Table of contents for May-July 2021 in Trail Run

Ask most local runners about RaidLight, and you’ll likely not get a lot of response. Strange for a French Alps brand that has a rich history in mountain running! All that is changing, though, thanks to a team based in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales, who have brought the RaidLight brand to Australia. At Trail Run Magazine, we were lucky enough to trial the RaidLight Revolutiv 12L. Weight matters when it comes to a long trail run, and the Revolutiv is in its element here. This race vest is really light. Thanks to a combination of PolyMono and Payen fabrics, it weighs a meagre 190g. We’ve all had those awkward moments trying to reach for something in our pack while literally on the run. The Revolutiv 12L does all…

Ah, nutrition. What to eat when you’re out running stupid distances is a topic that never gets old. There’s so much variance in what people like and dislike and what may or may not irritate their tummies. Not to mention the ethical concerns a lot of runners have with eating animal products. Then there’s the astonishing variety available these days. It is a relief when you find a product that tastes great and is clearly labelled, so you can see there are no nasties hiding amongst some microscopic font below the barcode. Introducing Skratch Labs. Originally from Boulder, Colorado, sports scientist and coach Dr Allen Lim started making his own training food and sports drinks from scratch for the cyclists he coached because the pre-packaged sports bars and drinks they…

TRAIL CREW NAME: Rotorua Trail Running Club BIRTHDAY: 2014 REGION: Rotorua, New Zealand MEMBERS: 171 AVERAGE RUNNERS AT EACH HOOK UP: 11 AVERAGE HOOK UPS A YEAR: 250 SHOES OWNED IN TOTAL: 1000+ UNOFFICIAL CLUBHOUSE: The Social Club, Rotorua (social-club.co.nz) WEB: facebook.com/rotoruatrailrunning, rotoruatrailrunningclub.weebly.com 1. How did your group begin? The Rotorua Trail Running Club began in 2014, with local legend Mike Tennant as the first president instrumental in its creation. Mike posted a “who wants to come for a run?” on Facebook and was pleasantly surprised by the turn out. Paul Charteris needed some help with new trail access for the first Tarawera Ultramarathon (TUM), and the club was formed to advocate for this. We have continued our close relationship with TUM, and we help with course marking, hosting the…

PIOTR BABIS slumped on his poles, his eyelids heavy as lead. He had never felt so tired. The siren call of sleep was becoming irresistible, and although he was standing, his mind spiralled downward. A fatigue as deep and seemingly endless as the journey he was on pulled him further inward and away from his surroundings on the trail. He had wanted to know what running 470km felt like. More than 450km into his mission, he was finding out. Suddenly, Piotr was jolted into full consciousness. His support vehicle – a sedan – had become hopelessly stuck on a treacherous back road in the forest. The roads until that point had mostly been in good condition, but this was more like a narrow, boggy four-wheel-drive track. With about 20km to…

ON 25 September 2020, my friends, Ross McPhee and Simon Austin, and I attempted to run the fastest known time (FKT) on the Goldfields Track. An FKT is essentially a speed record on any track or route of significance. Australia hosts 87 such routes, with 16 residing in Victoria. The Goldfields Track is part of the Great Dividing Trail Network (www.gdt.org.au) and is the third-longest of the Victorian routes at 200km. A point-to-point route, starting at the top of Mount Buninyong some 20km from the centre of Ballarat, the track traverses the Great Dividing Range, passing through Ballarat, Creswick, Daylesford and Castlemaine, then descends off the northern slopes to Bendigo. The track is an absolute gem, passing through some seriously wonderful countryside and heritage areas. Evidence of the region’s past…

NEW SOUTH WALES BLUE MOUNTAINS RUNNING CO www.bluemtnsrunningco.com.au 19 Ross Street, Glenbrook, NSW 2773 (02) 4739 9919 info@bluemtnsrunningco.com.au FB: @bluemtnsrunningco Insta: @bluemtnsrunningco TASMANIA FIND YOUR FEET www.findyourfeet.com.au 107 Elizabeth Street, Hobart 0466 906 167 info@findyourfeet.com.au 23 Kingsway, Launceston 0416 846 967 launceston@findyourfeet.com.au FB: @findyourfeetaustralia Insta: @findyourfeet QUEENSLAND THE TRAIL CO. www.thetrail.co 70-72 MacGregor Terrace, Bardon, QLD 4065 (07) 3123 4824 contact@thetrail.co FB: @lovetrails Insta: @thetrail.co WILD EARTH www.wildearth.com.au 25 Central Drive Burleigh Heads, QLD 4220 (07) 5593 4180 service@wildearth.com.au FB: @wildearthaustralia Insta: @wildearthaustralia NEW STORE COMING TO BRISBANE! WILDFIRE SPORTS www.wildfiresports.com.au Unit 1, 49 Douglas St, Milton, Brisbane, QLD 4064 1300 573 247 enquiries@wildfiresports.com.au WESTERN AUSTRALIA RUNNING WORKS www.squashworks.com.au 292 South Street, Hilton, WA (08) 9337 1032 runningworkshilton@outlook.com F: @Runningworkshilton Insta: @runningworks_hilton VICTORIA BOGONG EQUIPMENT www.bogong.com.au 374 Little Bourke Street,…

THE Glasshouse 100 is a trailrunning icon in Queensland and, indeed, Australia. Its history – not to mention the unique, rugged beauty of the Glasshouse Mountains as its backdrop – has garnered a strong following for 31 years. Founded by accomplished runner Ian Javes, The Glasshouse 100 is the oldest trail-running series in the country. Javes, who placed second in the Self-Transcendence Race in 1989 and won several 100-mile events in the US, wanted to create an event to emulate the Western States Endurance Run and get more people on the trails. Thus, in 1990, The Glasshouse 100 was born, with the introduction of the 100 miler in 1996. It was the first 100-mile trail race in Australia, and as of last year, it is the country’s longest-running 100 miler…

“FAILURE is the most likely outcome.” Welcome to The Revenant! The ultra adventure run that does not expect you to finish. This year, just one person completed the ridiculously punishing course: Ian Evans, who was also the fourth person in the NZ event’s history to finish. Set at Welcome Rock, which straddles the border between Southland and Central Otago, The Revenant is an unsupported race for individuals and two-person teams. Competitors have 60 hours to navigate the unmarked 190km-plus course with 16,00m-ish of vertical ascent using just a map and compass. There’s no support, and GPS devices, watches and electronics of any type are not allowed. From alpine tussock land to Fiordland-like beech forest, the race plunges runners into the same unforgiving wilderness that miners bashed their way through in…

WHEN you proactively stack effective habits, you align meaningful micro action with true macro purpose. The key is to start small to create BIG changes over time. Remember, nothing worthwhile happens overnight, and consistency is the secret to success in life, including trail running. Switch from reactivity to proactivity in your day by stacking intentional moments. Once your intentional moments outweigh your reactive moments, you will begin to move in the direction you want, rather than be pulled in the wrong direction or continuing a stagnated journey. I am a big believer in the sum of the whole being far greater than the parts. The same can be said for stacking intentions. Performing one activity will increase the likelihood of you following through with a more meaningful action by 10%.…

IT'S BOXING DAY. Katie, my dog Tucker and I are relaxing at Ruahine Corner, in the remote Ruahine Forest Park, and I finally have a chance to write. The past 10 days have been a whirlwind of work, birthdays, Christmas prep and very little time to reflect and write about our 92.5km odyssey. So, what better place to come to complete this story than the Ruahines – the hills where the idea for our adventure was born and completed? It all started in mid-February 2020, when I met Chris Sanson. We were in Triangle Hut, a backcountry hut in the Ruahine Range on the North Island of New Zealand. Chris introduced me to the concept of the “CL” – a 90km-plus run along the rugged mountain range of the Ruahines,…

WHEN Jodie Rummer first stepped foot in Townsville nine years ago, the marine scientist and outdoorswoman wondered just what she had gotten herself into. “I remember landing that first day and driving through the first neighbourhood I encountered, thinking, ‘Where am I?’ I was a little scared that there wasn’t anything to do, and a little shocked and worried!” she laughs now. Jodie had bid farewell to her home in Vancouver, Canada, to take up a position as a professor at James Cook University in the coastal city of Townsville, often touted as Australia’s gateway to Queensland’s far north. Culture shock is an understatement. “It was a challenging move on so many levels!” Thankfully, she met Luen Warneke, a born-and-bred Townsvillian, who had grown up hiking, camping and exploring the…

ALL fun and exciting adventures have a start, middle and finish. They can also be the beginning of wonderful relationships – in our case, six friendships were strengthened over the physical and mental exertion brought on by a mutual love of the beautiful, weird world of ultra running. Six years ago, I left amateur boxing, the sport I had found comfort in after a traumatic home life. Two years before that, I had connected with Sam Weir via social media. Sam had been doing all sorts of craziness (i.e. running!) after he had left the army – a craziness I wanted to be a part of. In 2015, Sam invited me to a trail run in the notorious Nerang State Forest on the Gold Coast. Sure enough, after conveniently calling…

Sitting here, hands poised above my keyboard, I was about to say how hard it can be to get excited about a pair of socks. Then I remembered who my audience is, and realised you’d be hard pressed to find a trail runner who DOESN’T get excited about a decent pair of trail socks! As most ultra runners know, socks can be the difference between a DNF and reaching that sweet, sweet finish line. Socks need to be comfy, moisture wicking and keep those tootsies blister free. Easier said than done. Enter Hilly TwinSkin socks. These socks do an excellent job of banishing the blisters and keeping your feet feeling fresh. How? With a double layer of highwicking, super soft, anti-microbial wool. The fine MerylR inner sock prevents friction by…

2019 AURA Ultra Performance of the Year winner Kay Bretz has achieved yet another dream: publishing his first book, Turning Right: Inspire the Magic. If you need a hit of inspiration or motivation, then this is the autobiography for you. And lucky me, I was one of the first people to read it. To provide some clarity, Bretz received his AURA (Australian Ultra Runners Association) award – a people’s choice award – for his 24-hour World Championship performance in Albi, France, where he achieved a total distance of 259.67km and came 12th overall in a field of 346 athletes. Bretz’s running career spans more than 20 years, but it wasn’t until 2015 that he completed his first ultra, the Two Bays 56km Trail Run in Victoria. He then went on…

UNDER THE RADAR Location: Townsville Town Common and Cape Pallarenda Conservation Park Distance: 17km circuit Difficulty: Easy to moderate track, with some sections having a slight incline Run along the side of the mountain with views out to the ocean through semi-evergreen vine thickets and bushland, before going down into the sandy flats and heading back along the Lagoon Trail and Freshwater Trail past Bald Rock. On return, you can either take the speedy Lagoon Trail alongside the wetland area, or for a more difficult route, ascend the technical Many Peak Trail to Mount Marlow (213m) and descend slowly through marvellous rainforest terrain towards the car park. ALLIGATOR CREEK FALLS Location: Bowling Green Bay National Park Distance: 17km return Difficulty: Easy to moderate track, with some sections having a slight…