of the countryside and open spaces. You can camp or stay at hostels, bothies, hotels, bunkhouses and guesthouses. On European walking routes you will usually find fantastic networks of mountain huts and budget walkers’ accommodation, making them an excellent choice for fastpacking.
The UK has many national trails that are perfect for fastpacking trips
Another great resource is the Long Distance Walkers Association. Their website gives information on over 1500 long-distance routes in the UK, with links to books, maps and accommodation. For a small annual fee, as a member, you also get access to events and newsletters. See www.ldwa.org.uk
Ultra-marathon race routes
The routes of ultra-marathon races make a great choice for fastpacking trips and their route maps and GPX files are usually available on event organiser websites. Often competitors will use fastpacking as a way of training and doing a route ‘recce’. An advantage of these is that the race route is likely to be very runnable – although there won’t necessarily be much accommodation available along the way.
Top tip
Whether designing your own route or following an existing trail, choose a schedule that leaves room for adventure and taking in the views. It’s not a race!
Key considerations when choosing a route
Distance
What is the total distance of this route? What daily mileage is realistic and achievable? How long do you want to be out for each day? Some people like to start early and finish in the early afternoon, giving them plenty of time to refuel, recover and perhaps wash their gear. You might simply choose to run a standard walking stage each day, giving you more time to stop at cafés, enjoy the views and explore in comparison to walking; while more experienced runners may opt for full 12-hour days in the mountains. It’s a personal choice, to be decided by factoring in all information about the route.
Height gain and loss
What is the total daily ascent and descent? This is critical to how far you can cover each day. In fastpacking you will be generally walking the climbs and running the descents and flats and this is how you gain time compared to walking, thus allowing you to go further. But if your route is exceptionally hilly, with lots of steep climbs, technical descents and little flat, you may find that it’s impossible to run and you will actually be no quicker than a hiker.
Following a balcony path on the Grande Traversata delle Alpi, Italy
Difficulty of the terrain
This is crucial to your safety and also how far you can realistically travel in a day. How technical is the terrain? Will you be on smooth, easy, well-made trails that are easy to run on? Will rocky, rough ground slow you down on the flat? Does a steep, technical descent mean you won’t be able to run downhill? Will there be river crossings that slow you down or require a lengthy diversion? Again, very technical terrain means that you may not be able to do much running.
Some routes include scrambling and exposure, which you may not be happy doing, especially in running shoes and certainly not without previous experience. On many Alpine routes there may be trails with via ferrata, or aided and assisted sections using ropes and ladders. In fastpacking you won’t be in the same gear as a hiker and these could be treacherous in running shoes and without the right equipment. Read all available information about a route carefully and decide if it’s within your capability.
Always check what terrain to expect and whether it’s within your capability (Passo di Ciotto Mieu, Italian Alps)
Top tips
Research and plan your route thoroughly and understand its technical difficulty.
If considering a mountainous route, read a guidebook beforehand, using a highlighter to pick out technical sections. Consider these carefully before making a final route choice. Partway through a multi-day mountain trip is too late to discover that there are sections of route that you are not equipped for or sufficiently experienced to undertake.
Be flexible. There is no shame in missing out sections and using public transport to connect up more runnable, scenic and interesting sections.
Identify escape points where you can leave a route if necessary.
Plan for recoverable daily efforts. On any multi-day trip, aim to be just as strong on the last as you were on the first day.
Navigation
Although spending time navigating may slow your running pace, it’s easy to overshoot and miss a turn when running, so it’s worth stopping regularly to check your location. Always carry a map and compass and know how to use them. A good navigator will always have these to hand, rather than in their pack. Ensure you are competent in navigating in poor conditions.
Always know where you are on the map when following a route. It’s easy to forget to check this while you’re caught up in the flow of running, but you don’t want to suddenly reach a path junction and wonder where you are. While you’re running it can be difficult to keep track of your position and this will mean you need to re-find your location each time you look at the map. To get around this, a good technique to use is ‘thumbing the map’. This simply means always having your thumb next to your current position on the map and moving it along the route, as you compare map features to the observed terrain, while you run.
Obviously, night navigation experience is a bonus if you’re caught late on the trails due to unforeseen circumstances. In these situations, you should also act with risk aversion in mind and try to find the easiest route to navigate – for example by switching to quiet roads rather than mountain paths to get to your destination.
Always factor in navigation when estimating your running pace
Mobile phones and GPS devices
There are, on the market, countless GPS devices, including GPS watches that can navigate for you. There are also many useful GPS apps available for smartphones – if you’re buying one, choose a product that lets you download maps so you can view them offline. These apps will locate your position on a map even if you have no mobile coverage; this can be useful for cross-checking your location. A very popular GPS app is Viewranger – www.viewranger.com – which runs on both iOS and Android devices and can be downloaded from the Apple App Store or Google Play.
Don’t rely solely on electronic equipment for navigation as it can fail, or you may find you are unable to charge your device on your trip. A good rule is to treat a smartphone as an emergency device. Be aware that batteries run down more quickly in the cold. Always use a waterproof cover. Keep your device safe in a pocket in a waterproof bag, in airplane mode, with no apps running in the background to conserve battery life. Rely on your own navigation skills.
Safety
The most important thing a runner will take on
