Image caption:

Julija Krautberger (left) and Nora Leszczynski (right) present Jake Catterall with a T-shirt bearing the message #runthechange. (c) CIPRA International

Endurance athlete Jake Catterall is running the Via Alpina across the Alps. His goal: to set the first distance record on the renovated red route that covers 2,000 kilometres and 100,000 metres of altitude. “That's about 50 marathons and 12.5 times the height of Mount Everest”, explains Catterall, who is currently running through Vorarlberg and Liechtenstein on his way to Switzerland. The Via Alpina leads from Feldkirch/A to the Gafadura hut, then over the Fürstensteig to Sücka, down to Vaduz/LI and through the city centre on to Sargans/CH. The CIPRA International office in Liechtenstein is also home to the Via Alpina secretariat.

“We think what Jake is doing is great – after all, he wants to use activities like this to encourage others to have more confidence in themselves”, says Via Alpina coordinator Nora Leszczynski, who cheered Jake on along the way. “We therefore presented him with a T-shirt with the message ‘Run the change’, in line with Via Alpina's message to walk the path of change towards a sustainable future together – or even run it!” Catterall is documenting his unique run along the Via Alpina on social media. “The huts along the way make the Via Alpina unique”, says Catterall during his break in Feldkirch/A on Friday. Without these huts, the amazing people there and the fantastic team accompanying him, this project would not be possible.

The Via Alpina, the long-distance hiking trail across the Alps

Well-signposted, safe hiking trails from Trieste/I to Monaco: this is the Via Alpina long-distance transalpine hiking trail – an implementation project of the Alpine Convention for over two decades now – which runs like a thread through all eight Alpine countries and which, as of this year, has a new website that simplifies individual tour planning and offers information on the Via Alpina project, as well as providing numerous testimonials from hikers. A hike along the Via Alpina makes Alpine-wide challenges such as the climate crisis and overtourism tangible. At the same time, hikers can expect unique experiences along the way as well as impressive natural, cultural and linguistic diversity. “Supporting the local economy, cross-border exchanges between Alpine countries and further development of sustainable tourism – these are the core values of the Via Alpina, which celebrates its 25^th anniversary in 2025”, Leszczynski explains.

Via Alpina: www.via-alpina.org | www.instagram.com/viaalpina/  

Trail runner Jake Catterrall: www.jakecatterall.com | www.instagram.com/jakecatterall/  

Enquiries should be addressed to:

Nora Leszczynski, Coordinator of Via Alpina, +423 237 53 53, [email protected]