The adventure begins with an early afternoon group pickup in Venice and immediate transfer to San Martino di Castrozza, a small village on the southern edge of the Dolomites and our base for the next few days. We’ll get settled into our cozy lodge at the foot of those soaring limestone peaks and then stretch our legs with a stroll over to the local vinoteca for apertivo and a chance to get to know each other. That evening we’ll tuck into the first of many spectacular dinners to come at the family-run ristorante located right at our lodge and get all of the details for our first run - happening tomorrow morning!

Running: No planned run
Meals: D (dinner) included

You came to the Dolomites to do big things, so let’s just jump right in! Our mission today (after indulging in one of the most impressive breakfast spreads in all of Italy) is Cima Rosetta, the local classic that is reached directly from town. The distance might not look like much, but this is a steep and occasionally exposed route that will light your lungs, your calves and your sense of wonder on fire - expect to be hiking most, if not all, of it!

Once we’ve reached the moonscape of a summit we’ll descend a short ways to the mountain hut where we’ll enjoy a hearty lunch and eventually head back to town by way of the gondola (oops, did we not mention that option on the way up?). That afternoon you’ll have some free time to rest, wander or do a bonus hike before another wonderful sunset dinner together.

Running/Hiking: 5 mi / 8km, 4000 ft / 1200 m gain; single track mountain trail with exposure towards the top
Meals: BLD included

Legs cooked from yesterday? Then you’ll love what we’ve got for you today! After breakfast we’ll pack up and head up the road to Passo Rolle, the start line of a pleasantly runnable loop through a bucolic valley surrounded by the imposing walls of the Pale di San Martino range. The run finishes at an alpine hut atop a lush plateau where we’ll be treated to a lunch featuring the very local cheeses that this particular family - and their happy cows grazing nearby - is known for. Once sated we’ll take a relaxed walk down to the vans and from there head deeper into the mountains for the quintessential Dolomiti experience - a night spent in a rifugio! We’ll jump on the chairlift with our overnight essentials, get settled into our bunk rooms and enjoy an evening spent amongst the spectacular stone spires of Cinque Torri.

Running: 9 mi / 15km, 1600 ft / 500m gain; dirt road & single track trail
Walking: 1.5 mi / 2.5km walk to vans after lunch
Meals: BLD included

Enjoy a relaxed breakfast and a slower start to the day (though waking up for sunrise is highly encouraged!) before beginning today’s run, a technical loop from our front door that takes in the iconic Cinque Torri formations and offers arguably the most spectacular scenery yet! Finish with a hearty lunch back at our rifugio before heading to Cortina, the best-known resort town of the Italian Alps. We’ll get settled at a boutique hotel right in the center of town and enjoy some downtime before re-grouping for another delectable dining experience at a family farm on the outskirts of town.

Running: 6 mi / 10 km, 2300 ft / 700m gain; single track trail
Meals: BLD included

Chances are that several days of mountain miles will have begun to catch up to you, but don’t give in yet - we’ve got a BIG day today with something for everyone! Expect an initial ascent, grin-inducing singletrack flow with towering views of the Marmolada glacier, a steep, loose descent, pleasant forested river trails and a final stretch of forest road that will lead you through an idyllic valley and up a surprising grind of a final climb.

The destination is another hut lunch, this one known for artisan dairy products (and the best polenta yet!) and for the fact that you have to work to get there - no vehicles are allowed in this valley. That of course means that we’ll have a nice long walk after our meal to stretch the legs; upon reaching the vans we’ll head back to Cortina for a free evening where you’ll be free to explore and choose your own dinner spot.

Running: 12 miles / 20km, 2600 ft / 800m gain, 3300 ft / 1000m descent; flowy & technical single track trail, gravel roads and even a touch of pavement
Walking: 3 miles / 5km walk to the vans after lunch
Meals: BL included (dinner is oyo)

Is it possible to be newly impressed by the scenery after everything that we’ve already seen? It is!

The final run of the trip will cover one of the most iconic hiking routes in the Dolomites and while it may not exactly be off the beaten track, it cannot be missed. You’ll be treated to some rolling hills - we are in the mountains after all! - but overall it’s a runnable route that your legs will welcome after the type of terrain that we’ve covered the past few days (and of course we have a bonus option available for those who aren’t tired enough yet). The run finishes at - you guessed it! - a mountain hut serving some of the best goulash we’ve ever had, which we’ll sample plenty of. Once everyone is finished, fed and ready to go we’ll hike the final couple of kilometers back to our vehicles and head back to our base in Cortina to clean up and relax. That evening we’ll head just out of town for a final dinner that you won’t soon forget!

Running: 7-10 miles / 12-16 km, 1600-3000 ft / 720-1000m gain; dirt road and single track trail
Walking: 1.5 mi / 2.5 km walk to vans after lunch
Meals: BLD included

We know, we know, it came too fast! While hearts and minds surely won’t be ready to leave yet, your legs will certainly be ready for a well-deserved break. We’ll wake up for one last breakfast together before packing up and transferring back to Venice to catch flights or connect to further travel.

Running: no scheduled run (but easy to get some early miles if you wish!)
Meals: B included