Autumn 2020

Trail Run

NZ's best running magazine

Trail Run1 min read
Trail Run
GUEST EDITOR: Lauren Shay DESIGN: Jess van de Vlierd CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Lauren Shay, Nicki Letts, Kirra Balmanno, Rowan Brookes, Karl Forcey, David Lipman, Brad Dixon, Nick Muxlow. PHOTOGRAPHERS: Dale Travers, Lukas Dürnegger, Mat Vaughan, Lucy Cl
Trail Run3 min read
CHECKPOINT to CHECKPOINT
They say not to try anything new on race day. Wise advice. Advice I think I have ignored every trail race I’ve done! Sure, sometimes the results of doing something new on race day have been disastrous: stomach issues, eye-watering chafing, a trip to
Trail Run1 min read
Stockists
WE DON’T TRUST OUR TRAIL BIBLE WITH ANY OLD RUNNING SHOP STOCKIST. RATHER, OUR STOCKISTS ARE A SPECIAL BREED OF RETAILER WHO HAVE HAD TO MEET STRINGENT REQUIREMENTS TO BE ALLOWED TO SELL TRAIL RUN MAG IN THE FLESH: THEY HAVE TO UNRESERVEDLY, AND WITH
Trail Run3 min read
Aussie Grit Focus 2020 Jacket
If I had written this review last issue, I think I would have had a hard time convincing anyone. The country was on fire, the Scenic Rim in Queensland, where I run a lot of the time, looked like a bleak Martian landscape, and rain was either a joke o
Trail Run3 min read
Coros Pod
With the introduction of the POD (Performance Optimisation Device), COROS has indicated a bias towards backing its engineers and innovation department. This completely on-brand move was not unforeseeable, given the constant requests online for the in
Trail Run2 min readFashion
Handful Y-back Bra
There’s a time and place for bouncing. Trampolines, jumping castles and agonising dinners with the in-laws when you’ve just got to bounce. But bouncing boobs during a run? Not fun. Ever. No. Female runners generally want their sports bras to meet two
Trail Run1 min read
Ultimate Direction Fk Ultra Poles
Completing Delirious W.E.S.T. 350km in February sure would have been a whole lot harder without poles. From the 140km mark, Ultimate Direction’s FK Ultra Trekking Poles did not leave my hands. As my legs fatigued and keeping balance on the technical
Trail Run3 min readFashion
T8 Commandos Underwear
Last issue, we reviewed the T8 Men’s Sherpa shorts, which got a big thumbs up, especially when paired with the T8 Commandos running underwear. So, we thought we should dive a bit deeper into the Commandos specifically, and give you the full low down
Trail Run1 min read
Scenic Rim Ultra
Starting and finishing at the Overflow Estate 1985 (yes, a winery!), the Scenic Rim Ultra is a one-hour drive southwest of Brisbane. The rugged looped course takes runners along Wyaralong Dam, up four mountains, past rolling farmlands, along single t
Trail Run1 min read
South Island Ultra Marathon
If you’re looking for a flat and fast course, the South Island Ultra Marathon is for you. The 100km has just 546m of elevation – crazy when you consider that the trail goes into the Southern Alps. The South Island Ultra Marathon is back for its secon
Trail Run1 min read
Tamworth Trail Blazer
If you’re not afraid of some brutal uphill action, pencil the Tamworth Trail Blazer into your calendar. The 15km loop course crams a quad-crushing 915m of elevation in each lap. Do the lap once, twice, three or four times. Runners who have the grit t
Trail Run1 min read
Taupo Ultramarathon
Spring-time running along the stunning trails of the mighty Lake Taupō Yes, please! The Taupō Ultramarathon showcases the very best of Taupō, touted as the heart of New Zealand’s North Island. Runners are in for a visual treat, with expansive lake vi
Trail Run4 min read
Hip Happiness
Stable, strong and mobile hips underpin efficient running form and a healthy, functional life. As we age, our hips start to seize, contributing to a shortened stride. This results in extra torsional stress placed on the areas above and below the hips
Trail Run1 min read
Crater Rim Ultra
Imagine running on the rim of an extinct volcano. Talk about adventure! The 53km Crater Rim Ultra takes runners on a pointto-point journey around the crater that makes up Christchurch’s majestic Port Hills. With a boat trip across the beautiful Lytte
Trail Run1 min read
Cape To Cape Track, Western Australia
Towering forests, dreamy white-sand beaches, 600 million-year-old granite, and cliff-top paths winding through swathes of orchids and wildflowers. Sounds like heaven! This is Western Australia’s epic Cape to Cape Track, a recognised biodiversity hots
Trail Run3 min read
Q & A White Rock Warriors
1. How did your group begin? Through a sad situation. We had two local runners attacked while out running. One young girl was my cousin’s friend and she asked me if I would run with her. The young girl was training for the Defence. I had a few other
Trail Run3 min read
Running With Sherman
What do you do when you see the words “running” and “Christopher McDougall” on the front cover of a book? You buy the book. After all, this is a writer who triggered a running movement with his debut book, Born To Run, published in 2009. The story ab
Trail Run13 min read
The LONG PATHWAY
A few weeks after finishing her record-breaking run of the Te Araroa (TA) in January, Lucy Clark could barely run 5km without her legs screaming to stop – not because she was injured, but because her body had nothing more to give after her record 66-
Trail Run3 min read
COAST to COAST
Ashley Watson had a stellar year in 2019. In terms of his achievements, it’s hard to know where to begin! The Ballarat runner not only smashed the Surf Coast Century 100km course record (which he had set himself in 2018 in a time of 8:16:50), he did
Trail Run4 min read
RED CENTRE Dreaming
As a professional triathlete, runner and adventure junkie, Courtney Atkinson has travelled Australia and the planet. The world truly is his playground. Yet, for a long time, Australia’s Red Centre was a mystery to him. “Most people have no idea about
Trail Run10 min read
CANCER won’t STOP ME
We’re standing atop Flinders Peak, soaking in the panoramic views that stretch all around us. It’s a clear Sunday morning, and we can just make out the faint-grey blocks of Brisbane city’s skyscrapers to the north. Far more impressive, though, are th
Trail Run9 min read
TREADING LIGHTLY For Change
We three women stood on a remote beach, golden rays from the dawn sun reflecting off the sand. A warm wind teased the white-capped waves. Over three long days of running, we’d fallen into a routine: roll out of tents, offer hugs and encouraging words
Trail Run10 min read
Way Out West
I WAS ALONE. It was 4am, pitch black. I was in a kayak trying to cross an inlet. The water smelt putrid as it slopped against the hull. Ahead of me, nothing. Behind me, nothing. All around me was darkness. Fear gripped my throat and I gasped for air,
Trail Run6 min readPsychology
DELIBERATE PRACTICE TRAIL & ULTRA RUNNING
As trail and ultra runners, we love the feeling of cruising along a fast-flowing single track. We could do this day after day and never lose enthusiasm. However, if you’ve found you have reached a plateau in your performance, it’s likely due to one o
Trail Run9 min read
BREAKING NEW TRAILS IN THE Caucasus
We sat on twin boulders, holding our breath in hope that the sun’s light might slip through the clouds to give us a sunrise show over Mount Kazbek. A local dog had followed us to the viewpoint, seeming to mirror our enthusiasm and exhaustion. Every f
Trail Run4 min readSports & Recreation
Timp-tation
Hey, remember Altra? If you are a fan of Altra shoes and have been struggling to find them over the past year or so, you’re not the only one. Due to distributor problems, Altra has been absent from the Australian marketplace for quite a while. I’m ha
Trail Run3 min read
King Of The Mountain
Full disclosure: I’m a chick. Yes, really! And I wear men’s shoes. Why? Because my feet are so wide, women’s shoes just do not cut it for me. I’m talking Hobbit size. So, at risk of confounding you, my review of the Topo Mountain Racers is based on t
Trail Run3 min read
Duc Do Marathon Grand Slam Club Member
UP UNTIL 2014, RUNNING HAD NEVER APPEALED TO ME. I was not even sure about the distance of a marathon. It just seemed like a boring and tedious activity. However, with my health – both physical and mental – deteriorating, I knew I needed an audacious

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