“No peein’ off the porch” is the sign that greets me as I wait on Craig Thornley’s deck. He is in the kitchen to make tea and one of his cats is keeping an eye on me from under a wooden bench. What do Western States runners get up to on their race director’s porch?…
Year: 2015
Of mud and misery – Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc CCC
What I remember most about dragging myself up steep, muddy and slippery mountain trails during the 2014 Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc CCC is a sense of embarrassment about hating 90% of it. It was raining from afternoon onwards and come nighttime, the trails looked as you would expect after thousands of people have trodden on wet ground ahead…
The women blazing trails – An interview with Ann Trason
Listen to the full interview with Ann Trason The popularity of ultra running has shot through the roof with finisher numbers in the U.S. nearly tripling since 2007, and the number of women in the traditionally male-dominated sport rising dramatically. One of the world’s most famous female runners is Ann Trason, who broke 20 records…
Harnessing that inner strength – Tammy Massie
You might think that grueling 100 mile foot races through remote wilderness are nothing for people who are easily scared, but you’d be wrong. A woman who only runs after taking precautions against anything from rattle snakes to serial killers has not only run dozens of iconic ultramarathons but also Badwater, a 135 mile race…
Ultra marathon parent – running 100 milers with family
Listen to the full interview with Ana Braga-Levaggi: Want to get into ultra running but don’t know how to fit it around your kids? Get inspired to become an ultra marathon parent from a mom and personal trainer who has run some of the world’s toughest 100 milers. Your kids might actually love you for…
Smell the Roses – Miwok 100k
Non-runners sometimes critically tell me that runners miss the view, that they should “stop and smell the roses”. I do, in my training runs. I do picnic runs, literally, trotting along with self-baked banana bread in my pack and taking 11 hours for my favourite 48k run, enjoying the wildlife, the flowers and trees, and…
Australian Lyrebird in the Blue Mountains National Park (video)
The Australian Lyrebird has the unique ability to perfectly imitate the songs of other birds as well as human sounds, including mobile phones or camera shutters. Personally, I think I hear some video game sounds as well. How many different bird songs can you identify? I recorded this footage just before sunrise near Jenolan Caves, some two hours inland from Sydney….
Trails in Motion champions women runners
Trail running has taken off in recent years and an increasing number of athletes take their cameras for a run. Nicky Redl spoke to Robert Rhodes, who is the tour director for the Trails in Motion film festival in Northern California. Trails in Motion offer an inspiring mix of insights from around the world. In…
Running for health and fitness – meet Karen Low
Listen to the full interview with Karen Low: Ten years ago, you wouldn’t have picked Karen Low for a runner. A heavy smoker for two decades, getting into running for health and fitness didn’t just help her steer clear of cigarettes, she also dropped 20 kilos along the way. “I gave up smoking in…
96 k – One solo weekend on the Six Foot Track
50 Shades of Green – or so it looked as the sunlight fell through leaves and ferns. But I wasn’t exactly bounding along with 7.2 kilos on my back and every step hurting after an intense speed session two days earlier. I had gotten up early to jog the three kilometres from Katoomba to the start of…