TRAIL 34

Get stronger and run confidently with TRAIL 34!

Embrace the open expanse of five glorious grassland runs, laugh together about what makes us trail runners, and flex resistance bands for strength. With the summer sun blazing down, make the most of your vitamin D production, but also learn how to spot heatstroke. Overcome any obstacle, and choose from 98 South African trail running events in our calendar. TRAIL 34 will have you injury-savvy, confident, and strong uphill!

You’ll find the community builder Annalise Scholtz on the cover, image captured by Rieg AD Photography.

Get the latest issue on your local newsstand, or buy TRAIL 34 and all previous issues digitally.

Get buzzing this summer and read on to discover what’s in TRAIL 34…

What else is waiting inside TRAIL 34?

Reader experiences

• Take a peek into the lives of other trail runners in our reader photos section, with action shots all over South Africa.
• Read Douglas Couperthwaite’s letter about his beloved rescue running dog, and two more stories from readers. Our letter writers are rewarded with Feetures socks for their efforts.
• In this issue’s TrailTalk, find out exactly how you know you’re a trail runner, and discover it’s never too late to start running!

Gear

• TRAIL 34 has an 8-page Summer Gear Guide, packed with 34 products! We feature a selection from Biogen, Brooks, Capestorm, Druid’s Garden, Enduren Nutrition, Feetures, First Ascent, inov-8, Julbo, Patagonia, Runderwear, Rugani, Salomon, Saucony, Squirrel’s Nut Butter, Super Scoop, Suunto, Thule, Triple Orange and Well Now Co.
• Find out how a set of resistance bands can come with you anywhere for a workout, and the best moves recommended by Brendan McBirnie of Fitness from Africa.
• The biggest differences between road and trail running shoes? Shoe expert Grant Bryant of RUN Specialist Store answers this common question!
  

Locations

• We found five glorious grassland runs from around SA to experience wild flowers, wildlife, and sweeping views of open spaces.
• Catch up with South Africans running across the globe: Matt Dove and Anouk Baars in Italy, Bennie Roux in the USA, André-Hugo van Zyl, Nicole Fourie, Camille Olianti, Stephane Ruiz, and Edrees Sedick in Reunion, 50 runners racing in Turkey, Meg Mackenzie in Nepal, Maruanda Wynne in Botswana, Lloyd West on Mont Blanc, and Landie and Christiaan Greyling on Rodrigues Island.

People

• Mountain-running Michelle Gordon shares her trail motivation.
• Fundraiser Suyen Thornhill champions conservation with WILDSERIES and the Rhino Peak Challenge.
• Durbanite Debbie Ivins uses potatoes for a purpose, raising money for Inanda Trail Running Club and the Do More Foundation.
• Jan Ham Jr takes on 52 Peaks in 52 Weeks around Cape Town.
• The submissions poured in and we selected the best of 2019! Check out the winners of our Bestest Awards, from dogs to mullets, trail kids to old goats, gnarly wounds and selfies. You might recognise your own face!
• Cover athlete Annalise Scholtz (36) explains her 18-year break from running, between being a speedy field athlete at school, to winning 100-milers in her 30s. 
• Maruanda Wynne takes the long, difficult path to catharsis, addressing abuse against women in South Africa and beyond.

Training

• Get that hill with Coach Neville, and make the most of your vertical gain in races and training!
• Feeling faint during a hot run? It might not be heat stroke. Doctor and runner David de Klerk explains what heat stroke is, and how to treat it if it happens.
• Scramble up rocks with confidence: Robyn Owen and Pierre Jordaan share their tips to have you mountain-goat-ing safely!
• Elite obstacle course racer and coach Trish Eksteen shares five ways to overcome your personal obstacles.
• Niggle or injury? Biokineticist Anca Wessels has six questions you should ask yourself about the pain to help you decide if you should see a medical professional or wait for it to heal.
• “I record all my training runs but I never look closely at them. How can I use my training files to improve? What am I looking for?” Sean Tait of Off the Mark training gives a detailed answer to this question, with an in-depth data analysis checklist!
• Use a set of resistance bands to stay fit and strong anytime, anywhere. Brendan McBirnie of Fitness from Africa shares six resistance band exercises for trail runners.
• Coach Robert Henning of Pacer Running shares the science of strength. He includes five strength exercises to start your journey to injury prevention and efficient running.

Nutrition

• Change the game when you analyse plant protein with dietitian Retha Harding.
• Trail snack or tea-time treat: Make Zissy’s protein-rich peanut butter balls covered in dark chocolate.
• The sun is part of a healthy diet! Dr Mirkin uses the latest research to explain how vitamin D from the sun, as opposed to supplements and diet, affects your gut bacteria and health.

Events

• We look back at some of the bigger trail races that have taken place in South Africa, including Otter African Trail Run, Karkloof 100 Miler, Runtheberg, Heaven & Hell Mountain Marathon, MaxiRace, Glencairn, Leopard Run, Harrismith Mountain Race, iKhulu Trail run, Dryland Traverse, Dumbe, SkyRun, and Stagger Trail.
• Watch the 2019 Trail Film Awards submisisons!
• There are 98 trail running events from December to May 2020 taking place across South Africa, and beyond. Get the details and start lining them up with the help of our month-ahead online calendar!

Planet

• Soil regeneration, forage-able greens, rainfall collection, and home-made organic fertiliser: we can make a difference!
• We are reporting good news for the planet! South African trail events raise money for the Urban Caracal Project, and preserve their trails by making runners clean their shoes. Abroad, scientists use mushrooms as a carbon-absorbing building material, and designers use fruit instead of leather to make wallets.

About

TRAIL magazine became South Africa’s first print publication dedicated to the booming worldwide activity of trail running in December 2011.

Since then the mag continues to enlighten its growing readership with the best places to run, the most suitable gear and the most popular trail running events from every angle; visiting the Himalayas, Sahara Desert, Amazon, and many local trails, including the famed Otter African Trail Run, Addo Elephant Trail Run, Ultra-trail Cape Town, and the K-Way SkyRun.

Buy TRAIL

TRAIL retails for R60 (print) and is available at CNA, Clicks, SPAR, Pick n Pay, Exclusive Books, BP, Shell, Salomon Concept stores, and specialist sports retailers nationwide.

The digital version is available at Zinio for iPad, Android, iPhone, laptop and desktop devices in single issue and six issue subscriptions. TRAIL 34 is also available through Amazon, Apple Newsstand, Google Play, and Magzter.

On sale from 16 December to 23 March 2019.

Digital subscribers got their copies on Monday 16 December.

Buy bulk back issues of TRAIL magazine

Events, give your runners that something special. Enquire about quantities of our previous issue.