TRAIL 35

Get stronger and run confidently with TRAIL 35.

Strengthen your glutes and quads on five challenging trail stair runs, challenge your system for strength and mobility, and protect your toes from the perils of trail running. Prepare your trail first aid kit and use leg draining to help them recover after a tough run. Spice up your training, and choose from 97 local and international trail running events in our calendar. TRAIL 35 will have you injury-savvy, prepared, and strong uphill!

You’ll find all-rounder Eric Ngubane on the cover, the image captured by Gareth Hubbard.

Get the latest issue on your local newsstand, or buy TRAIL 35 and all previous issues digitally.

Get psyched for mountain season and read on to discover what’s in TRAIL 35…

What else is waiting inside TRAIL 35?

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 Therese Hansen’s letter about her involvement with the Smile Foundation and Funky Pants. Our letter writers are rewarded with Feetures socks for their efforts.
• In this issue’s TrailTalk, find out how to convince your roadie friends to try trail, and see if you’re in the majority of our Trail Polls.

Gear

• TRAIL 35 has an eight-page Autumn Gear Guide, packed with 32 products! We feature a selection from Anita, Brooks, Capestorm, Enduren Nutrition, Feetures, First Ascent, GoPro, Hydro Flask, Julbo, KURO-Bō, Osprey, Runderwear, Salomon, Saucony, Squirrel’s Nut Butter, Triple Orange and Well Now Co.
• Win a Suunto 7 sports watch worth R7,999 in our latest reader competition!
  

Locations

• We found five tough trail stair routes from around SA to train your legs and spirit for races like Otter African Trail Run.
• Catch up with South Africans running across the globe: Mike Nash and Steve Black in USA, Nontuthuko Mgabhi in the Antarctic, Naomi Brand and 13 others in New Zealand, and Anouk Baars and Eben-Claude Schneider on Gran Canaria.

People

• Mountain-running Brendan Lombard shares his trail motivation.
• Photographer Marzelle van der Merwe wins the SalomonWMNcreative competition and gets the opportunity to shoot the Ultra-trail Cape Town women’s race.
• René Vollgraaf, Frikkie Pienaar, and Steven Lancaster took on the Run AMUK Challenge in 2019. They explain the beauty and hardship of running Addo Elephant Trail Run, Mac Mac Ultra, Ultra-Trail Drakensberg, and Karkloof100 in a single calendar year.
• Ploggers Iselle Combrink, Warnell Engelbrecht, Warren King, and Grant Harper explain why they pick up litter on every run.
• Cover athlete Eric Ngubane (37) shares his wisdom on struggling for what you want, and using sports to uplift and unite the community. 
• Jacques and Clare Mouton got married on Cradock Peak in December 2019. Find out what went into the planning and execution of their extreme wedding, with magnificent images by Zane Schmahl.

Training

• Build your base fitness every season with Coach Neville, and succeed at your long term goals!
• Pack your trail running first aid kit and learn how to care for acute injuries from paramedics Kate Quin, Alet Maartens, and Johanni Smit.
• Embrace your injury: Sports massage therapist Terri Ocean Ireland shows how your attitude is everything.
• From technique, to tech and troubleshooting, coach and mountain climber Fred Richardson gives the 101 on navigation.
• Ryno Griesel will reach his goal. Find out how he makes it without a plan B.
  
• “I recently read that Kilian Jornet saw a lot of improvement from adding more flat runs into his training. Is this something that would benefit me, as a middle of the pack trail runner? How much should I do?” Sean Tait of Off the Mark training gives a detailed answer to this question, explaining how variety in training is the secret to success!
• Use physiotherapist Dawn Nunes‘ top recovery techniques for fresh legs after a tough run.
• What is a running assessment? For physiotherapist Garth Oliver of Movewell, it is high tech injury prevention and shoe prescription.

Nutrition

• Combat lifestyle and food induced inflammation with anti-inflammatory foods. Leozette Roode shows you how.
• Make a Beet and Berry Bliss Smoothie and Lentil, Pea, and Sweet Potato Curry with recipes by Leozette.
• Eat more calories in the morning than evening to maximise the energy your body absorbs.
• We all get food cravings. Dietitian Rowena Visagie explains how to manage them: Indulge or resist?

Events

• We look back at some of the bigger trail races that have taken place in South Africa, including Addo Elephant Trail Run, UTCT, Sabrina Love Ocean Challenge, Three Cranes Challenge, Red Men Trail Run, Van Stadens Mountain Marathon, Run the Rivers, Fresh@Klapperkop, Flaming Flamingo, and Jungle Rush Trail Run.
• There are 97 trail running events from April to July 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

• Fight monoculture, even if the ubiquitous plant has an excellent reputation, says Organic Pear Kelly and Bruce.
• We are reporting good and bad news for the planet! Earth’s biomass is shifting away from wildlife and towards human influence. Landowners on the Garden Route are working together to form a green corridor along Robberg.
• Avoid and treat wounds from the blister bush, with advice from amateur botanist Jeremy Speres and mountain guide Shafeeqah Gordon.

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 35 is also available through Amazon, Apple Newsstand, Google Play, and Magzter.

On sale from 23 March to 10 June 2020.

Digital subscribers got their copies on Monday 23 March.

Buy bulk back issues of TRAIL magazine

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