Living at the foot of the Atlas Mountains here in Morocco, I have begun a new adventure of combining my professional work with my addiction to hill running. Professionally, I am trained and experienced at leading treks at altitude and the difficulties this might entail. A few years ago I realised the joy and adrenaline rush which comes from runningg a route which would normally be a whole day’s walk in the hills. Now I am finally managing to combine the two – by running at altitude.

Over the past couple of months in Morocco I have done a few trail and hill runs which have taken me above the 2000m height, where the effects of altitude typically begin to be felt. Here are some personal reflections and tips on the process of adapting one’s love of running to a high-altitude environment. The highest i have gone so far is up to the Toubkal Refuges (3200m) from Imlil (1700m).  The altitude is really noticeable on the last few kilometers of approach. I’m hoping one day to run Toubkal itself – I was sorely tempted the other day, but my wife would have been really mad at me for not being back for lunch as promised!

1. No time to adjust – This goes without saying really but its good to be aware of. Trekking at altitude requires you gaining height and then sleeping somewhere higher each night so that your body has time to adapt to the thinner air. The old adage of “climb high, sleep low” ensures the greatest chance of not getting altitude sickness. When running however one simply doesn’t have time for this! This puts you at much greater risk, so you have to be ready to abandon the run and drop back down quickly if you begin to feel the first symptoms of altitude sickness setting in.
2.  Its much harder work going uphill – Running uphill is hard, and to be honest i often find that power-walking as fast as i can is preferable to actual running. As you get into altitude this becomes even harder – every breath takes a lot of effort, and the times you break the routine of taking many small steps to leap up onto a higher rock or step will really put you out of breath! I find myself consciously trying to hyperventillate so as to get enough oxygen to my struggling muscles.
3. You notice the air thinning and thickening – Its normal on any trek into altitude to feel how much thinner the air is up there, and to feel that claustrophobic sense of thick air when you get down again. But this is far more marked when you run, especially the transition from your highest point back down to the bottom, since you can do it so fast when running. I often have a sense of regret when i get back down to the hustle of the town, the thick air and the vehicle fumes. I look back at the rarefied mountains behind me with longing to be back there where the air is thin and nature reigns supreme.
4. You notice the steepness more – Whenever the path gets reasonably flat, you cover the distance quickly. This means that you spend a proportionally longer amount of time on the steep bits where you are forced to power-walk than you would when trekking. My memory of the big runs i have done is that they are all quite steep, which is interesting as my memory of thr treks i have done n the same trails is that they are quite flat and easy!
5. People think you are mad – You will find it a common occurrence to pass a trekking group on your way up, and then pass them again a bit later on your way down (if you are not doing a circular run). Needless to say, these people think you are entirely mad! Especially the big groups, for whom this may be the hardest walk they have ever done in their lives. A couple of memorable comments come back to me: Passing a group on Snowdon – “What, so now we’re running??!?” And passing a group who were descending from the Toubkal refuge – “Wow, you got to the summit quick!” (I hadn’t, i had only been to the refuge).
6. Its a LONG way down – You never quite appreciate how high you have come until you turn around and descend. Even though you will be literally flying downhill, since the effects of altitude are barely noticed going down, it will still seem like a long long way. I find I tend to manage the descent in roughly half the time I took to ascend, which is useful to know particularly when i run in the evening and am calculating how much daylight i have left.
7. You’re in another league now – Up to this point in my adventures i had looked upon hill running as the extreme end of mountain trekking, and found it hard not to feel proud about some of the longer runs i have done. Not so any more – the kind of people i find myself talking to now are the kind of people who sniff at my goal of running a mountain marathon as something suitable for mere beginners. These are the kind of people who compete in Ultra Trails. The kind of people who laugh at me when i say i lead 10-day treks on the Tour du Mont Blanc – they run the 180km circuit in less than 24h. I have gone from being at the head of my game to being an absolute beginner at a game which is in an entirely different league. I sense an addiction beginning here – I hope my family can weather it! There’s no looking back now, the adventue of “sky-running” has only just begun!

There’s a world of adventure out there – let’s go!

DISCLAIMER – Running alone in the mountains, particularly at altitude, is an extremely dangerous sport especially in Morocco (where there is no mountain rescue). You are only one twisted ankle or mis-placed foot away from a world of pain and difficulty. I am a fully trained International Mountain Leader. I hope my blogs will be inspirational to those of you discovering the joys of the mountains, but please don’t go and do this alone without knowing what you are doing, how to navigate, telling someone where you are going, and taking adequate clothing, food and first-aid supplies for an emergency. Alternatively, hire a professional guide to take care of that side of things, so that you can just enjoy running!