Trails of the Month - March 2017
From the Eiffel Tower to the dry Mesquite Canyon in Arizona, passing through the snowy spanish mountains and an historical footpath in Turkey, let's have a look to the Trails of the Month !
Mesquite Canyon - Arizona, United States
The Mesquite Canyon Trail Runs will take place on Saturday, March 18 in Waddell, Arizona, around 30 miles from Phoenix. Runners will enjoy challenging climbs and epic views of Phoenix across the White Tank Mountain Range. All runs take place on rugged, single track trail with significant challenging climbs, incredible views, steep descents, large boulders, rocks, and desert vegetation. The courses offer a challenging but rewarding experience for all, from the beginning trail runner to the most experienced ultra marathoner.
The 50 Km & 50 Mile courses are challenging for even the most experienced trail runners especially through the section of trail/wash down Ford Canyon where runners will be required to execute some downhill rock scrambling over the famed “White Tank” rock formations.
Carrera Alto Sil - Spain
The 9th edition of the race Alto Sil will welcome the american Jim Walmsley, the swiss Marc Lauenstein, the spaniards Alfredo Gil-Garcia and Oihana Kortazar and the romanian Denisa Dragomir on its paths the 19th of March. As Zach Miller did in the last edition, and before him Karl Egloff in 2015, they all chose the bear’s race to be challenged far from the american soil.
30 Km for 2000m of positive ascent, the race covers various tricky crossings, alternating between fast ascent within the rocks and straight downhill in the snow. For many runners, the race Alto Sil is an inescapable meeting at the beginning of the season, where the competitors can test them on a short but technical race, in a warm atmosphere in the province of León.
Alanya Ultra Marathon - Turkey
“From Tradition to Future on the Footsteps of Yuruks to the Peak of Taurus”... That is the motto of the Alanya Ultra Marathon. The name "Yuruks" derives from walking in Turkish, it also means brave, warrior, good-walking and healthy. Ultra marathon runners carry their equipment and food with themselves for hours during challenging competitions, remembering the nomad lifestyle of the Yuruks. Now, the competitors have to follow the Yuruks' path...
5 races are proposed to you on the 25th of March, the longests ones are the Alanya Ultra Marathon which represents 64K for 3170m D+ and the Taurus Mountain Marathon with a distance of 42K for 1970m D+. In addition, you will be able to participate to the 20K of the Kayqubad Mountain Run, to the 5K Alaiye Public Race and a 3K relay team race.
Vila de Rei Trail - Portugal
Vila de Rei is the geodesic center of Portugal. It is the place where lines drawn from the limits of the country intersect. It has a little more than 3000 inhabitants and more than seven centuries of history.
The race starts in the center of the small village and mixes technical and difficult trails with long and fast dirt roads. The climbs, sometimes long and extremely difficult to progress, lead to incredible views. The Milriça Picoto, landmark that marks the center of Portugal, is one of the crossing points. The dam of Castelo de Bode is another landmark of this event. The final kilometers of the race are beautiful but breakers, going by a very steep and technical trail.
The race is a stage of the Portugal Long Trail Championships, awarding the winners with a place in the Portuguese team for the Trail World Championships.
EcoTrail® de Paris - France
From March 16th-19th 2017, the EcoTrail de Paris® is back for its 10th edition. Through various courses (Eiffel Tower Vertical on thursday, trail races on saturday and hikes on sunday), the EcoTrail de Paris® offers races/nature hikes accessible to everyone. This event has two objectives: highlighting the natural and cultural environment of the Ile-de-France region and demonstrating that mass events organization and eco-responsibility can work together.
To this day, the EcoTrail® has 6 events spread out over the year in various European cities: Brussels, Funchal, Paris, Oslo, Madrid and also Stockholm (first edition on June 17th 2017).
80 Km for 1500m D+, from Saint Quentin-en-Yvelines to the foot of the Eiffel Tower! You will discover exceptional places, thanks to the unique experience of an actual urban environment trail running event following more than 90% of nature trails. Proof that a reasoned urban planning can keep its natural environment!
The 45 Km trail (900m D+) is the perfect transition challenge for runners used to bitumen who want to turn to nature running. It will start in the royal setting of the Gardens of Versailles. This challenge is a great alternative for runners willing to dabble with long distance trail running.
The 30 Km trail is halfway between the 18 Km and the 45 Km and 80 Km trails, which are longer and more selective races. The 18 Km is a race for runners who want to discover the discipline, it allows you to run in pair with the person of your choice (wife, husband, child, friend, colleague, stranger), in order to reach the finish line in a spirit of conviviality and sharing.
To see other races registered on our international calendar it's here
Dear members, if you want to present your race in our "Trails of the Month", send your information (summary, history, spirit, pictures of your race, videos...) to the following address: contact@itra.run