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Sep 15, 2015
Doug Mayer

Running the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc. Year… After Year… After Year

This past month saw the 13th annual running of the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) trail race, arguably the most famous trail race in the world. The race course wends its way for 166 kilometers around the Mont Blanc massif, from Chamonix, France, into Italy, Switzerland, and finally returning to Chamonix. For many runners, the UTMB

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Sep 10, 2015
Abby Strauss-Malcolm

The Allure of Running Sierre-Zinal

Sierre-Zinal is a 31-kilometer mountain race that climbs over 2,200 meters from Sierre in Switzerland’s Valais region to Zinal.

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Aug 23, 2015
Yitka Winn

The Camaraderie of a Solo Tour of the TMB

Yitka Winn finds that even adventuring solo and 5,000 miles away from home, I was in good company on the TMB.

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Aug 14, 2015
Doug Mayer

Sierre-Zinal and the Rufers: A Four-Decade-Long Family Affair

In 1976, just two years into the now long and storied history of Sierre-Zinal, five members of a family took part in the new mountain race that was one of Europe’s first. The youngest, Daniel, needed cajoling to cross the finish—his mom Trudi promised there would be a medal awaiting him, and a chance to

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Aug 13, 2015
Doug Mayer

Sierre-Zinal 2015: The Mind and the Body, Faster and Faster

This past Sunday was the 42nd running of Sierre-Zinal. The race is both legendary and, often, a true epic. Here’s why. For more than four decades, there have been famously tough competitors present—many of the world’s strongest mountain runners put Sierre-Zinal first in their summer plans. Second, the course includes a sharp, steep climb, an alpine traverse, and finally a

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