“The Five Lands” are the coastal villages of Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore. Each village has a unique spirit and due to the steep and harsh terrain which was for centuries only accessible via small cobbled mule trails, the Cinque Terre can feel as if it’s lost in time. This relative remoteness with its steep slopes and cliffs and secluded bays is what makes the Cinque Terre such a special place, and why it’s now a national park and UNESCO World Heritage Site.
On our tour, we will explore the marvelous terraced terrain of vineyards and the ancient paths that are being restored by local trail runners and our friends at Cinque Terre Trekking. These trails link the five lands and carry intrepid explorers in trail running shoes out of the Cinque Terre and all the way to Levanto in the north and Portovenere and La Spezia to the south. We’ll run high above the Mediterranean on dizzying trails that look down hundreds of feet to the sparkling waters below.
We’ll explore ancient villages and old churches and monasteries. We’ll also run through the remarkable terraced vineyards with their terrazzamento or system of meticulous, ancient dry stone retaining walls which prevent the precious soil from being washed down into the sea. With vineyards come wine, and we’ll sample the best wines in all of Europe and learn the craft from local winemakers.
While in the Cinque Terre, we’ll stay in comfortable lodging along the sea and take in the nightlife each evening while sampling the delicious local cuisine. We visit the five lands during a slower time of the year in which we’ll be able to really get a feel for the local culture and avoid the industrial tourism that takes place in more busy times of the year. This tour will be an amazing mix of awesome and challenging trail running on rugged and almost impossibly steep trails with a relaxing and rewarding dive into the lovely culture, cuisine and creativity of the people who call this astonishing area home.
Duration/Mileage: 6 days / 60 miles
Difficulty: Intermediate to Advanced- This tour includes some exceptionally rugged and very steep trail, long climbs and descents, many rock steps, challenging trail navigation in places, no access to support vehicle, language barrier. Very steep trails and slopes could induce acrophobia in places. There will he access to refreshments in local villages we pass through. Days are kept relatively short to maintain the Intermediate designation.
Please note: This is a pre-booking for the trip, and the date is subject to change.
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About The Host
Andy and Kim
Along with their wide-ranging long-distance trail running experience, both Andy and Kim are experienced trip leaders and former backcountry and wilderness rangers. Andy is certified through Longleaf Wilderness Medicine as a Wilderness First Responder and has been trained in wilderness search and rescue. Kim, also trained in Wilderness First Aid, will use her well-honed skills as a teacher and backcountry ranger to listen to you and help ensure that you have a safe and enjoyable trip.
As former members of the Vasque Ultrarunning Team and competitive trail and ultramarathon runners, Andy and Kim will share their years of running experience with you during your trip. You'll definitely leave your trail running vacation feeling more fit and perhaps just a little more ready for your next race or adventure! Our guides are experienced trail runners and capable wilderness trail leaders and will be attentive to your needs. You won't be treated like a "client," but as a part of our trail-running family.
Location
Things to keep in mind
FAQ
Will I have to carry anything with me?
Yes, you’ll have to carry a light pack with water, lunch, rain gear, and some other light safety items each day. In some cases, we may have to filter water during the day. Our guides will carry water filters on the trail, but you may want to bring your own as well to ensure that you have a water filter right when you might need it. You'll also want to be sure to have a hydration pack or water bottles that can carry enough water for the longer days on the tour. Generally that means at least a 70 oz. bladder hydration system or two or three large water bottles. Be sure to test out your hydration system prior to your tour to see how much water you need and how long your water will last. Our guides will carry additional safety items and wilderness first aid kits in case of emergency. But, all of the heavy loads will be taken care of for you!
Will I see support vehicles while I’m running?
On some of our trail running vacations, you won’t have access to support vehicles during the day while you're running due to the remote wilderness nature of the trails we’ll be traveling. However, where access is possible support vehicles may be utilized during our runs and will provide opportunities for refreshments, aid and a ride if you’re getting tired.
How long are the trail runs each day?
The length of our daily running adventures varies from trip to trip. Some of our trail running vacations, due primarily to the nature of trail access in a particular area, have longer days and may require previous long distance running experience while other trips include more short distance days. On most of our trail running tours, we try to include at least one short distance or rest day within the common 5 to 7 day running adventure. Most of our trail running tours include at least one day of close to 20 miles or more as well. For the most part, a reasonably fit individual can, without too much trouble, hike 20 miles in a day. While we are often running in rugged mountainous terrain on our adventures, you should be able to cover the distance required each day fairly easily.
Also remember, these adventures are not races. Take your time each day, enjoy the view, dip your feet in a mountain stream, lay down in a meadow and soak up the sun, jump in a lake for a swim if you want. The point of our adventures is to enjoy the journey. When you arrive at camp or at an Inn or cabin that evening, everything will be set up and snacks will be waiting while dinner is being prepared or reservations are made at a restaurant. While some days may be long, you’ll have a relaxing evening to recharge for the next day!
Do I have to run every day?
No. If you’re not up for a run one day, you may take the day off and enjoy a laid-back day or take a shorter run from that evenings camp or lodging facility at your leisure. Since we move to another site most days, you can ride in one of the support vehicles to the next days lodging or camp. Many trail running tours will also include shorter options on our longer days if access is available.
In addition, you may bring along your non-running spouse or significant other. If tour participants are not running that day, they may ride along in the support vehicle to the next camp or lodging facility and go for day hikes or short runs from that location. However, because your spouse or significant other will be taking a spot that another participant might have been able to use, they will be charged the full tour fee to participate.
Do I need trail running experience?
While trail running experience will certainly be helpful, it isn’t required. While many of the trails we run on are quite rugged with tricky footing in many places, a seasoned runner or hiker will be able to complete each day’s run. On most trail running vacations, a strong hiker should be able to complete each days segment easily, so if you need to slow down to negotiate a tricky spot, go ahead!
That said, we do recommend that you practice trail running prior to the trip if you haven’t done so before. Having some experience running on terrain similar to what we’ll encounter on one of our tours will be very helpful and allow you to get even more enjoyment out of your tour.
What if I’m traveling alone?
Great! By the end of the week you’ll have made new friends. Sharing a trail with other runners in beautiful places is one of the reasons we started these adventure trail running tours.
If you’re traveling alone and you’re willing to share a room on our lodge based tours, a single supplement won’t be charged. If you’d like your own room on one of these tours, single supplements may be available, but not always. This is an extra charge over the quoted double room rate which is part of your tour fee. You will be booked into a double unless you indicate in advance your single preference. Please notify us of this preference as early as possible so we can make arrangements. Most of our tours have limited lodging space, whether in a vacation home, cabin or quaint, rustic Inn. We do ask that runners have some flexibility with their lodging situation.
What do we eat?
On our camping tours, all food is prepared for you starting with lunch on the first day through lunch on the last day. On lodge to lodge tours, lunches will be prepared each day. Most dinners and breakfasts will be at local restaurants.
All meals are freshly prepared and you can expect fresh vegetables and fruit. If you have special diet requirements, we can accommodate with prior notice. Vegan and vegetarian meals will be available.
A word about our lunches on the trail. Trail lunches will be provided, but with running, many of you may have specific items that you like for mid run snacks that we may not be able to provide. Please bring along those personal food choices as we won’t be able to provide every possible item for your lunches. We'll provide a variety of options for your lunches, but we won't be able to provide everything.
How hard will these trail running tours be?
If you’re an active trail runner you shouldn’t have any problem with our trail running vacations. But, be sure you’re prepared for some serious trail running. The more prepared you are for a trail running vacation, the more fun you’ll have and the further you’ll be able to go. The trip will also be safer for both you and our other participants. You will benefit greatly from prior conditioning and experience.
Our trail running tours are designated with general levels indicating how difficult they are. Advanced tours generally include longer days, rougher, rockier, trickier trail, steeper and longer climbs and descents, altitude, possibly more challenging route finding, potential weather challenges and more remote locations without access to support vehicles. Intermediate tours generally include shorter days with at least one short day or rest day, smoother trail, less elevation change, lower altitude and possibly access to support vehicles. Due to the vagaries of trail running in spectacular locations, there really aren’t any "easy" trips that would include the kinds of rewards most trail runners seek. If demand is great enough though, we’ll seek out trails to include in an "easy" adventure running tour.
Many of our trail running tours may be a mix of the aforementioned descriptions of advanced and intermediate levels. While our levels of difficulty are general, we’ll do our best to describe the trip so you can make an informed choice. Contact us if you have any questions about the difficulty of a particular tour.