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’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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
82-year-old Hubert Zohrer. Photo: Michael Werlberger Organisers and participants – including a daredevil 82-year-old runner – had to overcome more challenges than usual at the third staging of the inov-8 Descent Race on the world’s most notorious ski slope. Featuring an insanely steep gradient of 80%, the legendary Streif – on the Hahnenkamm mountain in Kitzbühel, Austria – is regarded as the toughest on the world cup ski circuit. In this innovative event format, runners raced 350m down its fearsome slope, negotiating near-vertical blind drops…
Image: K Wright BY JENNY WEBER The Bob Brown Foundation takes its Great Forest Case to court on 23 September, and this could set a precedent for the preservation of millions of hectares of Australia’s wild places. With The Great Forest Case, The Bob Brown Foundation is challenging the regulation of native forest logging in Tasmania, with the aim to unravel the notorious framework under which logging across Australia is carried out. Arguing that the Tasmanian Regional Forest Agreement (RFA)…
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…
