WORDS: LONNEKE KEFALAS IMAGES: MATT HULL PHOTOGRAPHY, LONNEKE KEFALAS Run Larapinta: Malbunka long course, 21-24 April 2021 Run Larapinta! It was a long time in the making and it went by too fast! We registered in November 2019 for the August 2020 event, which, due to COVID-19, had to be postponed to April 2021. It was well worth the wait! What an amazing four days of running in beautiful scenery on rugged terrain (brutal at times), with a group of…
BY SIMON HARRIS I was lucky enough to visit the Pilliga Forest in north-west New South Wales recently, where a few of us were scouting the area to find trails for The Pilliga Ultra, an event to support The Wilderness Society’s campaign to protect the Pilliga Forest and its communities from damaging fossil fuel extraction. We had an absolute ball running over breathtaking rocky outcrops while taking in the stunning views and rare eucalypt woodlands. We found two beautiful routes,…
The Run Larapinta stage race gets underway tomorrow in the four-day, four-stage event, which will see participants take in some of the most spectacular sections of the iconic Larapinta Trail in Australia’s Northern Territory. Held from Wednesday to Saturday, 21-24 April, this is the rescheduled 2020 event after it was postponed due to COVID-19 last year. The popular stage race has developed a cult status among trail runners since its’ conception six years ago, and organisers Rapid Ascent can’t wait…
The Surf Coast Century 100km and 50km ultra trail marathon has received the green light to proceed on 5 – 6 December 2020 in Anglesea, Victoria, with limited entries remaining for solo competitors and 90 relay teams remaining After processing the Victorian Governments COVID-19 road-map to reopening and Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews’s announcements on Sunday 8th November, Torquay based event organisers Rapid Ascent are very excited to announce that this year’s event can go ahead. It will now become one of the only…
In 2019, New Zealander ROGER LESLIE completed the formidable yet breathtaking Swiss Canyon Trail ultramarathon. He gives Trail Run Mag a recap of his remarkable adventure – packed with everything from mind-bogglingly steep ascents and descents, to stunning scenery, to helping an injured runner, to ice-cream! The 5am blast of an alp-horn released the pent-up energy of 500 runners into the brisk pre-dawn of the Val de Travers in Canton Neuchãtel, Western Switzerland. The front runners disappeared in a swirl…
Honour the memory, the bravery and the hardship faced by our World War 2 soldiers in Kokoda by taking part in the March On with Soldier On Challenge – raise funds to help our modern-day heroes and help prevent veteran suicide. To do this, you can choose to take on the Mountain Challenge where Soldier On can offer you the ultimate experience on home soil by taking on one of Australia’s most iconic and challenging walking tracks – the ten…
Australia’s largest and longest virtual team challenge is about to kick off! Groups of up to 20 can walk or run 1,300km virtually from Broken Hill to Sydney with the Run Against Violence Virtual Team Challenge. From 30 August to 17 September, the route retraces the real-world 2017 StepsTogether Ultramarathon to raise awareness of family violence. Why 1,300km? It equates to 1.7 million steps – the estimated number of Australians who experience physical abuse before the age of 15. Find…
Written by Annabelle Latz. Photos by Xavier Briel. Nothing could prepare me for it, and nothing will ever compare to it. Running on a white vastness, a cloud-whispered light-blue sky above, amongst an absence of landmarks and an abundance of flat land… Welcome to the Salt Pans Ultra Trail Marathon, Botswana’s inaugural ultramarathon stage race. For 100km, over three days, 25 of us ran across a section of the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans. Located in Northern Botswana, this vast expanse of…
COVID-19 may have turned the running calendar upside down, but don’t let all your training go to waste! Rapid Ascent is launching its 2020 Trail Running Series, presented by MINI Countryman, with entries opening for two virtual races to be held on June 14 and July 12. Participants can enter either 5km, 10km or 15km races over whatever course they have access to whilst respecting social distancing rules. Then at 9am on race morning, competitors set off to complete their…
Ballarat’s Ash Watson reached new heights at last year’s Surf Coast Century taking home the 100km crown in record time. In the seventh edition of the race, Watson finished in 8:16:50, eclipsing the previous record time by 28 seconds. That makes him a double Surf Coast trail running record holder, as he also holds the current course record for the Surf Coast Trail Marathon held in June. With the Surf Coast Century upon on this weekend (21 September), Ash is back to have another crack at…
