From trail restoration to sustainable tourism and transportation, we interview the organizers of trail running events who are pioneering a sustainable future for this sport
As we are coming into the pinnacle of the trail running season, Green Trail Concept wanted to highlight some positive initiatives towards a more sustainable trail running.
We know there are many trail running race organizers out there doing the right thing.
It is a continuous work that requires patience and innovation.
In the following article, in a series of interviews, we will take you on a train ride through Europe, from the trails of Åre in Sweden to the volcanos in centre France!
Trail by Train Tour: Promoting train transport to & from the events
An interview with Jean-Paul Bruwier – Co-founder of Trail by Train Tour
What is TTT and how did you come up with the concept?
The Trail by Train Tour (TTT) is a project born in Brussels during the year 2021, decreed «Year of the Rail» in the countries of the European Union. This project is the joint emanation of the running European magazine Zatopek and the non-profit association ASBL Sport et Santé.
The TTT partners with trail-running events that are concerned with preserving the environment to promote sustainable transportation options. What makes these events special? The starting point is always next to a train station. No need for a car to get there! This way, TTT offers all year-round races that are accessible by train, family-friendly, original and attractive.
Runners are nature lovers, almost by definition. Unfortunately, they sometimes spoil it when they travel long distances by car or plane. The new TTT circuit has been designed to remedy the impact of transport on the environment. More serenity and less carbon dioxide!
In 2024, 14 great events have already joined the TTT to promote the use of train as a sustainable transportation option, from France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Sweden. Others will follo
What is the biggest challenge you are facing with the project right now?
The TTT is focusing on 4 main stakeholders, and each one requires different engagement strategies:
- Participants: The TTT community provides social connections and sharing the enjoyment of trail running while being sustainable. Other incentives for runners are the possibility to participate in “best train taker tailer” rankings, receiving discounts or pluses and being offered free train tickets, etc. Also working with ambassadors and influencers (Andy Symons, Xavier Thévenard etc.) help attracting runners.
- Organizers: TTT provides them access to useful communication tools and portals, press coverage, transport carbon print calculation tools, etc.
- Train operators: TTT requests them better prices and discounts for train taker runners (like European interrail tickets) and at the same time incentivises the use of their services among trail runners.
- National and European authorities: TTT is a great initiative that pushes forward the sustainability goals of EU. By receiving EU subsidization, TTT promotes a better future for EU citizens.
About 600 trailers are supporting (registered to) the TTT in 2024 but just a few are using train to trail (TTT ranking), this is a long shot to change mentalities.
Meanwhile we are feeling the shift when major trail-running events are pushing hard to change the paradigm. Last month, Zatopek magazine and TTT connected with “Chamonix Mont Blanc marathon” organization because they have decided to reserve 40% of their race numbers in 2025 for participants who will come by train. This is a “grande première”! And a great example for other organizers!
Åre Fjällmaraton: A marathon dedicated to trail restoration
An interview with Phil Gale – Responsible for trail restauration at Åre Fjällmaraton
Åre Fjällmaraton is really committed towards trail restauration. Can you tell us more about it?
Naturally our goal is to limit the impact on the local environment that our events have. Our events take place in a very humid environment where the flora and fauna all grow very slowly. This means that impact from all trail users can quickly degrade the trails and damage the areas that they pass through.
As a way of limiting, we have a cap on the number of runners that we have in each of our races, maximum of 800, plus we invest about 1/3 of entry fees into trail maintenance. This comes in various forms, but the most time consuming is laying duckboard for trail users to pass over. These lengths of wooden boards keep our runners and other trail users from stepping on the terrain, meaning that the areas of trails where these are laid have zero impact on the terrain because they don’t touch them.
Most of our time outside of planning our events is spent working on this. All the trails where our events take place are being documented during the fall, around 150 km. We take GPS co-ordinates of damaged areas, plus areas where duck boards need to be replaced, noting the length, and thus calculating the number of boards needed in each area.
In the winter we use skis and snowmobiles to move the planks into location, using the GPS co-ordinates. And then in the summer we lay the duckboards. This is hugely physical and time-consuming work because many of the areas are often remote, meaning 10 to 20km of hiking with tools and nails, before we event start the work itself.
On average we lay or replace from 3 to 5 kilometres of duckboards each year, knowing that even though our events are only a part of the total trail usage in the area, we are keeping the trail network in the best condition possible for all users, promoting tourism in our local area.
What is the biggest challenge you are facing when working with trail restoration?
The biggest challenge that we face is funding our work. We are a very small organisation, meaning that the percentage of the entry fees that we re-invest into the trail network is the largest cost to our event, financially and on a time level. Knowing that we are not 100% responsible for trail damage we have tried to work with local trail organisations to share the burden of the work and share the cost of trail maintenance.
Unfortunately, due to reduced budgets this is becoming harder and harder, meaning most of the cost and work falls on our organisation.
We have recently gained support from the Kilian Jornet Foundation, which has helped a lot, and started to explain to those running our events that donations will help the trails get even better. But without all tourists understanding and sharing the cost of trail work, there are limits to what we can do.
We have also found great support in our home village of Ottsjö for trail work, which has boosted the condition of the trail network closest to our finish arena. But trails further away that come under the responsibility of other villages are less supported.
With the wider Southern Åre Fjälls and Åre region having many businesses that are not economically registered here, as well as many people who have second homes here, it is down to the small, local population to fund trail work through their taxes, which is not proportionate to the number of visitors that this area gets.
Hopefully this will change in the future! Nonetheless, we will still continue to invest in our share of the trail maintenance, as it is one of the core principles of our event.
Volvic Volcanic Experience, VVX: Mixing sustainable tourism and trail running – “Day 1 = Run / Day 2 = Visit”
An interview with Jean-Michel Chopin – Founder of the VVX
The VVX has a strong sustainable profile covering all three pillars of sustainability (social, economic and environmental) even if Jean-Michel prefers to use the term “eco-logic”. But one concept is particularly interesting and innovative: “Day 1= run, day 2 = visit”.
Jean-Michel can you tell us more about the “day 1 / day 2” concept?
I have participated in many trail running races and at one point it became harder to motivate family or friends to join me on my trips to trail running events.
There were seldom activities for the rest of the family or the people accompanying the runners. I noticed that all too often the competitors ran the race and then left with very little or even zero knowledge about the territories they have been running through.
For the VVX we wanted to do things differently and offer something not only for the competitors but for the family and/or the people joining them. By the way we use the word “experience” instead of just “trail” as the competition is just one element of the event.
The VVX takes place in the heart of the natural park of Les Volcans d’Auvergne. The park and the municipalities have been active partners in the VVX project.
For us it was fundamental to create an event that is more than a competition. An event highlighting what the region has best to offer in terms of culture, food, craftwork and of course the natural environment.
For the people accompanying the runners we propose the following:
- Day care for kids from 4 years old.
- Over 20 activities for teenagers and adults (e.g. archery, geocaching, etc).
- On Day 2: Guided visits to discover the villages, the local craftworkers, aperitifs and meals, a gastronomic hike for the runners and their family, among others.
There are also concerts and music all three days. People are singing and dancing together.
What challenges did you face by introducing this concept?
It took approximately three years for the idea to take off. At first the runners did not understand why there would not be any race on the second day.
In order to preserve the trails and the environment we have a maximum of 600 registrations per race.
We work patiently with communication. We are present at fairs to present the concept, and we published a book about the event. We even created a theatre play!
Another challenge we faced was that at first the activities on the second day were free and runners had to book the activities. But we realized many would then not show up and it was a challenge for everyone. So now there is a small fee for most activities. In this way there is an incentive to show up at the activity.
With patience and perseverance at the end the work paid and our concept “Day 1 = race / Day 2 = visit” is now popular and understood by the community!
New initiatives for a better future
In conclusion, the trail running events discussed here are leading the way in making the sport more sustainable by integrating social, economic, and environmental practices. From using trains to reach race locations to investing in trail restoration and promoting sustainable tourism, these initiatives show how trail running can positively impact both nature and local communities. By supporting and participating in such events, we help protect the trails we love and contribute to a more sustainable future for the sport and the environment.
“Founder of the VVX” [ga1]
