Great to see Tracks and Trails featured in the Times Travel section. Journalist Richard Mellor picked our Chamonix Classic Trails running trip as an ideal activity break in the Alps. Enjoy a week of running with views of glaciers, and snowy peaks on trails that are an absolute joy!

The dates for all our 2024 and 2025 trail running holidays are live on the website.

For runners ready to move off-road and onto the trails, we recommend our Chamonix Trail Running Camp. This June trip accesses the mountain trails that Chamonix is legendary for at a time of year when the meadows are at their finest and filled with flowers. Tracks and Trails ill arm you with the tools to tackle the terrain change confidently.

More experienced trail runners will appreciate the opportunity to journey around Mont Blanc. So if you need a quick trail fix, there is our five-day Chamonix to Courmayeur long weekend in July or September.

Other options include the Tracks and Trails eight-day guided runs: Mont Blanc Ultra Trail, Trans Verdon in Haute Provence or the Alta Via 1 in the Italian Dolomites.

Our Bespoke Running Holiday options is always available too. Guests can share their running goals and Tracks and Trails will create the trip of a lifetime!

We are often asked what it is like to run in the mountains. The easiest way to explain this is to suggest you watch this film which encapsulates the experience of running along stunning mountain trails high above the valley of Chamonix, France. The sensation of running through alpine meadows, taking in stunning views, while enjoying the physical sensation of running 'free' is not to be missed. 

Chamonix is often referred to as the world capital of 'alpine mountaineering', but also has legendary status as the ultimate trail running and racing destination in Europe.

In August it is the mecca for runners from around the world who collect to take on the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc. Racing from Chamonix along the classic TMB route around the mountain.  It’s the pinnacle of the trail racing season and in addition to the UTMB, the trail racing festival includes a host of races of differing lengths including the 100km CCC which leaves Courmayeur and travels through Champex in Switzerland before finishing in Chamonix.

If you’d like to experience running between countries on either the UTMB route or the CCC route with a Tracks and Trails guide, then check out our summer trail running holidays and get in touch. 

The beauty of the Chamonix Valley’s Classic Trails is the scale of choice. From meandering routes alongside the river at its base to the tree-lined petite balcons some 300m off the valley floor. They all interlink with the grand balcons that undulate above 2000m and offer high alpine vistas from both the south and north sides of the valley.

This is running territory that will take your breath away – both figuratively and, at times because of the altitude, literally! What more could you want from a trail running holiday.

We are pleased to confirm that Performance Nutritionist and Clinical Dietitian 'Rebecca Dent' will again be joining us on our 2015 summer Alpine Trail Running Camps.

Gretchen Reynolds has a good piece out today in the New York Times 'Well' section in which she interviews Mark Verstegen, the team fitness trainer for Germany's World Cup winning football team. Interestingly, his appointment was initially met with scepticism, but the results obviously speak for themselves. Here's a taster of his insight into improving your fitness:

Training at altitude over 1,800m has the ability to boost oxygen-carrying red blood cells. Even if you've only just a week to spare, training in the mountains can provide both physical and mental benefits that will last for several weeks after you return to a lower altitude. There's a good article on how altitude training can boost performance on the Runner's World site - click here to read more. 

Find out more about our Tracks & Trails trail running camps this summer here

Top 4 Trail Running Poles. Poles have become an increasingly popular piece of running kit both on trail & fell, in races and in training.

Now available in a myriad of different formats from cheap to sophisticated, ergonomic or basic, aluminium versus carbon, fixed length or collapsible - this all makes it hard to decide what to add to your kit wishlist. With the mountaineering mantra of 'light is right' it's no surprise that pole manufacturers have got the designers in to shed the grams and reinvent the pole!

Chamonix is quickly becoming the trail running Mecca of Europe. Known for decades as the climbing and extreme skiing capital of the world, Chamonix's vast network of trails suitable for running remained relatively undiscovered. Recently, though, widespread media coverage of events such as the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc and the CCC (Courmayeur - Champex - Chamonix) have brought trail running into the limelight and exposed Chamonix to a new legion of outdoor athletes keen to explore the natural wonders of the Mont Blanc massif.