The TdT Story

Tour de Trails is the culmination of much dreaming, an addiction to adventure, a love of trails, a lot of map-porn and a little firsthand experience that said: "This is the way adventure should be."

The backstory

I was sweating it out in a hot river-rock spa bath in a luxury adventure lodge in Bhutan (on assignment of course - it was work goddam it!). Having pre-ordered my four course meal matched to European wines, and admiring the huge Paro Valley view in front of me, I reached for my ginger lemon tea. It was just before the masseuse tapped quietly on the door to indicate I should move to the table for a half hour treatment. But not before I rang the bell to indicate the attendant in the room next door should slide another steaming, fire-heated rock down the shoot into the spa. My water was losing its stinging hot edge.

I was a little beaten up from a day trail running up to Tigers' Nest Monastery and mountain biking down from another, when it, the Revelation, came. The pangs of guilt elicited by such indulgence were not necessary. Indeed they were fruitless and obscuring the truth: that you CAN mix luxury with adventure. In fact, the two compliment each other, magnifying the joys of their opposite in a necessary and delightful Ying-Yang relationship.

As a longstanding journalist in the adventure media, and publisher/editor of southern hemisphere trail running title, Trail Run Mag, my world view had been slightly warped and imprinted with the lie that adventure requires, nee demands, deprivation. Hurt. Pain. The leering threat of death. I mean, where was the story, otherwise?

"Luxury" was what the "other" travellers did. The ones who weren't really experiencing the gristle of life. Yep, in my blinkered adventure type life, luxury was the antithesis of experience. But I was so very, very wrong and an encroaching fortieth birthday opened up my mind to possibility: luxury without adventure may be dull, worthless, empty fun; but bookend onto adventure some sumptuous luxe - or at the very least a damn fine Shiraz, or perhaps Syrah if trail running in France – and you have an exquisite marriage that may just last into your octogenarian years.

And so the seed was sown. The result is our primo collection of adventure running experiences - tours and events - that are like no other. I make no apologies for the extravagant, whimsical and wonderful nature of these dreams.

The team at Tour de Trails look forward to sharing them with you.

- Chris Ord
blue sky dreamer, trailite & founder of Tour de Trails
Follow Chris’ personal running (and MTB, paddling and all sorts of other) adventures on Instagram @one_life_wild

Your Guides

CHRIS ORD

*Chris exploring trails in New Caledonia*

As the owner, director and guide for Tour de Trails, Chris has a long history of ensuring his day-to-day office is outdoors and on trail wherever possible. Establishing Tour de Trails more than 12 years ago, Chris has designed, curated and hosted trail running trips across the globe: Bhutan, Croatia, Greece, England, Bali, Timor Leste, Japan and France to his home country of Australia.

In addition to producing trail running tours with a difference, Chris is the Race Director for eight Australian trail running and multisport events, including two 100km ultras.

A journalist and magazine editor by trade, Chris has written for numerous adventure and outdoors publications over a period spanning more than 20 years. He proudly established Australia’s first trail running magazine, Trail Run Mag, publishing and editing it for nine years (before selling it) and has been involved in several adventure documentary film projects.

Chris is also a specialist consultant for TRC Tourism advising government and tourism bodies on how to best develop trail and nature-based tourism.

“Trail auditing is the best part of that job – basically I get paid to go and run trails to assess their condition and suitability! But I also design nature based tourism experieinces and ssess feasibiulity - so it’s all very much relevant to what i do with Tour de Trails in designing experiences in the Great Outdoors!”

Since running his first ever marathon distance with the renowned ‘Marathon Man’, Dean Karnazes, Chris has completed many more trail running adventures, from running Kokoda Track, to multiday missions in Kashmir, India, and the Nepali Himalaya, to assisting his co-guide and wife, Mish, to run the 235km Larapinta Trail end to end.

Mish researching trails for our Japan tours.

His favourite form of trail running is multidays “for the social aspect and the adventurous places it takes you - and the food - you get fed better and can sneak in a beer or wine!”, and his favourite distance is around the half marathon mark “with the odd ultra thrown in there.

Insta: @onelifewild
Insta: @tourdetrails

MISH HOOPER

A past track and field athlete, Tour de Trails’ co-director and guide , Mish found her passion for the trails a touch later in life after being more of a track and field athlete, but has taken to them like Kilian Jornet to an epic mountain peak.

Since taking up trail and ultra running six years ago, Mish has ticked off impressive feats including running the 135km Cape to Cape track in Western Australia and the 235km Larapinta Trail in Northern Territory end-to-end in one go.

Meeting Chris and joining Tour de Trails further entrenched her in the trail running lifestyle and she has since taken on partnership in Tour de Trails and helped design and guide tours in England, Crete, Japan, France and Bali. She is also on hand at many Tour de Trails events, managing logistics and keeping runners happy and safe – perfect grounding for her role as a guide on Tour de Trails run tours across the globe.

A Hoka One One-sponsored athlete, Mish’s shtick is “not at all about the winning. It’s all about adventure and exploring for me.”

And the odd gin & tonic.

Her speciality is researching and finding sublime lunch spots mid run, excellent dinner spots and accommodation that puts the capital ‘L’ in Luxe. Yep - totally on brand for Tour de Trails.

Insta: @mish_hooper
Insta: @tourdetrails

Testimonials

“As for the tour leaders - they were superb in every way. Experts in trail running and sensitive to different personalities - I felt entirely safe in their hands and grateful on more than one occasion for their encouragement and advice. I would do that run again with them tomorrow if I could.” - Imogen Scott C2C 2022 -

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“The key ingredient is the great quality and diversity of the running group and leadership and caring attitude of the guides. Chris, Mish and Mark are exceptional, they keep it fun, are flexible and will get you from the start to the end. On the first tour a pivotal message was stop, look back and see where you have come from, then move on. As runners it is amazing what we miss. Don't miss this opportunity.” - Rob Wymond C2C 2020 & 2022 -