A lot of things come easily in Montserrat. Running, however, is not one of them. And you know what, that’s actually good.

Sometimes Montserrat makes it Easy

Are you looking for a sweet Saturday morning treat? Easy, visit Hilltop Coffee Shop for Belgian waffles. Craving some alone time on the sand? Easy, rent a kayak from Scuba Montserrat and paddle to Lover’s Bay Beach.

Craving time out in nature? Montserrat has you covered with numerous hikes into lush landscapes. Fine dining? No problem. Visit Ziggy’s. Or pay Trevor a visit at Watermelon Cottage.

Lionfish lunch on a gorgeous beach? Easy. Head over to Isles Bay Beach Bar.

Grocery shopping? Well… It can be easy if you know the routine of the food boats’ comings and goings.

Anyway, the point is, for a lot of activities, Montserrat makes things easy and accessible.

Running Montserrat Should Have Been Easy

I’ve been an avid runner for well over a decade now. I’ve completed what feels like countless races in the New York City area. I’ve done the Brooklyn Half Marathon every year for 10 years, as well as halves in every borough. I’ve also even tackled the New York City Marathon.

That is to say, while I may not be the fastest runner on the planet, I am accustomed to running for hours at a time. And often bank over 100 miles per month running the streets of New York.

Even so, I was totally unprepared for running Montserrat.

What it’s Really like Running Montserrat

To give you an idea of what it’s like running on our volcano paradise, I’ll give you a rundown of my running routine on my most recent stay.

Just like back home, I would rise with the sun. Greeted by tropical birds singing in the verdant forests surrounding my Tradewinds Montserrat villa, I couldn’t ask for a better way to start the day.

Then, start the kettle, get dressed, lace up the shoes, down a cup of strong black coffee, and I’m standing in my driveway.

My idyllic villa was perched on a cliff overlooking the water in the Mayfield area not far from Salem. So the plan was usually to run up to town, around and back home.

To start, I would run up my steep driveway, up a small hill, down a small ghaut, then up, and up, and up, and up some more. I’d run up past the Attic restaurant, then up, and up to Salem Road.

Mile 1

Running from the villa to Salem Road would clock in at almost exactly 1 mile.

The first mile of my runs in NYC would usually clock in at 7 minutes, 42 seconds. And that first mile would see an elevation drop of about 10 feet.

My initial mile on Montserrat was a very different story, to say the least.

First, my pace was usually over 2 minutes slower, clocking in at around 10 minutes per mile! Why? Because within that first mile alone, I would gain over 340 feet in elevation!

Climb, Plummet, Rinse, Repeat!

As with so much of life on Montserrat, the realities of running on the island are governed by the island’s volcano and fiery past. Being a volcanic island, it has grown by bursting from the sea over millennia.

Pressure has driven up mountains, and explosive eruptions have blasted these calderas to bits—piling up material in jagged radiating lines. The result? There are almost no flat roads on the island. Instead, runners need to be prepared to climb to picturesque heights, then plummet to lush depths.

After mile 1’s climb, mile 2 would involve a 300 ft plunge. This would take me out the south end of Salem and down to Lime Kiln Beach. At first light, its raw beauty was only diminished by the realization that I would need to climb all the way back up to the main road.

So, mile 3 would inevitably be a 300-foot climb back up to Salem and through to the northern edge of town. From there, you guessed it, 340 feet back down to my villa.

So, while I was used to running for hours in NYC on generally flat terrain, I needed to rethink my efforts on my volcano paradise. Instead of happily banking eight or 10-mile runs in NYC, I was exhausted after only 4 Montserrat miles!

Why Run Montserrat

The first thing to know about running the island of Montserrat is that it will be challenging if you’re not accustomed to extreme hill training. I mean, seriously challenging. But just as the volcano has transformed the island into a one-of-a-kind Caribbean paradise, running these jagged hills will also make you a better runner.

Hill training has been proven to increase leg-muscle strength, expand your stride length, push your cardiovascular system, and improve your running economy to protect against leg muscle soreness. In a nutshell, running the island’s impressive hills will make you faster, stronger, and a healthier runner.

Just be sure to take your time and ease into it.

See you on the hills!