Run the Alps was founded in 2012 over pizza in the Swiss mountain village of Champéry. Initially conceived as a tour company, today Run the Alps endeavors to share and celebrate trail running, offering guided and self-guided trail-running tours throughout the Alps. Run the Alps also creates and publishes a wide range of running content, including stories, films, and a comprehensive online race finder. The Chamonix based company partners with major trail-running brands and top athletes, working to foster inclusivity and to challenge itself and its guests. The French organization’s staff and guides are all avid trail runners who believe in the power of camaraderie and working hard to have a net positive impact on the people they come into contact with, the environments in which they run, and the communities in which they operate. Learn more at runthealps.com.
Charlie Edwards has been running since she was a child, first inspired by her mother–and spurred on by sibling racing competitions during family holidays in Montroc. Charlie moved to Chamonix in 2013 and began writing content in 2023 for two guiding companies: Run the Alps and Happy Tracks. She has completed a number of ultra-marathons, including the Transgrancanaria (80km), the Lago D'Orta (100km), and the Grand Trail du Courmayeur (75km).
Doug Mayer is an author, journalist and founder of the trail running tour company,
Run the Alps. He has co-authored two other books with Helvetiq,
Trail Running Illustrated and
Run the Alps Switzerland: 30 Must-Do Trail Runs. Doug lives in Chamonix, France, with his partner, English Knowles and their trail running labradoodle, Izzy. Doug is a past producer of the Peabody-Award winning show,
Car Talk, and has run the UTMB race twice.
Kilian Jornet is a Spanish professional long-distance trail runner and ski mountaineer. Widely regarded as one of the greatest trail runners of all time, he has won some of the most prestigious ultramarathons, including the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc, Grand Raid, Western States and Hardrock.