NZ runner Scotty Hawker. Picture: @fractelrunning Despite having finished third in last year’s Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc, Scotty Hawker feels he has unfinished business in what many regard as the world’s most prestigious trail race. Due to the current pandemic, it’s business which might have to wait another year, but he’s taking a philosophical view on the current turmoil affecting almost every aspect of life globally. The New Zealander thinks the event – due to take place on August 28…
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…
Right, so you are locked down in your home, all races for the first part of 2020 have been cancelled, you are able to do a 5km run around your house or garden by doing 20 million loops, but what’s the point, what are you even training for? How about the 4 Peaks Mountain Run, which takes place in September 2020 and is known as the toughest 24km mountain race in South Africa? And to remove any risk for those…
Photo: Kelly Slater At time of writing, the Bob Brown Foundation’s takayna Ultra Marathon has raised more than $181,000. These vital funds will support the Bob Brown Foundation’s campaign to takayna/Tarkine to be listed as a World Heritage National Park and returned to Aboriginal ownership. Bob Brown highlighted that in its second year, the takayna Ultra, held on March 13, had “grown in size and wildness” and was a “great success”, with more than 120 runners taking part. The wild…
As a follow up to its State of Ultra Running 2020 study, Run Repeat wanted to look at what kind of runners are most likely to run multiple races a year, to gain an understanding of which distance has the most “obsessed” runners. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it was ultra runners! This stats page (https://runrepeat.com/most-obssessed-runners-stats-page) is a simple look at the participation patterns of runners in the 5 most common distances: 5K, 10K, Half marathon, Marathon and Ultra. Key findings: Ultrarunning has…
The COVID-19 pandemic may have thrown much of our lives into chaos, but the good news is, we are exercising more! Run Repeat surveyed 12,913 participants from 139 countries between March 24th and March 30th to gather data on how Coronavirus has changed their physical activity routines. Surprisingly, people are exercising at a greater frequency than before the pandemic became a global crisis. Key results are: People who normally exercise up to 1-2 times/week have increased exercising by 88% on…
Are you looking to take your game to the next level of performance? Are you trying to elevate your trail running game to new heights you never believed possible? Then you need some serious gear to get you there. While raw skill and intense practice are definitely the most important aspects of any training routine, having the right gear will help make the transition to seriously professional levels of trail running that much easier. This post will go over what…
AURA (Australian Ultra Runners Association) has released a statement regarding Coronavirus and its implication for some AURA-listed events. Government mandates and/or recommendations in regards to social distancing and capping of maximum numbers attending events has seen a number of AURA listed events cancelled or postponed. To date, these include: 20 March Sri Chinmoy 48 Hour Track Festival 21 March Duncan’s Run 4 April The Canberra Times Marathon Festival 50km 14 May Ultra Trail Australia The Sri Chinmoy 48 Hour and…
IMAGE: MATT HULL / RAPID ASCENT Ultra-runners expressed an eagerness to continue doing what they love when online entries opened at midday on March 17 for the 2020 Surf Coast Century presented by MINI Countryman. Century hosts, Rapid Ascent, were blown away by the response given the present uncertainty surrounding Coronavirus and the flow-on effect to the local economy. “It was reassuring to see so many entries coming in despite the threat of Coronavirus and expected economic downturn for the…
Experience MOUNTAINFILM ON TOUR! A collection of culturally rich, adventure-packed and engaging documentary short films that use the power of film, art and ideas to inspire audiences to create a better world. This Australian and New Zealand event includes twelve inspiring films that feature trail running, skiing, mountaineering, climbing, hiking, kayaking, snowboarding and mountain biking. The films are hand-picked from MOUNTAINFILM Festival, an annual event in Telluride, Colorado – one of America’s longest-running film festivals. Our hosted events include an…
