Trail Run

I grew up not so far from the Arctic Circle. I was born in a place called Thurso on the North coast of Scotland. We actually lived in a place called Wick, but it didn’t have a maternity unit when I was born which I only mention to illustrate the Viki

Where: The Te Waihou Walkway and Blue Spring is nestled in the lush farming country of South Waikato, near Putaruru. It is just one of the many great trails and waterways in the area. Distance: Close to 5km one way, however, a much shorter option is

Where: The trail around and up Mount Dromedary to the summit is located in the picturesque Magra/Black Hills area outside of New Norfolk in Southern Tasmania. Distance: Mount Dromedary trail takes approximately four hours (walking) and it is 15km re

I’m recently back from the annual Events Conference, a fairly full-on two-day affair where a couple of hundred event people from all over New Zealand congregate. Over those two days we do a lot of listening, quite a bit of thinking, some question-ask

Sometimes an aid station is just that, a table with some liquid on it, with a couple of hardy volunteers handing out said liquid and offering encouragement. Some aid stations are much grander affairs. These aid stations become almost as famous as the

WHETHER IT IS JUST ANOTHER FAD OR AN ACTUAL LONG-LASTING LIFESTYLE CHANGE WITH MERIT, MORE AND MORE ATHLETES – PARTICULARLY ENDURANCE ATHLETES - ARE SWITCHING TO EATING PLANT-BASED DIETS AND ARE FULL VEGANS. THE LIKES OF ULTRA-RUNNER SCOTT JUREK AND

Many Australasian trail running fans were glued to the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run live-results earlier this year, with both Australia’s Lucy Bartholomew and Italian-Kiwi Cecilia Flori featuring strongly through the day in the women’s field

WHETHER YOU ARE THERE FOR THE PHYSICAL AND MENTAL CHALLENGE, SCENERY, CAMARADERIE, OR JUST ALONG FOR THE RIDE, ADVENTURE RACING IS ON THE RISE IN AOTEAROA. THERE HAS BEEN AN EXPLOSION OF EVENTS AND IT CAN BE OVERWHELMING CHOOSING ONE TO ENTER - SOME

Trail running is there, lurking in the shadows of the Olympic flame’s glare – but it has not quite hit the limelight, yet. It may be news to some, but trail running, in the form of cross country running, has been in the Olympics three times to date.

"And I’ve heard from João that you don’t ever quit,” Jan said with a nervous laugh as we waited in the early morning darkness. ‘“Oh man, what a way to put the pressure on,” I joked apprehensively in return, secretly proud that my reputation proceeded

When I first started running, I didn’t even know ‘trail running’ was a thing. I knew people ran on football fields, athletic tracks and roads, and that was pretty much the extent of my knowledge on the subject of running. I’d done my home town’s big

1 Boardwalks under forest canopy away from the sun’s bleaching rays build up an organic layer that is notoriously slippery. Smaller sectioned boardwalks can be unstable and wobble or flip when you stand on one end. 2 Tree roots aligned parallel to

There is video footage of event organiser Shaun Collins orienteering at Woodhill a few years back. He runs up the sand dunes but suddenly pauses and swerves sharply out of sight. What was that about, asked the videographer later. Did he spot a contro

There is a real shift towards mindfulness in the health and wellness sector. Everyone is talking about being ‘present’. Most health-related magazines I read have a piece on mindfulness with a different perspective. Sometimes the mindfulness message g

The Goat, held on the Western Slopes of Mt Ruapehu in Tongariro National Park, is one of the most challenging races on the off road calendar. Celebrating its 15th year in 2018 the event, held in early December sells out quickly. The run, which is mea

‘I just saw your post about your trip on the Inca Road, I live in Huanchaco, Trujillo. I checked the map and found that one road of the Qhapaq Ñan passes close to Huanchaco and continues to Chiquitoy, at the bottom of Apu Campana Hill’. Wen Sulem con

Your hips and pelvis are the centre point, or powerhouse of your body. If you have any weakness or instability around your hips it will vastly impact the rest of your body. Your ‘normal’ alignment that displaces load consistently around the body beco

Monster walks – Tie a band snuggly around your thighs at hip width apart and try to keep the band as flat as possible to avoid pinching/hair plucking/ circulation constriction. Sink your hips back as if sitting on an imaginary stool behind you. The w

I want to talk about inflammation which, in its acute phase, is useful and has a purpose but when it becomes chronic can be serious, even life-threatening. Chronic inflammation is linked to cardiovascular disease, Alzheimers, Parkinsons, diabetes, ca

Much research has been done around to little sleep increasing your risk of chronic inflammation. Runners need seven to eight hours of sleep every night and as rest and repair happens between 10pm to 2am try to get to bed early. Reduce the use of comp

1 : Sleep more. If there was one thing we can all do to immediately improve our recovery and energy levels, it is to go to bed earlier. 2 : Accept you are unlikely to ever run the perfect race and that almost certainly something will go wrong. If yo