The adventure begins with an early afternoon group pickup in Venice and immediate transfer to Cortina d'Ampezzo, the best-known (and arguably most beautiful) resort town of the Italian Alps and our base for the next few days. We’ll get settled into our boutique hotel right in the center of town and then stretch our legs with a stroll over to a 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 and get all of the details for our first run - happening tomorrow morning!

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

The first 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 and a great way to ease into a BIG week ahead (of course, we have a bonus option available for those who want to maximize every day). The run finishes at a small alpine 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 enjoy some downtime before a feast at a local farm on the outskirts of town.

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

Now that everyone is warmed up, it’s time for a BIG day with something for everyone! Expect an initial climb, 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)

After breakfast we will pack up and take a short drive to the start of our next run. This one begins with a climb through the forest before embarking upon a technical loop that takes in the iconic Cinque Torri formations and offers some of the most spectacular scenery of the week! Finish with a hearty lunch at a mountaintop rifugio with panoramic views, which also happens to be our home for the night - the quintessential Dolomiti experience! Our crew will transport small overnight bags for everyone, and you’ll have the afternoon and evening to soak in the scenery, explore surrounding WW1 relics and commune with fellow rifugio guests over drinks and dinner before an early bedtime.

Running: 8 mi / 13 km, 3300 ft / 1000m gain; single track trail
Meals: BLD included

Chances are that several days of mountain miles will have begun to catch up to you, in which case you’ll love what we’ve got for you today! After breakfast we’ll head down from the rifugio and take a drive to Passo Rolle, the start line of a pleasantly runnable loop through a bucolic valley surrounded by the imposing walls of the lesser-visited 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 back to the vans and from there head to San Martino di Castrozza, a small village on the southern edge of the Dolomites. We’ll get checked into our cozy lodge and have time to relax before dinner in town.

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

We hope you’ve saved something for the grand finale!

Our mission today (after indulging in one of the greatest 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 lunch before eventually heading 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 before sharing one last feast together.

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