Thailand?
As someone who writes about getting outdoors nearly exclusively in Ireland, primarily through walking trails, this might feel like a strange blog post to come across. Let me give you some context. Back in October of 2024 I won an instagram competition to go on a trail running holiday with Trails & Roots in Thailand. Yes, that sentence is real - and yes, I was head over heels excited.
Fast forward a couple of months, and over 24hrs of travelling between three flights, I land in the city of Chiang Mai in north Thailand. The city is surrounded by several mountain ranges, and while far more densely populated and urban than what I’m now used to, being in a city full of green with constant views of lush mountains left me feeling quite at home in the hustle and bustle.
Trails & Roots was created by Heather, an Irish Adventurer who, after travelling the world for her own endurance races, decided to establish Trails & Roots to combine her passions of adventure, being immersed in new cultures and connecting with people from diverse backgrounds.
This is a running camp - but not a boot camp. It straddles the fine line of lots of running, but also lots of relaxation and recovery. We’re based in the city of Chiang Mai for the full week, and every day we drive out to a new incredible trail in the surrounding mountains. The Thanon Thong Chai mountain range to the west of the city is where we spend most of our time, tackling the dense contours and incredible trails.
Through pure chance, this trail camp was all women - except for two very important men: Zandy, our chef for the week; and Lek, or local guide.
LEK: Part of the Trails and Roots experience is that they hire local guides to show us the truly off the beaten track trials. For this outing, our local guide was Lek, a true mountain goat, easily moving through the group as needed. He was a quiet man, happy to let us get excited over things that are just everyday life to him. He answered all my curious questions, explaining about nomadic tribes, the innumerable layers of culture throughout these mountains and the people living there. He laughed as he reassured locals that yes, we tourists were truly excited to run up the dirt tracks for hours on end.
Our first run of the camp was 17km, with over 570m of elevation gain and 1,200 metres of descent. The route was called Tribal Trails to Waterfalls and Temples, and it could not have been more spectacular. We climbed narrow single track and steep ascents that required three points of contact. However, all the running was balanced by getting to stop at one of the highest coffee shops in the region. Coffee with a view barely covers it.
This was our most full on day. After our run we returned to our townhouse, quickly washed up and ate lunch before learning how to fold lilies for when you wanted to bring them as an offering to a Buddhist temple. And then we did just that - visiting two temples that evening. The first, Wat Pha Lat, was tucked into the mountainside. Surrounded by trees and bamboo, the gentle rustling of leaves set the hushed tone for the place. Here we sat down with a monk and learnt what we could about buddhism and a monks life in the hour long window we had with him. I’ve never met someone so peaceful. At the end he gave us each a “blesslet”, wishing us all health, happiness and success in whatever we were looking for.
A few days later one of the other runners asked if there was a way to take off the “blesslet” without harming the blessing - she didn’t want it to accidentally be torn off and lost while we were out running. As long as we untied the knots, or left it on until it naturally untied, then we were fine. Just don’t cut it off. Months later, it hangs beside my desk to remind me the feelings I had that day.
Our second temple was Wat Phra That Doi Suthep (or the golden temple). I watched monks live-streaming their prayers, and hawkers offering to take your photo in front of all the gilded spires. There were true worshipers here, but also a lot of everything else. Standing on the edges, it was a cacophony of excitement, joy, and reverence.
As we all slowly descended the stairs outside of the temple, Heather mentioned how excited she was for the dinner that Zandy was preparing back at the house.
Have I mentioned the food yet? Because if it’s not the running that will sell you on a Trails and Roots camp, it’s the food.
From the fresh coconuts our driver would slice open at the end of every run, to the incredible works of art that Zandy would concoct for us during our hours on trail, I don’t think I’ve ever eaten so well in my life. Every night was three courses; every breakfast a delicate balance of just how much banana bread can you eat without feeling queasy on the trail; and every picnic was a pinch me moment, sitting on the edge of river canyons or finding shade in floating huts.
I’d always seen the food talked about a lot in reviews and stories of Trails & Root camps, but didn’t quite understand how freeing having someone else cook every meal for you was. Thanks again to Zandy for doing such a wonderful job that week.
Day 2 saw us take on The Buffalo Run: Thirsty Ridge to Cool Canyons, another 17km trail epic through gritty climbs and our most technical trails for the week. This is where I won the Top Tumbler Award for the trip - thankfully a very minor slip on some loose stone. Finishing at the gorgeous river canyons, we picnicked and swam in the baking sunshine.
That evening, we had a yoga session that had my calves screaming and the instructor laughing at just how stiff all our legs were.
Day 3 was a looped 17k run through the mountain fruit farms. Named Fruits of the White Pagoda, this route had us passing through some of the most stunning scenery, as well as a tiny bit of bush-whacking. It was on this run that I saw my first Oriental/Crested Honey Buzzards. Their call was so distinctly “buzzard” that I almost took my second tumble as my head whipped up to find them. Circling on the higher air currents, there were at least five criss-crossing the skies above us. There was something wonderful in meeting the asian cousins to my usual avian companions at home.
Every day, at the end of our runs, our driver is waiting with an ice box filled with coke cans and the aforementioned coconuts. As I sat on the ground in the sun, I smiled as I realised how strange it was for something that so foreign three days before (drinking a coconut), suddenly felt like part of the natural routine.
That afternoon we swung by a new temple that had just opened, Loha Prasat Sri Mueang Pong (White Temple). The baking hot flagstones almost scorched your feet outside, the white paint blinding in the midday sunshine. Being a new temple, there were fewer visitors, but I could imagine the busy streams of people that would soon flow around the building, the noise rising to twirl through the spires and wind chimes high above.
This was our one official free evening of the trip. Some of us went for a delicious dinner together, and afterwards I wandered street markets by myself, enjoying the cool night air.
Something I hadn’t expected was the vibrant coffee culture in Thailand. A local told me that while Thailand is a big coffee producer, the speciality coffee they produce is mostly used by the internal market. The variety I experienced in Chiang Mai was gorgeous. The weight that I was regaining from the used running gels and snacks was being filled even faster by the bags of coffee I kept buying.
A particular favourite cafe that was walking distance from our townhouse was Roast8ry Coffee Lab - I liked it so much, I bought the t-shirt.
For Day 4, we had a well earned rest day - where we all went on a Thai cooking course! Exploring everything from large local markets, to the farm where the cooking school grew everything in-house, we all learnt more about the cornerstones to Thai cuisine, and cooked our own five course meal.
That evening I still went out for a short shakeout, and to find some local bookshops. There are a few things I will always track down no matter where I go - the kinds of spaces that always feel somewhat the same. For me, bookshops are those spaces, and I will happily wander, admiring books in languages I will never understand, until tired legs or other plans call.
Day 5 was the Doi Suthep Lake Loop. 16km of more gorgeous trails and river crossings. I remember reaching the first river, and wondering if I wanted to get my feet wet. Wet feet at home is both to be expected, and something that I typically delay until the last possible moment, as it means I won’t have dry (or warm) feet until I am back at the car changing. However, in balmy Thailand I quickly realised that wet feet really meant incredibly little to me - almost nice!
When we finished our run that day, we stayed by the lake and ate our lunch in lake-side huts. Sitting there, munching on sushi as the water lapped below, my mind suddenly registered how insane this whole moment was - a literal pinch-me moment.
Our final evening activity was a full body Thai massage. After so much travel and trails, this was one of the absolute highlights of an impossibly high trip. Just like during the yoga, I was lovingly scolded for how inflexible and stiff all my muscles were.
Our final day was 10km called “Monk’s Sacred Steps to Coffee”. Starting in the university, we ran up the Monk’s trail, which took us the whole way back to the very first temple we visited. We then descended down to a runner’s cafe just outside the city, before it was time to pack our bags and head back to reality.
Putting the video together months later, and this blog post even later still, it all feels like an incredible dream. Thailand is so far from my everyday, that sometimes it’s hard to remember that this was real, and not all that long ago.
And there were so many other moments I haven’t mentioned - sound baths and pedicures, post dinner conversations and individual revelations. A big thank you to Heather once more for organising, to Lek for being a wonderful guide (and taking all of these wonderful running photos on the final day), and to the fantastic women whom I shared the camp with!
As I mentioned at the top - I won this trip as a giveaway. Heather didn’t expect me to write, photograph, or film any of it, this was all shared purely because I had such a wonderful time.
To learn more about Trails & Roots, check out their website: trailsandroots.com