Mountain Running

First and foremost, it's important to note that there's something for everyone's tastes and levels with mountain running! 🏃‍♂️ The discipline is characterized mainly by routes with significant elevation gain, from 50 to 250 meters per kilometer 🕺. The surfaces are diverse: you'll often run on existing trails, but snow or asphalt may sometimes be present. You'll cross forests, meadows, vineyards (yes!), alpine pastures, alongside lakes, encounter animals, all while... of course gaining altitude. In terms of distance, you will have a wide range of options, from short distances to the demanding ultra-trails, including the famous vertical kilometer... 🤠

To trace back the origins of mountain running, let's take a step back in time 🧐, to the early 20th century… After the first running competitions (1896 at the Athens Olympics), it didn't take long for the first mountain races to appear. Indeed, in 1904, the Vignemale race, the highest massif in the French Pyrenees, was born out of a rivalry among mountain guides evolving in the region… The first alpine mountain race dates back to 1922 in Italy, with the Ivrea-Mombarone, located in the Italian Alps (between Milan and Aosta). Elsewhere in the world, other legendary races began to emerge on mountain slopes: the ascent of Mount Fuji 🇯🇵, the Pikes Peak Marathon 🇺🇸, the Mount Washington race… 🇺🇸 Dream-like indeed, right? The prestigious Sierre-Zinal race in Switzerland 🇨🇭 connects the village of Sierre to Zinal amidst the Valais Alps. The extraordinary Kilian Jornet 🇪🇸 shone there, as did Boris Ghirardi, an amputated runner who achieved the feat of finishing the event equipped with a prosthetic. Here's a little curiosity Made in England 🇬🇧 before seriously tackling the mountain trail calendar: across the Channel, the culture of Fell Running is very widespread. Competitions that involve climbing up and descending a peak, with not necessarily marked paths. Why not?

In France, the FFA has been organizing the French Mountain Running Championships annually since 1989, while since 1985, the WMRA, the World Mountain Race Association, manages the World Championship for the discipline. Once you feel ready for intense efforts, equipped with the right shoes and gear 🔦 (for some events, trekking poles might be useful), then look towards the mountain running and trail calendar. Depending on the events, refreshments may or may not be provided. Caution ⚠️ regarding nutrition and hydration, as mountain running disciplines are very demanding on your body. In France 🇫🇷, let's say we're somewhat spoiled in terms of mountainous terrains, with sublime landscapes 😍. To the North, South, West (how come the Alpes Mancelles don't count?), East… Naming them idly: the Jura, the Vosges, the Massif Central, the Pyrénées, the Alps... The Dutch, Belgians, and Germans don't just envy us for our gastronomy 🤷‍♂️ and love our mountain races 🏔! Welkom in Frankrijk!

So many opportunities to discover local fauna 🐐 and flora 🌲. High mountains, medium mountains, when it comes to competitions, there’s plenty of choices, summer 🌝 or winter ❄. The races of the UTMB (Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc) are already mythical despite the event's relative youth, born in 2003. The Diagonale des Fous (Grand Raid) in Reunion also has a great reputation among trail running enthusiasts... And what can we say about the Templiers, which gather thousands of trail runners at each edition... Let's also mention the Ventoux Half Marathon (Vaucluse), the Ubaye Snow Trail Salomon (Alpes de Haute Provence) or the Mont d'Or Trail (Doubs). In the Vosges, at Chantraine, the Trail des Brosses offers several formats including a night trail allowing you to face your fear of the dark! 👻 Night trails in the mountains are plentiful in France! If you enjoy intimate events, you can also take a look at the Tour des Glaciers de la Vanoise. At each destination the chance to discover heritage, and culture. Do you really want something original to boast about at the coffee machine on Monday morning? ☕ Then you can test yourself on a beautiful snow trail, like the Inuit for example!

Play it like Kilian 🏎️.