTMB, Mimmi Kotka knows the Chamonix mountains intimately.

Alongside her athletic career, she is an IOC-certified Sports Nutritionist specializing in endurance performance and high-level health optimization. With nearly two decades of experience working as a nutritionist, she brings a rare perspective that bridges scientific evidence with real-world application.

Read her tips to feel strong, last through long days, recover well, and enjoy your time in the mountains, not just on day one, but on the last day too.

Eating Mountains for Breakfast: Nutrition for Running in the Alps

Whether you’re joining a Run the Alps tour or running the Alps on your own, these nutrition strategies from Mimmi Kotka can help keep you going.

18/05/2026

Our tours kick off in less than a month! We’re looking forward to another incredible summer. If you still want to join us, there’s a few spots open on these highlighted trips in June:

🇫🇷 Chamonix Trail Running Weekend with Sabrina Pace-Humphreys
June 19 - June 22, 2026
This long-weekend tour is ideal for anyone who is already into trail running and wants to explore some challenging alpine runs, with options to shorten the route if needed. Plus we get to hang out with !

🇨🇭 Classic Bernese Oberland Guided
June 25 - July 1, 2026
We’ll run inn-to-inn through alpine pastures with our bags transported for us! Enjoy views of the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau during the day, and some of our favorite Swiss mountain hotels at night.

Come run with us on one of these early season tours ... they’ll be here soon!

https://www.runthealps.com/guided-run-the-alps-tour-calendar/ ... plus see all our trip openings for the rest of the summer.

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