Chris Thompson is one of Britain’s best long-distance runners. A silver medalist at the 2010 European Athletics Championships, a competitor at the 2012 Olympic games and the one-time holder of the third-fastest 10km time of any British runner in history (27:27.36). He’s no slouch. 

Germain Grangier, well, likes to go fast too. A UTMB top ten finisher this year, and the winner of the XXL Maxi-Race Annecy and the Vibram Maremontana, he regularly takes on some of the world’s most demanding races in extremely challenging environments. 

Both are professional runners. Both are elite On athletes. Both are colorful characters. But there’s one big difference between them: Chris runs roads and Germain runs trails. 

See what happens when Germain takes Chris on a wild game of catch me if you can running up, down, over, and across the Engadin alps. Can Chris keep up? Find out in the latest Back to the Source video. 

If, like Chris, you are keen to try out trail running but don’t know where to get started, then why not check out our ‘Road to Trail in 4 Weeks’ training plan? Germain is just one of the elite athletes we’ve recruited to give us tips on how to up your trail running. 

Or find out more about the On Mountain Hut where Chris and Germain met. We built the self-sufficient home for two this summer as a tribute to the remarkable Swiss mountain landscapes that have influenced us as a company and our products so much.