Innehållsförteckning för August - September 2016 n7 från Trail Run

EDITOR’S CHOICE XTERRA Trail Challenge Waihi Location: Karangahake Gorge, Waihi Date: Saturday October 22nd Distance: 8k, 13k, 20k, 43k Includes: National Trail Running Championships (20.5k) Description: One of NZ’s glittering hidden gems, the Karangahake Gorge oozes with rich history, luscious scenery and superb running or walking regardless of skill level. The short courses will enthral families and beginners, winding past goldmining relics and through the famous Windows Walkway with views onto the rushing Waitawheta River. Those braving the marathon are treated to dense native bush, soaring kauri and dramatic gorges before joining with the long course on the climb up and around Mt Karangahake. A weekend away beckons: spend Sunday biking to the Victoria Battery and return through the 1km long rail tunnel; visit Ohinemuri Winery; ride on the historic…

We thought it would be interesting to discover how trail runners feel about creeping commercialisation. We share with you the results of a Facebook Poll of 417 New Zealand trail runners conducted through Running Wild*. 1 I’m worried that trail running is becoming too commercialised The results (Fig.1) suggest that only around 1 in 5 of us are at all worried, with those concerns being slightly greater for the sport internationally than locally. Interestingly, it is the more competitive trail runners who show slightly greater levels of concern than the more recreational runners, but even amongst this group, who are undoubtedly more exposed to the commercial face of trail running, the majority show little concern that commercialisation has gone too far. 2 Commercial sponsorship of trail…

There’s 12km of horrid stuff in front of me and I can’t stop myself from thinking how good it would be to simply stop moving and lie down. There isn’t, truthfully, a part of my body that isn’t hurting. My knee is the loudest objector although my hamstrings are thinking about throwing a tantrum that may never see reason. If I had to guess how many of my vital organs are shutting down, I’d say all of them. I’m not having fun. Going to the cinema is fun. Dinner with friends is fun. Sneaking out under the cover of darkness and putting the overflow recycling in the neighbour’s bin, that’s fun, too. Being 30km into a trail marathon and finding reasons to keep taking step after agonising step –that’s not…

There are subtle differences but at their core, orienteering and Rogaining are similar: participants must navigate by map to a series of checkpoints, returning once completed or within a specified time frame. The sport is growing in popularity across demographics from families looking for a fun day outdoors to elite adventure racers seeking competition. The key to orienteering’s popularity lies in the breadth of skills required to be successful, as North West Orienteering Club secretary Lisa Mead observes: “Strategising is crucial: it is not just the fittest or fastest who excel in orienteering and Rogaine, but those who can read a map, analyse terrain, have a sense of spatial awareness and make route choice decisions at speed. “It tends to be a hare-and-tortoise sport with walkers who can read a…

I’VE HAD THAT LONE WOLF SYNDROME FOR A LOT OF YEARS, I JUST GOT INTO THE ZONE, INTO MY OWN HEADSPACE. YOU JUST KEEP GOING. THERE’S ALWAYS SOMETHING TO LOOK AT AND SMELL AND SEE.Grant Jacobs Q: Why did the man, the buggy and the dog run up New Zealand twice? Is it a joke? Distance aficionado Grant ‘Curly’ Jacobs appears amused, but then he often does. If you’ve ever been driving along a highway and seen a rangy ultra marathoner with a smiley t-shirt and a dog trotting along the road, it’s very likely to be Jacobs and training partner Buddy heading off for a 300km shake-out. The duo have just returned from a birthday jog when KTR visits. Never short of a running yarn, Jacobs recounts the…

Cramping is something of an enigma to scientists as the root cause is still not completely understood, partly because its spontaneous and variable nature makes cramp hard to study or recreate in a lab. Varied and sometimes polarising theories abound, with current research focusing on an electrical phenomenon – a reflex that may originate in the brain or spinal cord – as causing cramp in athletes. Cramping is more common in marathon and ultramarathon runners and frequently happens towards the end of a race or immediately after. The three common cramp triggers – fatigue, dehydration and lose of sodium though sweat – are exacerbated the longer you run. Fatigue appears to be a bigger trigger than the others but dehydration makes your body more fatigued so these are both important…

People take up running for different reasons. Sometimes these reasons have a goal attached: a goal usually assumes a timeframe, therefore progression from your current state of fitness is required. Training under pressure – i.e. too much, too soon – can be painful, demoralising and increase the risk of injury. Sometimes it’s the other end of the stick: with no goal in place, running may be sporadic and unfocused and never getting easier. There are numerous factors that can make the early days of running uncomfortable. In this two-part series we unpack some key aspects that can make for a better and easier transition to becoming a runner – starting with training intensity and your body’s capacity for load. Intensity Aerobic versus anaerobic training Running doesn’t have to be hard.…

LAKE HARRIS, ROUTEBURN TRACK Distance: 32km one way Photographer: Allan Ure, Photos4Sale Runner: Hywell Dinnick The good dirt: Safely over the Harris Saddle, Hywell Dinnick speeds past Lake Harris on the descent to the finish line, taking the 2016 Routeburn Classic win in 2hr43min47sec. Email vicki@kiwitrailrunner.co.nz with your top shot and you could win a $100 prize pack from Jack Link’s. ROUTEBURN TRACK Distance: 32km one way Photographer: Vicki Woolley Runner: Paul Lewis The good dirt: Linking the Fiordland and Mt Aspiring National Parks, Routeburn is arguably New Zealand’s most picturesque Great Walk. Views of the jagged snow-capped Darran and Ailsa Mountains give way to the Humboldt Mountains and the rolling greens of the Routeburn valley as runners pass over the alpine Harris Saddle (1,255m). Spectacular hanging valleys remain testimony…

Makara Wind Farm High on the skyline above Wellington sits an iconic feature. Banks of towering wind turbines stand resolute, squaring off against the notorious winds funnelling through Cook Strait to harvest clean energy for the Wellington region. A magnet for runners, walkers and mountain bikers, the popular Makara Walkway and Opua Loop Tracks run tantalisingly close to the West Wind farm but the turbines themselves are not accessible to the public. Once a year, Meridian open the gate for Mike ‘Tomo’ Thomason to deliver one of the signature XTERRA winter races… and the people come. Thomason falls over the words as he tries to express his enthusiasm for the route. “Of all the XTERRA courses, West Wind has the greatest variety of terrain. One minute you are on rugged…

Tongue A good tongue design has a loop or slit near the top to thread the laces through: this prevents the tongue from slipping down and causing rubbing. ‘Burrito-wrapped’ tongues are growing in popularity: these are attached to the upper on one or both sides, preventing debris from entering the shoe. Collar The collar can be a critical – but often overlooked – factor in the comfort of a shoe. A high, restrictive collar can rub on or just below the medial or lateral malleolus bone, so it is important to check this on purchase. If you can feel the collar, it is likely to cause discomfort when running. Heel counter Reinforcement around the heel of a shoe enhances the shoe’s durability and helps to support and stabilise the foot.…

1 Listen to your body. If you feel tired and not motivated to get out, you may be overtraining. Rest days are as important as training days and should be scheduled. Signs of overtraining are fatigue, general muscle soreness, unusually poor sleep, low motivation to exercise and increased irritability. 2 Sleep is vital for the growth and rejuvenation of the body and is the primary means of recovery from your training. Going to bed earlier will likely improve your running performance, especially for those who set an alarm to run early in the morning. 3 Strength train to improve lean muscle mass and balance, and reduce the risk of falls. Schedule two to three 30-minute sessions per week. 4 Older athletes need more protein than younger athletes, especially during recovery…

NEARLY 50 TRAIL-CLAD TAIWANESE RUNNERS WERE PERFORMING PLYOMETRIC STRETCHES IN THE MISTY CAR PARK WHEN WE PULLED UP.Penny Comins Have you lost your running mojo? New Year’s resolution lost its shine? Mine had – so I imagined how I’d get my running mojo back and jotted it down: Run with someone else. Watch their dedication. Go back to basics and hone the skills. Run in a new location that is visually stunning. Commit to an event. And that is just what I did – in Taiwan. Yes, in a big city. I didn’t found solace in the usual trails of New Zealand. I wasn’t finding my flow in the silence of the outback. Ruth Croft – Kiwi professional runner and friend – was living in Taiwan. We had run the…

Toenail Location of black toenail(s). Recognised by: Blackening of toenail; tenderness to touch; toenail loss. Caused by: ‘Scuffing’ the foot forward each time you take a step. Poorly fitting shoes (too big/small). Acute collision with rock/tree root. First Metatarsophalangeal Joint Location of hallux limitus. Recognised by: Decreased big toe range of motion; pain in the toe at toe off; tenderness, swelling and possible enlargement of big toe joint. Caused by: Long term immobility of the big toe. Poor mobility and movement of the entire foot. Metatarsal Common location for a stress fracture (second metatarsal stress fracture/ march fracture). Recognised by: Rapid onset of forefoot pain; 10/10 pain when hopping up and down; little or no swelling. Caused by: Rapid increase in running mileage. Poor running technique. Plantar Fascia Location of…

TRAIL RUNNING IS NOT ABOUT RUNNING, IT’S ABOUT COPING WITH THE CONDITIONS: FOR ME THAT MEANS I GET TO BE THAT KID IN THE MUD AGAIN. RUNNING ON TRAIL FEEDS MY SOUL, GIVES ME SOLACE AND SOLITUDE. I’VE FOUND MY PLACE.Naomi Ballantyne Do you consider yourself a runner? I do consider myself a runner, but I don’t consider myself a competitive runner. I am a competitive person, but I don’t need it in my running. I run for a bunch of other reasons. What does a typical running week look like for you? In summer I run three to four days a week: get home, pick up the dogs and run in Riverhead, Albany, Okura. In winter with less daylight I try to squeeze it in before work, which usually…

RUNNING FOR RED CROSS Wellington man Olivier Lacoua has tasked himself with running 100 marathons to fundraise for the NZ Red Cross. Lacoua suffered burns to 3 per cent of his body after a childhood accident and credits the Red Cross for their quick response and wonderful care. Lacoua currently averages 10 or 12 marathons per year and hopes to complete the challenge at the Marathon de Paris in 2020. Fittingly he has set a fundraising target of $26,200 to represent the 26.2 miles in a marathon. The 45-year-old hotel manager runs a mixture of on-road and off-road events and is currently training for the Marathon des Sables six-day stage race across the Sahara Desert. A hard task-master, Lacoua will only count the 250km ultra as one marathon towards his…

1 Don’t buy anything to start Seriously – do not spend a cent until you have worked through the steps below. 2 Wear what is comfortable Whatever you currently wear to run in, work out in or even walk the dog in will be fine for your first few outings. Wear layers that you can shed to maintain a comfortable body temperature. As you settle into running regularly, experiment with fabrics to find what is comfortable close to your skin. Try fabrics with sweat-wicking properties such as Drymax or Dri-fit in summer – or you may prefer ordinary cotton. For winter running, look to fabrics with thermal properties such as natural merino or synthetic polypropylene. Comfort is more important than appearance. Branded apparel purchased from sports and outdoors stores is…

I JUST LIKE TO BELIEVE I CAN DO THESE THINGS.Malcolm Fisher In 2007, five per cent of the people who entered the Total Sport XTERRA Auckland Trail Run/Walk series were aged 50 years and older: just nine women were represented in the total ‘veteran’ field of 29. Fast-forward eight years and the numbers tell a vastly different story: A staggering 30% of participants in the 2016 Total Sport DUAL were aged 50 or over and almost half of these (42%) were women (indeed, 45% of overall DUAL participants were female). Total Sport managing director Aaron Carter is unsurprised: “The over-50s are [mostly] through the full-on parental years and see this as their time to take back for themselves. There has been a staggering shift in female participation over the…

It has been a while since I last went for a run. I did have my running shoes with me but they remained in my bag as I lounged on the stunning beaches of the South Coast of Sri Lanka, swimming in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean and eating delicious fresh seafood. I’ve since moved inland, to the cooler hill country that makes up the central part of the island. Now there is no excuse – the temperatures are lower and there is no sea to swim in and kid myself that I’m getting enough exercise. For the next three days I’m based in a small homestay run by a delightful Italian/Indian lady with a wicked sense of humour and an amazing ability to turn out feast…

I am a pretty good trail runner and keep up with the top guys on standard trails, but the really good orienteers pull away from me over the extremely rough stuff. Orienteering forces you to develop skills over all terrain. You learn the best way to move between two points not only in terms of map reading, but also in terms of finding out what terrain you can get through and what you can’t. Orienteering encourages you to go offtrack, and gives you the confidence to do so if the terrain allows. Eventually you will be able to start along a trail, then pick your own route if you have the navigation skills and confidence. It is great to be able to pick an area on a map, navigate your…

London, United Kingdom Population: 8.5 million Green space: 14,160 hectares Recommended: Jump on the tube and head to Richmond on the District line. Grab a coffee outside the station and walk out of the shopping area. Black signs point up the hill to the Richmond Gate entrance to Richmond Park. 955 hectares of wild forest complete with Royal wild deer provides a running and cycling haven within the city. A graded gravel 11km path runs the circumference of the park from gate to gate, and there are water fountains and toilets at each gate. Explore the interior of the park on trails carved by the deer; find lakes, traverse over the A3 in to Wimbledon Common (don’t leave any rubbish for the Wombles) or hit the Thames River and run…

Your core is a powerhouse of strength that helps maintain good posture, increases stride efficiency and reduces energy output when running. If muscles are well-conditioned and working in sync, your body is better prepared to cope with fatigue. This will help decrease stress on your spine and joints and reduce the risk of picking up an injury. A runner with poor core strength will compensate with other muscles, leading to poorly loaded joints. Core function impacts the following elements: • Strength • Stability • Co-ordination • Posture • Flexibility • Breathing Core composition Throw away that image of a perfectly formed six-pack. Your trunk ‘core’ muscles are made up of abdominals (upper and lower), transverse abdominals and oblique muscles on your front torso. Your posterior chain (rear torso) is made…