The Challenge

"The Big Alps Run is an inspired and quite incredible ambition - my very

best wishes for what will be a gruelling physical and mental feat"

- Mark Beaumont
(world record-breaking cyclist)

The Route

The idea is simple, to run across the Alpine mountain range from east to west, Vienna to Nice. The route will take me through Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Leichenstein, Italy and France linking local footpaths, major walking routes and mountain passes. I have produced a Google map of the route - have a look here.

Day-to-Day
As on the British Isles Challenge, the plan will be to get up each morning and go! I will be travelling solo and lightweight, carrying my tent, cooking stove, sleeping bag and everything else in a rucksack. The lightweight tent and equipment mean my pack weight adds up to around 8 - 10kg, which is heavy but not unmanageable.

The Schedule

The aim of the challenge is to complete the 1,000 (ish) miles in around 35 days. In order to achieve this I have a daily schedule and a plan of the route for each day, and planned starting and finishing points. 30 miles a day might not sound a lot, but with alpine terrain and 10kg on my back I don't think there will be too many short days!

On challenges and long races in the past I have found a schedule very useful. It's very easy to start too fast, tire yourself out more than necessary and slow down without realising it towards the end.

You can have a look at the schedule here.