trail

What I Wish They Had Told Me

Words by Kim Stephens

Crossing over to trail from road running, or taking up trail running as a brand new hobby can take some adjustments, and there are surprises beyond the odd snake spotting that you might want to factor in.  Did you know, that plants sometimes fight back? That trail "running" can include ladders, ropes and chains? That your road pace means sweet nothing on a mountain run? A few trail gems shared their gems with us.

Hosted by Wildrunner, the BOS Sport Mountain Challenge Series, is the only one of its kind in South Africa. A tough, pure mountain running series made up of three separate races; the Jonkershoek Mountain Challenge (JMC), the Helderberg Mountain Challenge (HMC) and the Marloth Mountain Challenge (MMC). Each event consists of a Lite, Extreme and Ultra distance race. To complete the series, participants must compete in the same distance category at each race.

We all KNOW we should be doing it, and it feels like everyone else IS, but what exactly is IT and where do we start? The hills are alive with misinformation, hype and training trends, so we took our burning questions to the professionals, for some rounded, realistic guidance on cross training for trail runners.

First in the hot seat is Brendan Lombard, a 30-year-old Cape based fitness expert, run coach and elite trail runner. When pressed to outline the top 3 tips that he would confidently hand to any trail runner, Brendan outlined the following:

Runners share… a lot. We share long journeys on the trails, we share life stories, toilet breaks, emergency medical gear and, at a push, we’ll share our secret refuges or lesser known trails. But we don’t often share our truly weird race rituals or superstitions. Lucky undies? Charms in your pockets? Here is a round up of true stories that will make you feel better about your own quirks.

Consistency is King

There are years that come along and redefine certain arenas; 2019 was one for the running books. Here is a look back at a handful of the utterly memorable moments, plot twists, triumphs and tragedies that redefined our sport.

April

Ah the trail runner… an undeniably simple being, motivated simply by wide open spaces, natural environments and the pursuit of experiences over worldly goods. They choose mountains, they choose freedom, they choose community… but, for all their lack of commercially driven ideals, they also choose a lot of gear!

So what is on the 2019 list of Must-Haves for the trail runner in your life?

Our summer trails are alive with epic displays of flora, and teeming with bird and insect life. With sunrise around 5am in peak season, we have more hours to spend racking up the miles in our trail shoes, and can even squeeze in a decent session before the confines of an office.

So what should we all consider before lacing up in the heat of summer?

Hydration

On Friday 9 December, Cape Town resident and mountain runner, Hugh Hacking, took one of those calls that every dog owner dreads. He stepped out of a meeting to receive the news from his wife, Jess, that their 1 year old Ridgeback pup, Rusty, was missing in the Newlands Forest area. What transpired was an epic example of community support, canine loyalty and a story with all the potential to become a Hallmark movie.

Women’s Record Smashed at Ultra-trail Cape Town 

On 1 December, the 100km Ultra-Trail Cape Town presented by Salomon (UTCT), was dominated by the international contingent in the mens and the womens races, with the performance of the day being Great Britain’s Beth Pascall’s convincing breaking of the women’s record by over an hour, and placing 9^th overall.

A record 68 countries were represented across the 4-race event, with South Africans in firm support of the trail seasons grand finale.

If you’ve spent any time with trail runners lately, you have probably heard the term “buying land” or similar. This does not mean that said runner has invested in a pretty piece of single track, it means that they have left some of their dignity, and perhaps some DNA, out on a trail. Wipe outs happen, and it is important to know what to do when you, or a member of your crew, has eaten some dirt.

Sue Ulyett