Grand Trail: A Magnificent Journey to the Heart of Ultrarunning and Racing

Grand Trail shares the stunning beauty and raw emotions of ultrarunning, paying tribute to the passion and splendor of the sport and lifestyle. Filled with powerful photographs and intimate stories, Grand Trail portrays ultramarathon champions and their extraordinary world.

Grand Trail features the icons of ultrarunning--people, places, and races--in spectacular color and black-and-white photography by Alexis Berg. Exploring iconic courses like Western States, Hardrock, Marathon des Sables alongside personal portraits of heroes like Kilian Jornet, Emelie Forsberg, and Scott Jurek, Grand Trail is as inspiring as it is beautiful.

In its pages, Grand Trail shares the indescribable feelings that spring from running free in a wild place, alone in thought or sharing the miles with another of the tribe. The simple beauty of the task. Stunning views of the world's most beautiful trails. Faces lined with exhaustion in gritty aid stations. The unguarded gaze of a spent runner who half hears the concerned whispers of his wife. The overwhelming emotion of the finish line after countless hours of silence. The agony that melts in the relief of the finish. The dazed bliss of exhaustion. The sadness of a journey completed.

Grand Trail offers an enchanting encounter with the people, places, and emotions that make ultrarunning special:

- Intimate interviews: Kilian Jornet, Emelie Forsberg, Anna Frost, Anton Krupicka, Stephanie Howe, Scott Jurek, and eight ultramarathoners from around the world.

- 13 iconic courses: Western States, Hardrock, Marathon de Sables, Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc, Transgrancanaria and races in Asia, Australia, and Europe.

- Stirring photography: Breathtaking landscapes of the world's most beautiful trails, moving portraits of ultrarunners, and remarkable scenes from races.

- Vignettes on trail running: Culture, history, training, night running, nutrition, and how the body bends to the miles.

Frederic Berg is a reporter. As a trail runner, his performances include finishing two legendary trail races, the Diagonale des Fous (three times) and the Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc (once), plus a dozen other ultramarathons.

Alexis Bergis a journalist and a professional photographer focused on trail running. He was the official photographer of the 2015 Ultra-Trail World Tour, travelling around the world to photograph the people, scenery, and race action. His work has been published in a dozen magazines including National Geographic and UltraRunning magazine as well as by iRunFar and Strava.