100 Reasons: doco on DVD

A new ultra trail running documentary film has been released that asks the question: why would anyone want to run 100 kilometres through some of Australia’s toughest mountain terrain? Launched this month, ‘100 Reasons: Running The North Face 100’ follows six ordinary people – mostly non runners – attempting to achieve extraordinary things and change their lives by running 100km through New South wales’ iconic Blue Mountain wilderness in under 24 hours. Each runner has their own story to tell…

The Bandicoot Run

Having struggled to hold my form for the first part of the run, I was now as smooth as a mountain stream, gliding along the trail back to the car

Book Review: Extreme South

Book Review: Extreme South by James Castrission REVIEW: Chris Ord Sex, drugs, rock ‘n roll. It’s not what you’d expect from an adventure tome that took less time to hit our shelves than it took its protagonists to complete the adventure. But adventurer James Castrission proffers all tenants in his latest, Extreme South, detailing his and constant companion in the field, Justin Jones’, most recent achievement of becoming the first people to trek unsupported to the South Pole and back….

Top to tail on trail: mission New Zealand

Adventure runner Richard Bowles is set to create another record in the world of ultra-distance trail running, this time with sights set on New Zealand. During 2012 Richard became the first person to run the world’s longest marked trail, the rough and remote National Trail of Australia, raising awareness and funds for mental health organisation SANE Australia along the way. In just 5.5 months Richard ran the equivalent of 127 marathons, and traversed the treacherous dividing range mountains from Melbourne…

Trio of trail runs: records made, slain

It was a big weekend on the trails with runners making and breaking records at two of the biggest events on the trail ultra calendar, one of them an inaugural, another a rising star in South Australia, plus the Abel Tasman 36km being run and won over in New Zealand. Yurrebilla Ultra Yesterday the Yurebilla Ultra (56km), was headlined by a storming Kiwi in the guise of, well, Grant Guise, the man who recently won the Canadian Death Race and…

Trail Run Mag Edition #6 Online

It’s here, you’re awaited bit of dirty reading that gets to the nitty, gritty of the world of trail running. Sure, there’s gear reviews and shoes to salivate over, but more than that, and unlike any other trail running publication out there, we try to strike to the heart and more importantly soul of the pursuit we all love. We love to challenge too… so get your eyes and head into the latest edition and feedback your thoughts on what…

Defining dirty: what is trail running?

[Editorial taken from Ed#6 Trail Run Mag OUT NOW] Define trail running. Box it in. Put labels on it. Do you need a mountain? How much single track? Does there have to be a trail? What about deserts? Is multi day included? Or eliminated because you ran through a village in Nepal?  Then, once you have squished your notion of trail running through a mincer of coloured ideology, package it, label it, hell, write the ingredients on the outside. Ah,…

Suunto Ambit ups the ante

It’s an ever-present reminder on my wrist (and on my MovesCount profile) that I should be running more, but despite the nag, I love my Ambit [SEE PRODUCT REVIEW BELOW]. And I’m no techno dude, far from it. But the upcoming software upgrades do bring out the inner geek in me as the Ambit is about to get supercharged with this week’s announcement of two free upgrades that will take the GPS watch to a new level of functionality. One…

Run The Planet: in the footsteps of legends

Can an ultra runner who has already run two times around the planet and a beginner who has run a few times around the block answer the question: were humans really born to run? To find out, two runners – master and apprentice – will look to push mind and body to the limit and beyond in a proposed television series, dubbed Run The Planet. The series will will take viewer on a journey following a number of grueling ultra-distance…

Run From The Hills: new trail event

Ah running and booze – always going to strike a chord. The trick here, we feel, is to run FIRST, then drink. Just a thought. Thing is, at least with this all-new trail event slated for the western side of Victoria, Australia, you know that whether you have a good run or your legs drop off from under you (there’s a nasty descent), you can be 100% guaranteed the plonk you down at the end will be quality. Yes, you…