During the last years, the running – well, the “go running” of a lifetime – has become fashionable In almost all the world. This is confirmed by the sales figures of some sports brands that have increasingly been developing better qualities and greater diversity in their products related to this sport.
While some runners choose to practice their favorite sport in the city, there are others who prefer to do it in the field or the mountains, where the difficulty of facing irregular terrain and possible steep slopes is rewarded with dreamlike landscapes. These last are called trail runners.
For many people, the trail running it is a true way of life. They train hard to endure long and demanding tests, traveling around the world to discover exotic places at the stroke of worked strides.
These are some of the largest –and most beautiful– challenges of trail running in the world.
Sport and landscape.
MARATHON DES SABLES, MOROCCO
The Marathon des Sables (‘Marathon of the sands’) is considered by many to be the toughest race on the planet. It is, therefore, the biggest challenge that a trail runner can face.
The test is carried out by the sands of Sahara desert. To the brave who embark on this adventure await 240 km of travel through immense dunes, rocky terrain and a landscape that is both overwhelmingly beautiful and desolate.
that distance, equivalent to almost six marathons, must be covered in a week, demanding the maximum from a body that must support high temperatures, blisters and even blizzards of sand.
Under these conditions, organizing a good – and light – backpack with the essentials to eat and hydration is essential to finish the race successfully. Everyone ends up totally exhausted, but something must have when 40% of the participants return to the sands of the Moroccan desert after having tried them.
TARAWERA ULTRA MARATHON, NEW ZEALAND
New Zealand is a country where Mother Nature has never skimped on gifts. The Middle Earth of The Lord of the Rings offers volcanoes, glaciers, mountains, forests, rivers, lakes, pristine beaches and endless vast landscapes in which man barely reaches the status of secondary actor.
In such a scenario develops the Tarawera ultra marathon. It is a race of just over 100 km (although runners can choose to run shorter distances) that explore the dense forests of the central North Island, in the surroundings of Rotorua, a town famous for its geothermal activity and its amazing geysers.
They await the brave who sign up for the race incredible natural lakes, tree ferns, waterfalls, dozens of species of tropical trees, geysers and Traces of ancient Maori culture. A real show.
MOUNT FUJI ULTRA TRAIL, JAPAN
The picture of snowy Mount Fuji is one of the most characteristic of Japan. The highest peak in the country can be approached in different ways.
Of all of them, the favorite of trail runners is doing a race of just over 160 km surrounding the base of the mythical extinct volcano.
The route of the Ultra Trail of Mount Fuji, marked with great slopes, alternating forests of tall trees with vast plains . The terrain also varies quite a bit, with dry sections and others slippery or even covered in snow.
The experience is strikingly beautiful, but its harshness is not far behind. According to statistics, only half of the participants who take the start manage to cross the finish line.
PATAGONIA RUN, ARGENTINA
Patagonia is a region in southern South America that has nurtured dreams and tragedies in almost equal measure. Here, nature is the owner and mistress of everything, sculpting spectacular landscapes and creating conditions in which few men manage to establish a comfortable life.
The Patagonia Run takes place around the beautiful Argentine town of San martin de los andes. The test consists of seven different distances (between 10 km and 160 km) and runs for about mountain trails that cross areas of high plateaus, forests, meadows and the crystalline Lake Lácar. A landscape that invites recollection, but that is a forbidden luxury in a non-stop race.
ULTRA TRAIL DU MONT BLANC, FRANCE, ITALY AND SWITZERLAND
Expert runners say that the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc It is the most famous in the world. To support this statement, they resort to the explanation that this test is not just a race but that it is a real adventure in the unbeatable setting of the mountains of the Alps.
Every year, the Ulta Trail du Mont Blanc attracts thousands of participants from all over the world who seek the honor of being able to admire the fauna and flora that populate the steep slopes of the Mont Blanc massif.
Glaciers, mountains, pastures, lakes, rivers and charming mountain towns await in this hard race of 171 km and about 10,300 meters of positive elevation gain, whose center of operations is in the famous town of Chamonix.
THE WESTERN STATES, UNITED STATES
One of the best trail running events in North America is The Western States race.
This is a 100-mile test (about 160 km) that takes place in the sunny California, starting in Squaw Valley and ending in Auburn, a typical American town which had its birth during the Gold Rush and the conquest of the Far West.
the race has a large part of negative unevenness, descended several slopes formed by canyons crossed by narrow streams. Almost virgin forests, beautiful rock formations and lively rivers They go out to meet the brave who dare with this route in which there is no access by road. The injured can only be helped by people who reach them on foot, on horseback or by helicopter.
His fame is worldwide and there is no great trail running champion who has not run at least once the Western States.
THE TRANSGRANCANARIA, SPAIN
Spain, with its beautiful and varied landscapes, its magnificent climate and its rugged orographic profile, is a destination highly desired by trail runners of all the world. The success of participation that Transgrancanaria achieves year after year is proof of this.
And it is that in this race the participants are given the unique opportunity to run more than 100 km over spectacular volcanic terrain that offer landscapes that have been declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO.
Regarding the distance, you can choose between the queen test (126 km) and other smaller ones (15, 26, 43 and 62 kilometers).
A total adventure cross rocky canyons, quiet Canarian villages, stony, sandy areas and some of the loneliest and loftiest peaks of the island of Gran Canaria.
Sweat, heavy breathing and tense muscles. human sacrifice for a reward chosen by the gods of Nature.