Salomon Academy seeks next-gen trail stars

Salomon Running has put the call out globally to unearth the next generation of ultra trail runners, and is seeking applications from Australia and new Zealand trailites. “Out on the trails and up in the mountains, there are some ultra-runners charging ahead, filled with passion and dreams, inspired by idols or simply addicted to the great outdoors,” notes an official Salomon HQ missive. “Some of them don’t even know how talented they are. Most of them don’t realize that they’re the athletes who will…

New 100km event promises Oxfam Gone Wild

A new charity trail running and trekking challenge has been launched that promises runners and trekkers an adventure like no other, covering a 100km course that loops off Mount Buller Resort and into Victoria’s rugged High Country. Taking place on 17-19 February 2017, Oscars100 Hut2Hut will see teams of two choosing to trek or run 100kms along mostly single track, including spectacular sections of the Australian Alpine Walking Track (AAWT). Organisers have also put the call out for experienced ultra and/or…

Never stopping: The North Face on trail

In 2007, famed ultramarathoner, Dean Karnazes, hit Australian shores to complete yet another massive run – The North Face Summit to Sydney, a 560km brute of a run. It was a feat that introduced Australia runners to The North Face not as a climbing brand, or general adventure brand (of course, it was already both in spades), but as an adventure running brand. We take a look back at how The North Face took to the trail… Time-travel back to 1966, and a…

Ultra Trail Australia – are you ready?

It has been announced that entries for Australia’s biggest trail running festival, Ultra-Trail Australia 2017, will begin to open at 10am on Wednesday October 12th. Celebrating its 10th anniversary, Ultra-Trail Australia will be a four-day trail running festival of unprecedented scope; it’s the UTA 10th birthday party! From May 18 – May 21, 2017, Katoomba, NSW, will play host to over 12,000 athletes, spectators and support crew, converging for a four-day trail running extravaganza. Underpinned by the flagship UTA100 and…

Surf Coast looks to trail run century

Over two thousand runners are making the journey to Anglesea on the Great Ocean Road this weekend (3-4 September) for a true trail running festival weekend. The Surf Coast Century is one of Australia’s iconic ultra marathons featuring 100km solo, 50km solo and 100km relay team events, as well as incorporating the Australian 100km Trail Running Championships.  The action begins on Friday night with the fun 2km Kids Run, continues with the Surf Coast Century on Saturday, starting and finishing…

Ultra dash for Gash across India

Australian ultramarathon runner Samantha Gash has started her gruelling 3,800 km record run across India, in a bid to raise money for World Vision projects tackling barriers to quality education in India. Starting yesterday (Monday 22 August 2016) at one of the driest deserts on earth, Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, she will pass through the foot of the Himalayas and end in Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya. Running, on average, the equivalent of just over a marathon a day, Samantha will…

Big V: new trail run series for Victoria

A new trail running event series – The Big V Trail Series – is set to slot into the road, trail and cross country running calendars with the moto of “friends, family, fun, fast” being the inspiration. The event series is being produced for the Victorian Running Network and will be supported by Athletics Victoria, with one round – Field of Dreams at Lysterfield Lake Reserve in December – doubling as the Victorian State Trail Running Championships. The Big V Trail Series is…

RECORDS TUMBLE AT SURF COAST TRAIL MARATHON

It was a day of broken records at the recent Saucony Surf Coast Trail Marathon with marathon and half marathon runners registering the quickest ever times along the undulating coastal course linking the seaside towns of Torquay and Fairhaven, in Victoria’s south-west. The running weather Gods smiled as winter sunshine greeted the biggest-ever field of entrants with more than 600 runners lining up in what is one of the state’s biggest trail run outings. The pace was sizzling up front…

Ultra Joe runs record on the quiet

The North Face-supported ultra runner Joe Ward has set about an endeavour to break the running record from Brisbane to Sydney (sadly not on trail, but a big feat nonetheless! Ed.). He will run 1000km over 12 days, all in complete silence to raise awareness for men’s mental health. Running approximately 90km each day, Joe Ward aims to finish his epic journey at the Opera House in Sydney on June 12. “Usually on a big run, talking really helps you…

Ultra Trail Australia – a Hawkeye view

Our last post took a look at an example of the heart and soul of events like Ultra Trail Australia – ordinary people achieving extraordinary things – but of course up the pointy end, there is always some good racing going on to satisfy the bookies and pundits. One of them, writes Dan Lewis, is Scotty Hawker, who registered second place behind international interloper Dylan Bowman in 2015. Will he take a step up this year for the ultimate accolade? Dan also takes a top end quick list-look…