Table of contents for April - May 2017 n11 in Trail Run

LUMP $UM Cobbling together the entry fee for the notorious Barkley Marathons (‘the race that eats its young’) is a little different to most events. To begin with, applicants request an entry form by submitting an essay entitled, ‘Why I Should be Allowed to Run the Barkley’. Having received a letter of condolence confirming their place, successful entrants pay a non-refundable entry fee of USD$1.60 – however, this does not constitute payment in full. They must also tender an original vehicle licence plate from their home country, a pack of regular Camel filter cigarettes or a pair of gold-toe dress socks (dark blue or black), depending upon whether the entrant is a virgin, veteran or alumni. The item of clothing varies, depending on what race director Gary ‘Lazarus Lake’ Cantrell…

CHAFE CREAM, CHECK. MADE FROM THE OILY SPUME SEAL PUPS SNEEZE, NEW TO THE MARKET, THE SLIPPIEST THING KNOWN TO MAN EXCEPT DIARRHOEA AND, HEY, I’M NOT SMEARING THAT ON MY NIPPLES, NO WAY. Yeah man, here I am, totally pumped for my run. I’m in the here-and-now, living the dream, living in the moment. Ready to go? Quick check on the gear: got my leg warmers, compression calf sleeves too – got to be good for the OBLA, the lactate – feel the burn, squish those blood vessels, that’ll get the blood squirting through faster. Token fit socks with anti-chafe possum-arse fur lining to keep those blisters away, check. Orthotic insoles are the thing – I’m a pronator don’t you know, all that roll, those low arches pain me…

WE ARE ENERGISED AND REWARDED BY BEING ABLE TO CREATE A POSITIVE, WELCOMING AND NON-THREATENING ENVIRONMENT FOR LIKE-MINDED PEOPLE (WE CALL THESE AWESOME PEOPLE ‘TOTAL SPORTERS’) TO SHARE, CONNECT AND INSPIRE THROUGH ADVENTURE. WE’RE MOTIVATED TO STRIVE TO BE BETTER IN EVERYTHING WE DO, AND WE LOVE THE CONCEPT OF INCREMENTAL IMPROVEMENT. WE’RE NOT PERFECT, AND WE LOVE TO LEARN.WE LISTEN TO OUR PARTICIPANTS, PARTNERS AND STAKEHOLDERS, AND BASE A LOT OF CHANGE AND IMPROVEMENTS AROUND WHAT WE HEAR. It is often during the downtime that I take the time to reflect on Total Sport: what we are (and what we can be); why we do what we do. The time I often do this is when we are all on holiday and not immersed in the day to day…

1 Read all the event information sent to you. Skye Paton from Wild Women on Top Coastrek: “It would be great if entrants actually made use of all the information available to them. Yes, it requires reading and thus time in already busy lives, but organisers put it together for a reason. If someone commits to doing an event, they can’t expect to do it without preparing properly and they’ll get so much more out of it when they do. We have so many great resources on training, nutrition, safety, it can be quite frustrating when people complain about something that is totally within their control.” Parking, on-the-day entry, compulsory gear, transport, refund policies – it is all there. 2 Look at the course map, profile and description, and be…

There is a saying that ‘your vibe attracts your tribe’. Recently, I visited Abu Dhabi to visit my expat sibling. Of course, my plan to also explore the local running scene quickly gathered momentum. Abu Dhabi is the largest of the seven emirates that comprise the United Arab Emirates (UAE), bordering Oman to the east and Saudi Arabia to the south. The capital city – also called Abu Dhabi – lies 90 minutes’ drive south-west of Dubai. With its striking skyline and year-round sunshine it is not surprising that the city has been chosen as a film location by many big screen movie directors, with Furious 7 and Star Wars: The Force Awakens amongst recent blockbusters to showcase the UAE’s capital. The city is host to a number of world-class…

WE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE ATHLETES COME TO US UNINJURED, NOT BROKEN, LOOKING TO GET THAT EXTRA ONE PER CENT IMPROVEMENT IN PERFORMANCE. THAT WOULD BE GREAT. BUT THE OTHER PROBLEM WITH RUNNERS – ACTUALLY, ATHLETES IN GENERAL – IS THAT THEY ONLY SEEK HELP WHEN THEY ARE HURTING.Kelly Sheerin “The problem with runners,” Kelly Sheerin frowns, “is that they just like to run. They are happy if you tell them to run more, but less happy if you ask them to run less.” This presents a problem for Sheerin who is director of the Sports Performance Clinics. Creasing his brow further, he admits: “We would love to have athletes come to us uninjured, not broken, looking to get that extra one per cent improvement in performance. That would…

Danny Garrett Age: 26 Occupation: Energy Consultant Family: Sarah (my support crew, photographer and #1 fan) Average kilometres per week: 130-160km No. pairs of running shoes owned: Unknown quantity Favourite trail: Skyline Trail, Wellington Favourite post-run beverage: Chocolate milk I don’t leave home without… a sense of adventure Once upon a time, Danny Garrett spent his time chasing deer. Nowadays, he’s more likely to chase a long distance trail record. The Wellington Skyrunner grew up in Golden Bay in the South Island of New Zealand, and went to boarding school in nearby Nelson. ‘I had a pretty good outdoors childhood,’ he says. ‘I used to do a lot of hunting, which I think is really good for the mountain stuff I do now. It’s given me a strong knowledge of…

Steak cooked on the BBQ is a real favourite. Before you cook your steak, get it out of the fridge and bring it to room temperature. This may take about one hour. Barbecuing it from cold will stop the heat from getting to the middle as efficiently. Make sure your barbecue is super hot before you begin – this will help to caramelise the meat, essential for a delicious crust. Aim to cook your steak medium-rare to medium – any more and you’ll be left with tough meat. After cooking, leave it to rest and rub with a little extra virgin olive oil or butter for an incredible, juicy steak. Here’s a tasty recipe that the family will love. BEEFWITHBUTTERNUTCARROT MASH AND MUSHROOM SAUCE BUTTERNUT CARROT MASH 800g peeled butternut…

BEING SLAMMED ON RIDGE BY HORIZONTAL SNOW, AT NIGHT, WITH A FAILING HEAD TORCH… OUT OF FOOD, BONKING RAPIDLY, COLD, STILL FOUR HOURS FROM THE CAR… TYPE THREE FUN – NOT FUN AT THE TIME, NOT THAT FUN IN RETROSPECT. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO ENJOY ALL TYPES OF FUN, I FEEL. Chris Swallow Age: 34 Family: 1x wife, 1x 18 month old and 1x biiig bump due any minute… Occupation/study: Secondary school PE teacher How did you discover running? When I stopped growing around the age of 18, I realised the only way I could eat and drink what the hell I like and still be able to see my toes was by exercising. Running seemed to fit the bill. What does a typical running week look like for…

ULTRA EASY, WANAKA, NEW ZEALAND Distance: 100km Photographer: Sean Beale Runner: Charlie McNally The good dirt: This 100km loop takes in Wanaka’s most iconic peaks and ridges including Mt Iron, Roy’s Peak, Mt Alpha, Little Criffel and Mt Pisa. With 4700m of climb, a 3am start and 20 hour cutoff, this is an event for the hardcore, as we have come to expect from Highland Events. Those seeking a more relaxed day out can pop up any of the peaks on a good day for a decent quad workout and gob-smacking views. SURF COAST CENTURY, VIC, AUSTRALIA Distance: 100km, 50km Photographer: Matt Hull The good dirt: Whether your ‘thing’ is sandy coastline, sweet rolling single track, gnarly remote bush trails or lookouts and lighthouses, RapidAscent’s Surf Coast Century will have…

1 Stiletto Run, Amsterdam. Stilettos must be at least 7cm high and at most 1.5cm wide. 2 Encierro – the Running of the Bulls, Spain. Bulls charge behind runners for the 825 metres from the corral to the bullring. 3 Streak for Tigers, London. Wearing nothing but running shoes and tiger ears, this charity event raises money for the Zoological Society of London’s work with tigers. 4 New York City Pizza Run. Stop at three pizza-eating checkpoints in two miles. 5 Bisbee 1000 Ironman Ice competition. Runners carry a ten-pound block of ice with a pair of antique ice-tongs up 155 stairs and down a steep hill. 6 North American World Wife Carrying Championships. Includes log hurdles, sand traps and a water hazard called ‘the widow-maker’. The prize is the…

4 Totara My dad, an old-school bushman who still lives, traps and hunts in the Waioeka Gorge, says “Rimu weeps. Totara is tall”. Podocarpus totara grows throughout the North Island and the north-eastern South Island to elevations of 600m. Totara is hard, straight-grained and relatively light. It is highly valued by Maori as the primary wood for making waka (canoe). Totara leaves are short, dark and leathery with berrylike bright red seed scales. Its bark is vertically lineated and peels off in papery flakes. 5 Rimu Dacrydium cupressinum, an evergreen podocarp, can tower up to 50m above the canopy in mixed broadleaf rainforests throughout the country. Rimu is prized for its ornamental value in woodturning but its real beauty is in its natural state. The tree is easy to identify…

PEOPLE SAY I’M LUCKY THAT I HAVE NO INJURY BUT I THINK IT IS ABOUT LISTENING TO YOUR BODY. THE OTHER DAY I WAS RUNNING HOME AND I DIDN’T FEEL GOOD SO I JUST TOOK THE TRAIN. Olivier Lacoua confesses to gaining a little weight over Christmas, but he reckons he will need the extra couple of kilograms. The 45-year-old’s softly spoken, measured tone belies the amount of energy stored in his body. To date, Lacoua, who is the general manager of CQ Hotels in Wellington, New Zealand, has run 75 of the 100 marathons he plans to run by 2020, and is staring down the barrel of his most formidable challenge. Billed as the toughest footrace in the world with temperatures regularly climbing above 30°C, the Marathon des Sables…

A runner on a bike is frequently injured or retired – forced into it reluctantly, rather than embracing it as a complement to their training schedule. If done regularly, however, cycling can offer a wealth of advantages and potentially help avoid the injury in the first place. During the trail running season, wunderkind Kilian Jornet deliberately spends 20 per cent of his time cycling and 80 per cent running. The six-time Skyrunning World Champion might be as good as anyone to emulate in this regard as it doesn’t seem to do him any harm. Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc and Ultra-Trail Mont Fuji winner François D’Haene will sometimes knock out a 200km ride a month out from a big race. Trail Runner talked to running coach and cyclist Graham Dudfield about…

I have never been so cold in my life. Who in their right mind would run a marathon in the snow and ice at -25°C? 80 per cent of my friends said, “You are bloody mad”. The other 20 per cent said “WOW – how cool! What an adventure!” It sure was. Flying out of Denmark en route to Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, the first indication of the cold was the Air Greenland stewardess wearing sealskin boots, sealskin mittens and a very long puffer jacket. Not the regular attire of a stewardess: no high heels and pencil skirts on this airline. Kangerlussuaq was a vision of pure, white snow. This is an ex-US Air Force base used extensively during the World War II – relics of old planes lie half-buried in…

EASING IN Wild Women Trail Run, Waiheke Location: Onetangi Sports Park, Waiheke Island Date: Saturday April 8 Distance: 10k, 5k solo or team, women only Terrain: Bush trail and farm track Difficulty: Easy Description: There is something rather exotic about running on an island, and Waiheke has some delightfully varied off-road opportunities. Stay the weekend – run on Saturday, then spend the rest of the weekend treating yourself to Waiheke’s superb cultural establishments, vineyards and top class dining venues. Wild Women team categories include mother and adult daughter, mother and junior daughter and three generations (grandmother, mother and daughter). A perfect girls’ getaway. Mount Iron Challenge Location: Mt Iron, Wanaka Date: Saturday April 15 Distance: 15k solo/relay, 5k family friendly fun run Terrain: Well-formed trail Difficulty: A moderate climb Description:…

Wanaka was originally established as the settlement of Pembroke during the 1860s gold rushes. Throughout the 1870s, timber milling became a significant contributor to the town’s growth with Lake Wanaka proving an efficient transport method. The first hotel was built in 1867 and tourism established early due to the appealing climate and easy access to snow and water. Renamed Wanaka in 1940, tourism now dominates the town’s economy, aided by its proximity to Mount Aspiring National Park, the Crown Range, Pisa Range, Southern Alps and twin lakes of Wanaka and Hawea. The permanent population has doubled in the last ten years, with around 8000 people now calling Wanaka home. Clear evidence that the town is booming is the burgeoning demand for permanent housing. From July through to September, cafés and…

Five benefits of chiropractic 1 Increased neurological drive from brain to muscles leads to an improvement in force produced 2 Decreased fatigue and enhanced muscle recovery 3 Increased core muscle activation – core firing immediately prior to activity to provide stability 4 Optimised biomechanical function and efficiency 5 Improved sleep and energy levels, mental clarity, focus and immune function; faster reaction times, sharper cognition What is chiropractic care? The common public perception of chiropractic is that it is a manual healthcare modality focused on the rehabilitation of back pain, neck pain and headaches. Contrary to popular belief, however, chiropractic was not founded or intended as a reactive and rehabilitative approach to health. The fundamentals of chiropractic are based upon a couple of scientific certainties: 1 The human body is an…

Despite Nelson’s picturesque waterfront with its myriad shining bays lounging against a backdrop of snow-capped mountains, for more than 30 years there was no full marathon event run in the Nelson/Tasman region in the north of New Zealand’s South Island. The last official marathon was run in 1983, organised by the now defunct Trafalgar Harriers Club. Various factors conspired to hasten the race’s demise: low numbers, bothersome traffic and increasing costs of traffic management. Enter Stu Cottam. Born on a council estate in Nottingham, United Kingdom, Cottam desperately wanted to play football but was haunted by a lack of talent. After a stint in the US working in mental health, Cottam found his way to New Zealand where the 51-year-old now lives and works as an early childhood teacher. At…

What goes up, must come down. This holds particularly true for mountain running. In August each year around 2500 trail runners are pulled into orbit around the Ultra-Tour du Mont-Blanc – a 166 kilometre ultra-endurance race with approximately 10 kilometres of vertical ascent. On a trail designed for seven to nine days of hiking, the fastest competitors defy scorching valleys and, running by constellations (should the weather permit), finish in a little over 20 hours. We – Lexi, Mitch, Tamson and Tom – were attempting our own run a week in advance of the race and over a more manageable six days. Preparation for our launch was very different from the astronaut elite. Being restricted to the urban fields of London, we didn’t have access to the altitudes and terrain…

Keeping it local The Millennium Trail curves west from the centre of town around the lakefront, and boasts views of the mountains and the lake. Best times to run are early morning or late afternoon to fully appreciate the light play on snow, tussock and water. Take your camera as the much-photographed Wanaka Tree and Ruby Island pose demurely for your viewing pleasure. Alternately, head east from the lakefront towards Eely Point, Bremner Bay and on to Beacon Point. Mt Iron is a classic feature of a glacial ‘tail’ rising abruptly 240m above the surrounding plain. A spectacular and easily achievable vantage point can be gained by all ages and levels of ability with a wee jaunt up this local favourite. Upping the game There are more than 750km of…

 As usual, I find myself writing in the hope that I finish this piece before our dear editor asks if there will be an article – it’s due today. I had written nearly a full piece on the Te Houtaewa Challenge and its sad demise, but that was depressing. Runs come and go, they always have, so it shouldn’t really be depressing. Te Houtaewa was, however, one of the longer standing events and had been around since before the current boom in trail running and ultras took off. I FIND THAT NO LONGER HAVING FACEBOOK AND INSTASPAM RAMMING RUNS AND HILLS DOWN MY THROAT, I HAVE GONE BACK TO ORIGINAL SOURCES FOR GUIDES AND INFORMATION: IN OTHER WORDS, BASIC RESEARCH. I find that no longer having Facebook and Instaspam ramming…

DHARANA – CONCENTRATION The saying ‘when the going gets tough, the tough get going’ is particularly relevant for trail runners. When you are pushing yourself to the limit, there are a few simple yoga practices that can help you through the really tough times. The Yoga Sutras, written by Patanjali around AD400, outline eight components of yoga, each of which holistically balances and strengthens the others with the aim of harmonising the body, mind and spirit. Dharana is the sixth of these eight components. Dharana (focused concentration) is a technique that many people use unconsciously, such as when a song repeats itself in your mind. Dharana naturally follows pratyahara (sensory withdrawal). Once you have withdrawn your attention from the senses and shifted your focus inward, the next step is to…

1 SWEET CHEEKS BUTT BUTTER NZD$2.50 (15g sample size), $25 (100gm), $45 (200gm) www.sweetcheeksnz.co.nz Here at Trail Runner magazine, when we feel the need to test the hell out a product, that is exactly what we do. Our ed recently ran almost nine hours in sultry heat with one application of Sweet Cheeks. As the day wore on, it brought regular calls of nature sans loo paper and the threat of chafing loomed large… Butt Butter triumphed. The Sweet Cheeks range includes anti-chafe, anti-inflammatory heat balm and skin ailment healing balm. These are all handmade using high-quality locally sourced products including beeswax, cocoa butter, herbs and essential oils. And to answer to the question asked of most anti-chafing creams: a beeswax base means the product rinses out in warm water…