It's one of the most common questions we get before someone books their first trip with us: What's actually included? It's a fair question. The words "guided trail running holiday" cover a lot of ground depending on who's running the trip. All of our trips are fully guided and fully supported. Most are fully catered — on our Himalayan, Albanian, Georgian and Uzbekistan trips that means full board throughout. On our European trips, all meals are included on running days, with evenings typically your own to explore.
I've been guiding with Pure Trails since 2023. I've taken guests across Albania, Mallorca, the Dolomites, Georgia and the Isle of Man. So let me tell you, as specifically as I can, what a Pure Trails trip actually includes — and what it doesn't.
The short answer: almost everything
What's covered from the moment you landPure Trails trips are fully inclusive packages. That means from the moment you arrive at the designated meeting point, we take care of the logistics so you can focus entirely on the running and the experience. Here's what that looks like in practice:
// Included
- All accommodation throughout the trip
- Guided running on every trail day
- All in-destination transfers and transport
- Breakfast daily, most dinners
- Lunches on trail days
- Route planning and safety briefings
- Expert local knowledge and navigation
- Group kit and first aid support
- Pre-trip planning support and trip guide
- Full itinerary and day-by-day schedule
// Not Included
- International flights to destination
- Travel insurance (required)
- Personal running kit and gear
- Alcoholic drinks
- Personal spending money
The not-included list is short by design. We want the trip to feel effortless from your end. The only things you're managing yourself are the things that are genuinely personal — your flights, your insurance, your own kit.
"The most common thing guests say on day one is: I didn't realise how much you took care of. That's exactly the point."— Matt Rogers · Guide, Pure Trails Adventure
What guiding actually means
It's more than showing you where to runThis is the part people underestimate most. When we say "fully guided," we don't mean someone runs 200 metres ahead of you with a flag. Guiding on a Pure Trails trip means we manage the entire day around the group — and specifically, around each individual in it.
Before every run day I'll have already recce'd the route, checked conditions, identified any technical sections that need briefing, and planned two or three contingency options if the weather changes or someone's having a hard day. During the run, I'm reading the group constantly. Who's going too hard too early. Who's quieter than yesterday. Who needs encouragement and who needs space.
The trails we run are genuinely special — ridgelines with views that stop you in your tracks, descents that demand your full attention, and enough elevation to make you work for what you find at the top. That's the point. But challenge is only good when it's managed well. Our job is to make sure everyone in the group finishes each day proud of what they've done, not destroyed by it.
On a typical run day in Albania, we'll start with a full briefing — terrain, elevation, estimated time, what to carry. We'll have a lead guide at the front setting pace and a sweep guide at the back. Nobody gets left behind, nobody gets lost, and nobody runs further than they should. The day is calibrated to the group, not the plan.
We also carry a full first aid kit on every run, and have detailed emergency protocols and risk assessments in place for every destination. Tricky situations are rare — but when you're deep in the mountains, having a guide who knows exactly what to do and has planned for every eventuality is what separates a well-run trip from a stressful one. That infrastructure is invisible when everything goes well — which it almost always does — but it's always there.
Accommodation and meals
What to expect when you're off the trailWe choose accommodation carefully. On a Pure Trails trip you won't be in generic chain hotels — we use locally owned guesthouses, mountain refuges, boutique hotels and characterful properties that feel like part of the destination rather than a place to sleep and leave. Part of what makes the trip feel like a genuine adventure rather than a package holiday is staying somewhere that has a story.
All meals are included on every running day. On our Himalayan, Albanian, Georgian and Uzbekistan trips that means full board throughout — breakfast, lunch and dinner from day one to the last. On our European trips, all meals on running days are included, with evenings typically your own to explore the local towns and villages at your own pace.
Those evening meals — whether at the guesthouse table or a restaurant we've pre-arranged — are genuinely some of the best moments of any trip. The day's run behind you, proper food in front of you, and a table full of people who've just been through something together.
We ask about dietary requirements before every trip and do everything we can to accommodate them. Remote mountain destinations have limitations, but we've successfully catered for vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and various allergies across all our destinations. Tell us in advance and we'll sort it.
"The evening meals are often when the trip really happens. The running bonds a group — but it's around a dinner table that the stories come out."— Matt Rogers · Guide, Pure Trails Adventure
What a typical trip day looks like
From morning briefing to evening mealPeople often ask what the rhythm of a trip day actually feels like. Here's an honest account from a recent Albania departure:
Proper fuel before a run day. Local bread, eggs, cheese, fruit. Coffee. Time to check kit, ask questions, get into the headspace.
Full route rundown — terrain, elevation profile, key landmarks, weather, what to carry. Any technical sections flagged. Questions answered.
Lead and sweep guides in position. Pace set for the group. Regular stops at viewpoints and summits — not just for rest, but because the views are half the point.
Wherever the route takes us — a village, a refugio, a ridge with a view. Lunch is included and pre-arranged, so all you need to think about is the view.
Showers, kit sorted, feet up. Time to recover properly before the evening.
Included meal, usually at a local restaurant or the guesthouse. This is where the day gets processed, the stories get told, and the group becomes a group.
Who is this actually for?
You don't need to be an ultra runnerThis is important. A guided trail running holiday is not an elite event. We are not selecting for performance. The guests who come on Pure Trails trips range from seasoned ultra runners to people who've never set foot on a mountain trail in their life. What they share is not athletic ability — it's a willingness to show up, push themselves, and be somewhere extraordinary.
The guiding model is specifically designed to make that possible. We calibrate every day to the group. Stronger runners don't drag others through — we manage pace and groupings so that everyone is working hard relative to their own level, not someone else's.
Over 90% of our guests travel solo. Most arrive not knowing a single person in the group. By day two, that's never been the case. The combination of shared challenge, shared landscape, and shared meals does something to a group of strangers that's genuinely difficult to manufacture any other way.
You should be comfortable running or run-hiking for 4–6 hours with significant elevation gain. You don't need to be fast. You do need to be consistent. If you can complete a long weekend run and feel good the next morning, you're ready for most of our trips. We'll always advise on specific destinations if you're unsure.
The question people don't ask but should
What happens when things don't go to plan?Weather changes. Bodies have bad days. Trails get rerouted. This is mountain running — the environment is part of what makes it extraordinary, and part of what makes it unpredictable.
What a well-run guided trip gives you that a self-guided trip doesn't is contingency. Every Pure Trails guide carries multiple route options for every day. If the weather comes in on the high ridge, we're not standing there hoping for the best — we have an alternative already planned and briefed.
If someone picks up an injury or isn't feeling their best, the group carries on as normal — nobody's day is affected. What we do is work with that person to find the best version of their day instead. A rest day at the guesthouse. A scenic drive to meet the group at the finish. A gentler hike on a lower trail. The trip doesn't stop — it just adapts, and that person is still part of the experience.
This is the thing that's hardest to put in a brochure but makes the most practical difference. The value of a guide isn't just navigation. It's judgement. It's experience. It's the difference between a hard day that you talk about with pride for years, and a hard day that genuinely goes wrong.
Download the Pure Trails Adventure Guide 2026
13 destinations · Full trip inclusions · What to expect · How to prepare