REVIEWER: DR DAVID LIPMAN WHOOP, there it is … Nineties music references aside, the feeling I could not escape as WHOOP and its bands came across my social media timeline is a product of both their marketing and the world we live in. To elaborate on these two aspects and their intersection a little more; we have never been more advertised to in an overt manner but also in a less overt manner with influences, affiliates and sponsored athletes becoming…
takayna Trail to go ahead as Tasmanian forestry agency backs down
Photo: Kelly Slater A directions hearing concerning Bob Brown Foundation’s takayna Trail ultramarathon was held yesterday morning in Hobart’s Supreme court. “Sustainable Timber Tasmania’s (STT) told the court that Bob Brown Foundation does not need STT’s consent to run the takayna Trail and that a permit is not required. In other words, they cannot and will not prevent the event from proceeding,” Bob Brown Foundation’s CEO Steven Chaffer said. “Now that STT have confirmed that a permit is not required…
Tasmanian logging agency challenged on locking runners out of public land
Picture: Kelly Slater The Bob Brown Foundation has launched a Supreme Court action against Sustainable Timber Tasmania after they refused a permit for the annual takayna Trail ultramarathon, scheduled for 20 March 2021. The application to the Supreme court was filed on Friday, 19 February. A directions hearing will be heard in Hobart’s Supreme Court tomorrow (Thursday, 25 February) at 11.30 am for the judge to give directions to prepare the case for hearing. The takayna Trail, a highlight of…
Run to save Pilliga Forest
What if you could run to save a forest? Well, now you can! Join the “For Wild Places” crew and The Wilderness Society on 22 May for a new ultramarathon – the “Gasbag Ultra; a run to keep the Pilliga Wild”. With distances of 25km and 50km-plus, the event aims to raise awareness and funds to protect the beautiful Pilliga Forest, in north-west NSW, from coal seam gas mining. Half a million hectares of rare intact temperate eucalypt woodland are…
takayna ultra under threat
An iconic north-west Tasmanian tourism event is currently under threat due to refusal by the state forestry body, Sustainable Timbers Tasmania, to give permission to access public land. takayna Trail, a 51 km ultramarathon, is in its 3rd year. It is a major event for the north-west region, bringing runners from around the world to visit this incredibly beautiful place. But Sustainable Timbers Tasmania has refused access for the event to use public lands, which puts takayna Trail at risk…
Rotorua runner Michael Voss ready for new challenge at Tarawera Ultramarathon
Rotorua’s Michael Voss knows the trails surrounding his hometown well but is under no illusion that will make for an easy day out at this weekend’s Tarawera Ultramarathon. Voss, who took victory and a course record in the Tarawera 50km race in 2020, has stepped up to the 102km event this year and is looking forward to his first taste of the Ultra-Trail® World Tour. “I live just down the road from the forest so I’m pretty familiar with the…
GEAR REVIEW: TRAIL BREW
REVIEWER: LAUREN SHAY Trail Brew was a godsend at the Scenic Rim Ultra 110km in 2019. If it weren’t for the ample supply of this electrolyte mix at the checkpoints on that hot (unusually hot for October in south-east Queensland) day, I’m sure the DNF rate would have been much higher. Trail Brew is an Australian-made endurance sports energy drink and all-in-one nutrition source. There are various other all-in-one electrolyte and energy drinks on the market, some of which I’ve…
RUNNERS NEEDED FOR 21 MILLION STEPS MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGE
inov-8 and COROS Wearables have teamed up to help people reap the rewards that running and exercise bring to mental health. The two sports brands have launched their Step Up & Play Your Part Challenge in a bid to amass 21 million steps of responsible exercise before the end of January 2021. To do this they are calling on runners, walkers and all sportspeople to log their daily number of steps on the inov-8 website here. And while both brands are promoting exercise…
Runners represent!
Trail running is a niche sport, and a lot of trail runners like it that way. But as more people are converted to the trails, we need a collective voice and pathway for development. A group of Tasmanian trail runners is taking a bottom-up approach to this, creating a state association they hope will empower athletes and lay the foundation for national representation. Story by Lauren Shay. Tasmania’s wilderness is trail running at its best. Raw, gnarly and breathtakingly beautiful. You could even say Tassie is to Australia what Chamonix is to France in terms of pure trail–running awesomeness. More people around Australia and the…
SURF COAST CENTURY GETS THE GREEN LIGHT TO GO AHEAD ON 5 DECEMBER 2020
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…
