Running might not be the first thing that springs to mind when you think about summer in Morzine, Avoriaz and Les Gets, but les Portes du Soleil is an excellent destination for trail running. In fact, our little corner of the Alps is welcoming two new trail races this summer, which will be ideal for seasoned racers and first timers alike.
Summer 2019 will see the first edition of Trail des Gets, which will take place on the 25th August and offer a range of distances. There will be a 9km, an 18km and 35km course, all starting and finishing in the resort centre and taking racers around the gorgeous trails of Mont Chery and Mont Caly. It’s super cheap to sign up and since it’s in August, racers will enjoy warm weather, hopefully lots of sunshine and the incredible scenery. Trail des Gets also takes place just a few weeks after the Trail des Hauts Forts, so if you ran the 23km race and you’re looking to do a slightly longer one but with a similar vertical climb, this could be the perfect race for you.
Find out more and sign up HERE.
In mid-June, when the weather’s a little cooler, the racing season will kick off with the first ever Boit’rail. Organised by Chamois de Leman, Boit’rail a shorter series of races at the Col du Corbier. This quiet village between Saint Jean d’Aulps and Abondance is just a short drive from Morzine and provides access to some absolutely stunning trails, as well as Mount Ouzon, one of the area’s most well-known peaks.
Biot’rail really has something for everyone; there will be a 16km race with a 950m vertical climb and a 7km race with a 350m vertical climb, as well as a 10km untimed nordic walk. Again, entry is super cheap and you can sign up HERE.
Morzine will also be shaking things up, trail-running-wise this summer. The town is already host to three different races over the summer; the KMV, a vertical kilometre up Pointe de Nantaux; 197+, a relay race undertaken in pairs up and down the Pleney stade, and Trail des Hauts Forts, a race offering multiple distances from Morzine to Avoriaz, the longest of which counting as a qualifier for the Ultra Trail de Mont Blanc. This year, instead of taking place across the entire summer, all three races will take place over the same weekend and make up the Morzine-Avoriaz-Montriond Trail Festival. Each event has its own individual characteristics and each one is mega challenging, but fun in it’s own way! If you’re a runner, the 9th – 11th August is a weekend to put in your calendar. Find out more about the event HERE.
And of course some old favourites will be returning to town; the beginning of July will bring with it the ever-popular Spartan Race, while the first weekend of September will see the second edition of the Morzine-Montriond Triathlon at Lac de Montriond.
Don’t forget, if you sign up for any races this summer, you’ll need a medical certificate and proper insurance in order to compete. If you’re a keen runner we really hope you can make it to at least one of these races, and if you do, GOOD LUCK!
