WRITTEN BY: KATE DZIENIS IMAGE: THE EVENTURERS FIGHTING THE DEMONS WITHIN Tom Dade is young. He’s got a fire burning through him that’s hard to control, and it served him incredibly well when he took on one of Australia’s gnarliest races, the Down Under 135, earlier this year. The Victorian left behind a blazing trail so hot, he was this year’s only finisher, crossing that brutal finish line in an astonishing 53:07:53….
TRAIL RUNNING & CLIMATE LEADERSHIP, TOGETHER AS ONE WORDS BY: SIMON HARRIS Rather than despairing about the state of our planet, a small group of motivated runners with a deep passion for wild places have launched a new climate leadership camp in Australia. Initially developed and launched in the US by trail runner Dakota Jones, Footprints is making its way to Australia in partnership with Patagonia, with the very first camp being held from…
WRITTEN BY: KATE DZIENIS IMAGE: SUZANNE POLI MEET FELIX, WHERE HE’S MORE THAN JUST…FELIX To the average adult with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD, forms of physical activity may take a back seat to almost all other activities. Studies have shown, though, that exercise is as important to the brain as it is to the rest of the body’s physicality, and it can change the brain’s neurotransmitters, protein growth and neurogenesis….
WRITTEN BY: KATE DZIENIS IMAGE: ASTRID VOLZKE HOW DOES PHIL GORE DO IT? WINNING ALMOST EVERY BACKYARD ULTRA IN AUSTRALIA AND SETTING RECORDS? He went from 5km a day to smashing yard records in Australian backyard ultras, and now he’s known as the Backyard King. Since his first 12km race in 2014, West Australian Phil Gore has gone from humble beginnings to having his presence known when walking up to the start…
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…
Ultramarathon runner Damian Hall has set a new record time for the 185-mile Wainwright’s Coast to Coast route. Running west to east, from St Bees on the Irish Sea coastline to Robin Hood’s Bay on the shores of the North Sea, the inov-8 athlete completed the iconic cross-England challenge in an incredible time of 39 hours and 18 minutes. Damian beat Mike Hartley’s previous record, which had stood for 30 years, by 18 minutes. Established by legendary guidebook author Alfred…
WORDS AND IMAGES: SARAH FOSTER Ultra runner Sarah Foster likes piña coladas. Fortunately, she also doesn’t mind getting caught in the rain! In 2020, she took a break from the cattle station she co-manages in outback Queensland to run and fast pack the rugged Thorsborne Trail on Hinchinbrook Island. Here, she shares her story for Trail Run Mag. I grew up on the coast north of Townsville, Queensland, in a little Italian town called Ingham (and no, it is not…
Photos: Majell Backhausen Trail runner and ultra athlete Majell Backhausen explains why takayna Ultra, in north-west Tasmania, is full of heart, connection, and like no other event he has experienced in the world of trail running. I’d like to acknowledge and pay my respects to the traditional owners of the lands which this event is held, the people of takayna. And pay my respects to their Elders past, present and emerging. As I scan the space in Marrawah Hall, it’s…
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…
Images: Mat Vaughan This year, Australian trail runner Lucy Clark, 34, turned heads when she recorded the fastest-known time on the Te Araroa, a 3,000km trail that snakes the entire length of New Zealand from Cape Reinga, the northernmost tip, all the way down to Bluff in the South Island. NICKI LETTS joined Lucy for part of her astounding feat. A few weeks after finishing her record-breaking run of the Te Araroa (TA) in January, Lucy Clark could barely run…
