Luxury Wellness Hotels | Mindful Running | Challenging Mountain Trails | Meadows and Wildflowers | Spa + Pampering | Gourmet Italian Food
Book July 6 - 12, 2020Be prepared for some of the most breathtaking trails you’ve ever run (due to their beauty and elevation) while being pampered in some of the most luxurious four-star hotels of Sud-Tyrol. You’ll run the trails of the Pale Mountains, as the Dolomites are known, a UNESCO World Heritage Site preserved for its stunning natural beauty with an amazing group of women who, like you, run because of how it makes them feel.
There’s something about running the mountains that feeds the soul. Perhaps it’s the grandeur of soaring peaks or the vastness of the landscape that can shift your perspective about things that are happening in your life. In a place like the Dolomites, those seemingly big problems become minuscule when compared to these vertical limestone mountains.
Every run will be completely different as we explore different natural parks within the Alta Badia region of the Dolomites. At times, we’ll use gondolas to access the valley’s upper elevations in order to maximize our rewards (and views!) while running sections of the area’s most famous trails, the Alta Via 1 and 2. This is a challenging retreat best suited to those with some trail-running experience.
Day 1 | Venice Arrivals and Retreat Opening
We ask that you book your flight to arrive before noon, otherwise arrive the day before. We will rendez-vous at the Venice Marco Polo Airport at 12:30 p.m., then meet our driver for the 4-hour drive to San Vigilio di Marebbe. Upon arrival, we will check into our rooms and have some time to freshen up before we convene for the Official Retreat Opening Meet and Greet followed by dinner.
Overnight in San Vigilio di Marebbe.
No run today.
Day 2 | San Vigilio Forest Run
After breakfast at the hotel, we will meet for our first group trail run of approximately 7 miles on a mix of trail types around San Vigilio, from forested paths to rolling singletrack. We’ll have our first Natural Running Form Clinic that will cover key postural tips that you can practice throughout the week. We’ll finish back in the village in time for lunch and in the heart San Vigilio, followed by free time to enjoy the spa, following by our first Wellness Workshop before dinner at the hotel. Overnight in San Vigilio di Marebbe.
Run: 7 miles
Day 3 | San Vigilio to Corvara (Alta Via 1)
After breakfast at the hotel, we’ll check out of our rooms and set aside the luggage for transfer to our next hotel. At 9:30 a.m., we’ll take a 20-minute bus ride to Pederü, where we’ll have our first trail running technique clinic, then begin an adventurous 10-mile point-to-point high alpine run along the Alta Via 1 trail through the Fanes Plateau. Most of our uphill gain is in the first 1.5 to 2 hours of today’s run, so we’ll hike sections of it until we reach the plateau’s gently rolling terrain. After descending a series of switchbacks, we’ll hop on the bus for a 35-minute ride to our hotel in Corvara. We’ll arrive at mid-afternoon, at which time you are free to explore the village before dinner. Overnight in Corvara.
Run: 10 miles (2,800 feet of elevation gain + 2,234 feet of elevation loss)
Day 4 | Corvara to Pralongia
After breakfast at the hotel, we will meet for a workshop on mindful breathing and how it helps us lower stress and run more efficiently. After the workshop, we take the Col Alt Gondola up to the starting point for today’s point-to-point “recovery” run of around 7 or 8 miles. Today’s run is at a lower elevation on relatively smooth footpaths, so we can gaze out at the mountains without having to watch the footing so closely. We’ll enjoy a rolling route that takes us to Utia Pralongia before the long descent to Corvara, finishing at our hotel. After lunch at a pizzaria in the village, enjoy some free time to explore the town or enjoy a spa treatment. We’ll reconvene for our second Wellness Workshop, followed by dinner. Overnight in Corvara.
Run: 7 miles
Day 5 | Corvara to Val Gardena (Alta Via 2)
After breakfast, pack your luggage and set it aside for transfer to Selva. Then we’ll drive up to Passo Gardena, where we’ll begin today’s 11-mile run along the Alta Via 2 trail. This high-alpine singletrack trail takes us through a barren rocky landscape surrounded by limestone peaks and features a long, steep descent down a narrow rocky trail to the beautiful, lush green Val Lungia. The last portion of today’s run is a beautiful descent through the Val Lungia along a smooth, easy trail that will take us straight to our hotel in Selva. After checking into our rooms, enjoy some free time to explore the village, enjoy the spa and relax before dinner. Overnight in Selva.
Run: 11 miles (2,400 feet elevation gain + 4,201 feet elevation loss)
Alternate run: Take the gondola down to Selva and do an easier out-and-back run along the flat, gravel path trails of the Vallunga Langetal with relatively little elevation change.
Day 6 | Parco Natural Puez-Odle
After breakfast, we’ll board the bus and have a 10-minute bus ride to St. Christina where we take the gondola to Col Raiser. Here we enjoy a 5-mile loop through the beautiful green pastures of Parco Nautral Puez Odle. At the 5-mile point, you can choose to take the gondola back down and hop on the bus to the hotel, or run down the mountain for 3 miles, finishing at our hotel. We’ll enjoy a pizza lunch followed by some free time to relax, enjoy the spa or shop before dinner. Overnight in Selva.
Run: 5 or 8 miles (The longer option features 1,503 feet elevation gain + 3,258 feet of elevation loss)
Day 7 | Retreat Closing and Transfer to Venice
This morning we have an optional recovery run of about 3 or 4 miles along the valley floor (no big climbs today!), followed by breakfast from 8 to 9 a.m.. After breakfast, we’ll have our official Retreat Closing Meeting. After checking out of your hotel room and loading your luggage into the van, at 11 a.m. we board the van for our private transfer to the airport, arriving at the Venice Marco Polo Airport around 4:00 p.m.. From the airport, check in for your flight departure, or if you booked additional hotel nights in Venice, take a shuttle, bus or taxi to your hotel.
Optional Run: 3 – 4 miles along valley floor
Note: the mileage listed here is for your reference only. While we always aim to follow the same routes, the actual mileage run on the retreat may vary by 10% or more. These variations may be necessary due to changes to trail routes, weather conditions, guide recommendations and other safety considerations.
Wellness Workshops
Part I: Stress and Runners
Where does your energy go? Do you ever feel too tired to run? Do you ever feel so overwhelmed at the prospect of starting a training plan that you give up before you’ve begun? Do your long runs or hard workouts so wiped out that you’re pretty much useless the rest of the day? Discover what feeds your energy and what depletes your energy and how to stop the energy leaks.
Part II: Mitigating the Effects of Stress
How do you know if you're doing enough to build your fitness and reach your goals, but not so much that you're becoming depleted and at risk of over extending yourself? You’ll design your own mindful running practice that will allow you to fulfill your goals and run with confidence. Discover how mindful breathing improves your running efficiency and dial down the stress response in any situation.
Part III: Values Inform Intentions
Running is an important part of your personal self-care routine, and yet, it can be so hard to prioritize sometimes. Fulfilling your potential is about living in alignment with your values. These mindful intention-setting exercises allows you to align your approach to running with you values around wellness, self care and fitness. Come away with a clear approach to balancing health with life's demands.
Natural Running Form Clinics
Part I: Power Posture
Use proper alignment to make gravity do more of the work. This reduces the muscular force involved with running so it feels easier and less strenuous on muscles and joints.
Part II: Focus on Efficiency
Use natural running techniques to drastically improve efficiency. You'll practice changing stride length, cadence and tempo on various types of terrain.
Part III: Find Flow
Put the pieces together to achieve the ultimate trail running experience. Learn to cultivate the circumstances for flow to occur by being relaxed and mindful.
Participant Photos + Testimonials
About Your Retreat Leader, Kirsten Horning
Kirsten is a well-traveled, well-read runner with a background in teaching and an itch to share her passion for the outdoors with others. She has a Masters in Educational Leadership and Human Resources and a Bachelors’ Degree in German. Kirsten worked for Outward Bound as an instructor and course director for six years, during which she led mountaineering courses through the Sierra and Rocky Mountains.
Her love of connecting with different people and places has led her to live two years in Germany, and travel extensively from Nepal to Guatemala to Hawaii and many places in between. She loves running for its simplicity, the deep sense of community it can facilitate, and the ways in which she has witnessed running help her and others grow. Kirsten believes people must reach deep within themselves in physically demanding situations to find a sense of purpose, personal motivation and strength. She lives and runs in Telluride, Colorado with her husband and three children.
About Your 7-Day, 6-Night Retreat Package:
Group Size: Max 14 | Package Per Person $4,600 | Package Per Person $4,995 | Deposit Amount: $900 | Duration: 7 Days | Running Level: Level III |
• Six nights’ accommodation in luxurious four-star Wellness Hotels
• Daily access to wellness spa facilities
• Daily breakfasts and gourmet dinners
• Some lunches
• Daily trail runs with professional guides and retreat leader
• Private motorcoach transportation to/from the Venice Marco Polo Airport
• Wellness Workshops
• Natural Trail Running technique clinics
• Trail snacks/energy food
• Gondola and bus tickets
• Luggage transfer between hotels
• Run Wild Retreats souvenirs
• Comprehensive Retreat Planning Guide
- Flights
- Some alcoholic drinks
- Spa treaments
- Other incidentals
- Guide gratuity
- Some ground transportation
- Travel/cancellation insurance
- Anything else not listed under “What’s Included”
Accommodations
The retreat package includes single- or double-occupancy rooms (two beds) in luxurious four-star hotels. All of the hotels include private bathrooms, free wifi, on-site restaurants and spa access. You may purchase spa treatments for an additional fee. You may request a roommate (if you are traveling with a friend), otherwise we will pair you with another solo traveler. We spend two nights in each hotel, and rotate roommate assignments.
Planning Your Travel
Information to come
This retreat is rated Level III. This means it’s suitable for you if:
- You’re comfortable running/hiking six days in a row for around 4 to 5 hours (including hiking sections, water breaks and photo ops).
- You are physically able to hike long uphills and steep downhills on rocky terrain.
- You have experience running on mountain trails.
- You’re OK with running/hiking on trails with loose dirt, rocks and some muddy sections.
- You’re comfortable on high and exposed, and at times narrow, trails.
- You’re game for running in the rain (don’t worry about what to wear; we provide you with a comprehensive packing list).
- You don’t mind sharing a room (single travelers are matched with roommates).
- You have (or are willing to acquire before the retreat) trail running shoes.
July 6 - 12, 2020
Save your spot with a deposit of $900
Save $150 when you book before August 31, 2019
THE ENVIRONMENT
The Dolomites, also known as the “Pale Mountains,”, are a mountain range in the northern Italian Alps covering an area that is shared by the provinces of Belluno, Bolzano, Trento, Udine, and Pordenone. The Dolomite region is characterized by jagged peaks and ridges with scenic valleys nestled in between. The Dolomites is comprised of several natural parks and protected areas that collectively became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2009 to officially recognize it as “among one of the most beautiful mountain landscapes in the world.”
THE ELEVATION
Our runs take place generally between 5,000 feet and 9,000 in elevation on well-established trails. All runners–not only those coming from sea level–find it necessary to adjust their running pace to account for the elevation. We have accounted for this slower pace in our allotted run times, giving you plenty of time to run and hike at the speed that suits you best.
THE WEATHER
July is the warmest month of the year here, with daytime temperatures usually between 50 and 70 degrees. However, since we’re in the mountains, weather can change rapidly, so we’ll want to have light rain jackets with us in case of some precipitation.
THE FOOD
We’ll dine daily on traditional Ladin/Italian dishes that showcases the Italian’s passion for fresh, delicious food. Some local favorites include Tris di Canederli (three different flavors of farm-style dumplings), speck, a type of cured ham similar to prosciutto specific to South Tyrol, polenta, the “bread of the Dolomites,” and of course, apfelstrudel, an Italian-style apple strudel. Even though menus are heavy on breads, pastas and meat, gluten free and vegetarians will find satisfying alternatives.
THE LANGUAGE
Local residents speak different languages: German is spoken in the north and northwest; Italian in the south; and Ladin in the central area – in the four valleys that branch off the Sella Massif (Val di Fassa, Val Gardena, Val Badia and Livinallongo) – and in Ampezzo. For this reason, you’ll notice the villages, mountains and other landmarks have three or more different names.