Running difficult mountain trails in the Pyrenees
May 10–17, 2027 · 8 days
May 10–17, 2027
8 days
Up to 13 participants
Trail Running
What I’ll take you through
The morning air is cool in Benasque. You lace up your shoes. The Aneto massif stands tall above you, quiet…
Read the full brief
The morning air is cool in Benasque. You lace up your shoes. The Aneto massif stands tall above you, quiet and huge. This is where we start.
I'm Dioni. I live in Innsbruck, and I train on the Nordkette mountains every day. I run trails for a living, and the Pyrenees are some of my favourite hills to move through. Over seven days, you'll join a team here, and we'll run together through wild, high country.
We ease in with a route in Estibafreda, fifteen kilometres with 1,200 metres of climb. Then a soft day in the Posets-Maladeta park, with lunch in town and a free afternoon in Aínsa. From there it gets bigger. We run the Añisclo sector of Ordesa and Monte Perdido, seventeen kilometres and 1,000 metres up. Then the Pineta sector, another long, steep day. I won't hide it. This is hard. Your legs will burn on the climbs, and the descents will test you too.
But the views pay you back. High peaks. Deep canyons. Long ridges that seem to run forever. A UIMLA guide runs with us the whole way, watching the weather and the ground. If you stay for the Ultra days, we cross the Cotiella massif, taste local food, and cook a Spanish dinner together at a rural house.
At the end, you'll sit down tired and full. Boots by the door. The last light on the peaks. The quiet hum of a body that worked hard and loved it.
I'll take you through it.
Dioni is on the same trail as you every day — out front, firing you up, and getting the group through the difficult bits together.
Difficult on purpose.
These days are meant to be difficult. They're the ones you talk about for years — and you get through them together.
Apply to join the team.
We pick the team carefully — attitude and fitness both matter — so everyone on the trail belongs there and is ready for the difficult days.
The moment
Day four. We reach the top of the Añisclo Canyon trail, legs burning from the climb. You look out and see the wild cliffs and forests of Ordesa below, and everyone’s grinning because we made it together.
Before you go
This doesn't start on day one. When you join the team you get a training plan for the weeks before, coaching to get you ready, and a team space to meet the people you'll go with. By the time you arrive, you'll know you can do it.
Apply to join
We read every application. Small group — and I want to get the group right. If this sounds like you, apply below.
How the week builds
Day 1
Day 1 starts easy. I will meet you at Barcelona airport and take you to Benasque. We ride together through the roads that lead into the Pyrenees. You will settle in at Hostal El Pilar and rest your legs. No running today. Just quiet mountains waiting outside your window, and the big days still to come.
Day 2
Day two, we head to Cerler. Then we run Estibafreda together. It is 15 km, with 1,200 m up and 1,200 m back down. Big effort, big legs. But the Aneto massif spreads out wide before you, and the views make each hard step worth it. That night, we rest at Hostal El Pilar.
Day 3
Day 3 is our easy one. We drive from Benasque to Llanos del Hospital. Then we run in the Posets-Maladeta Natural Park (14 km, +450 m, -450 m). We eat lunch in Benasque. Later we drive to Aínsa, and your afternoon is free to wander the old streets. Quiet stone lanes at dusk.
Day 4
Day 4 starts with a transfer from Aínsa to Añisclo Canyon. We run in Ordesa and Monte Perdido National Park, the Añisclo sector. It is 17 km, with +1,000 m up and -1,000 m down. Hard, honest work. Then we drive to Bielsa and rest at Hotel Monte Perdido. Tired legs, deep canyon, quiet dusk.
Day 5
Day 5 is our last run together. We drive to Espierba, then hit the Pineta sector in Ordesa and Monte Perdido. It is 15 km, up 1,070 m and back down. Steep and honest work. After, we head to Bielsa for a farewell dinner. Tired legs, full plates, and the mountains still in your eyes.
Day 6
Day 6 splits the team. If you joined the Core group, you'll share breakfast, then transfer to Barcelona Airport. If you're staying for the Ultra, we drive to Chistau and run an easy 10 km through the Cotiella Massif, with 800 m up and down. We'll taste local food, then head to Gistaín. A barbecue waits under the stars.
Day 7
Day 7 is our last full day. We run in the Posets-Maladeta Natural Park. It's 19 km, with 1,200 m up and 950 m down. Long legs, big climbs, and views that pull you on. Back at the house, we cook traditional Spanish dishes together. One last meal, tired legs, full plates.
Day 8
Day 8 is soft. You will wake slow. Eat a good breakfast at the house. Then we pack up and drive back to Barcelona. No big climb today, no long trail. Just the last miles together in the van. You will still feel the Pyrenees in your legs as we roll home.