Nestled into the idyllic Bay of Plenty region on New Zealand’s North Island, there is a town that smells like no other. A famous tourist attraction for its geothermal activity, geysers and hot spas, Rotorua greets you with the distinct odor of rotten eggs. Nicknamed Sulphur City, it is also the home of New Zealand’s…
Broadcast on ABC Radio National’s Life Matters on February 4, 2016. Extreme sports were once considered the exclusive domain of men. Nicky Redl explores the trailblazing world of female ultrarunners. Online story: The sport of ultra trail running has boomed in recent years, with 80,000 ultramarathon finishes in the USA alone last year. The races are…
Dangling skeletons, boozed-up volunteers and a blow-up sex doll. The Javelina Jundred in Arizona with its 100 mile and 100 kilometre distances is a cross between an ultra and a Halloween party, with runners sporting anything from elaborate dresses to the minimalist mankini look. There was, after all, a “best ass” award to compete for….
I had to get to the start line within half an hour or I’d miss it. Stuck in this foreign town, I was lost between winding streets and strange houses, unable to find my race bag, or drop bags, or anything at all. Hadn’t I had some hiking poles somewhere? This was Logan, Utah. Wandering past…
“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?…
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…
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…
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…
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 Free joins Nicky Redl on her magical journey across awe-inspiring Mongolian countryside, sharing all the pain, pleasure, agony, and euphoria she experienced over the gruelling 100 kilometre Sunrise to Sunset course. It was still dark as we gathered at the start banner of the Mongolia Sunrise to Sunset race. I hopped from foot to foot to stay warm,…