TRAIL 17

Your trail cravings will be both stoked and satisfied by TRAIL 17, so dive in.

As always, there is a strong dose of advice for both running and healthy living.

Achieve faster times by cross training in the swimming pool, taking walk breaks when you race, and getting your technique right.

Relive South Africa’s biggest races from the last few months, and get the scoop on recent international events.

TRAIL 17 and all other back issues are available here, as a single issue or a package deal.

What else is waiting inside issue 17?

Reader experiences

• Take a peek into the lives of other trail runners in our reader photos section. There’s a whole page of runners with animals: wild and domestic! Read about cancer-fighter Julie Chevalier’s Women’s Day challenge to her friends and get inspired by our reader letters.

Mountain Runs

• Get up high across South Africa, from Groendal Wilderness in the Eastern Cape to Highmoor in KZN, and Shelter Rock in Gauteng.

People

• If you have ever been a back marker, you’ll be familiar with the sweeper. What happens at the back of the pack can be dramatic – and hilarious! Get an account from the sweeper herself, and those who have been swept in our three Sweep Stories.
• Our cover athlete is tough, competitive, fast, and shows no sign of slowing down. Linda Doke has won 22 major trail races, from 36km local events to 250km self- supported stage races. She wasn’t always a trail toughie: she was on the hockey field in school and on the road through her twenties before seeing the light in her mid-thirties. She has been a consistent ultra-running force to be reckoned with for over a decade.
• Women’s month has passed, but the might of women on the trails is just beginning. Anna Frost and Missy Gosney became two of only 11 people to ever complete Nolan’s 14: a 160km traverse of 14 summits within a 60-hour cutoff. India Baird and an after-school running group have taken on gang violence in Manenberg and beyond, trying to create safe spaces for young girls to get outside and enjoy their youth: free of fear. Rock Girl rocks.
• Running Comrades barefoot may seem absurd, but Mbuso Ngcongo did it. Twice. This plant-powered software engineer is a bundle of surprises.
• After being orphaned as a teen, and supporting his three younger siblings, Owen Bengo arrived in South Africa with nothing. His podium finishes at trail races may have you thinking he’s Kenyan, rather than Malawi. He tells his story of triumph over adversity.
• Ryan Sandes opens up about his autobiography to be published in 2016, and his battles with illness in 2015.

Training

• As you build towards ultra-distance races, your short distance times may start to suffer. Let Coach Mo show you how to keep your speed while you build your mileage!
• If your knees are a worry, learn how to protect them from the accurately named Runner’s Knee with another installment of Sean Tait’s injury prevention series.
• Trail walk your way to good times and quick recovery, with advice from run coach Neville Beeton, UTCT 2015 winner Christiaan Greyling, ultra runner Lisa Jhung, and Comrades coach Lindsey Parry.
• Swim your way to a strong core, enlivened breathing, and cool exercise in the summer, with swim coach and trail runner, Tracy Zunckel.
• A baby doesn’t have to be an obstacle to training: learn to run with a pram!

Experiences

• Hear from Bev and Richard Attfield at Team Eat.Run.See. They ran the North and South Islands of New Zealand as part of their three-year vegan globe-running adventure.
• TRAIL held its first clinic, and Tom Ridl was there. Read about the lessons he learned and the people he met.
• When you think England, do you think self-discovery? Kevin Light ran to himself along the banks of the Thames.

Nutrition

• Change your diet, change your life, with 16 nutrition-hacks. The better your food, the better your life, but the jury is out on what constitutes good food. Find out what works for TRAIL founder Deon Braun, from cooking methods, to supplements.
• You know that caffeine can enhance your performance, but do you know how do dose yourself for optimal results? Get the low-down from nutritional therapist Lucy Etherton.
• It’s hard to find time to make yourself a nutritious breakfast from scratch, so what’s the best boxed substitute? Blogger and trail runner Fareeed Behardien pits four high-protein cereals against each other to see what wins a spot in your trolley.

Gear

• The numbers your heart rate monitor spits out are cool, but what do they actually tell you? Decode your maximum heart rate, and discover what your heart rate recovery says about your life-span with Dr Gabe Mirkin.
• Our product guide will fill you in on some of the latest gear from brands such as Capestorm, The North Face, K-Way, First Ascent, and Black Diamond. Gear up to battle the rain and heat this Summer.
• Win R4,900 worth of Salomon gear in the latest subscriber competition. Salomon S-LAB Wings worth R2,599 and Salomon S-LAB Advanced Skin Hydro 5 Set worth R2,299 could be yours!

Events

• We look back at some of the bigger trail races that have taken place in South Africa, including LoveTrail White Mountain, Merrell Spring Night Series, Mont-Aux-Sources Challenge, Num-Num, PUFfeR, SOX, Table Mountain Challenge, and Wildcoast Wildrun.
• There are 120 events lined up from October to April 2016 from across South Africa, and internationally. Get the details and start lining them up with the help of our calendar!

Planet

• Time to take back your power. A Dutch documentary forecasts citizens providing themselves with power instead of relying on the grid: a trend that has already begun in Europe and will sweep the world in 2016 and 17.
• Your dirty shoes are a threat to the trails you love! Believe it: Kyle Smith explains how your shoes, socks, and pack carry seeds along trails, sowing what could be an invasive species on new ground.
• When humanity encroaches on nature, a few special people push back and defend our green spaces. Paolo Candotti and the Kwa-Ximba Conservancy are those special people.
• Plastic doesn’t belong in a nature reserve. Some events take conservation seriously, and the Baviaanskloof Trail Run is one of them. Learn about the Bring Your Own Cup (BYOC) policy implemented at this event.

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, the Fish River Canyon Ultra, and the Salomon Skyrun.

Buy TRAIL magazine

TRAIL retails for R58 (print) in 600+ outlets countrywide.

So where do you find TRAIL? SA’s only trail running print magazine is available at CNA, Clicks, SPAR, Pick n Pay, Exclusive Books, Sportsmans Warehouse, and specialist sports retailers nationwide.

The digital version is available on the App Store and Zinio for iPad, Android, iPhone, laptop and desktop devices in single issue and four issue subscriptions.

TRAIL is also available through Magzter.

All back issues are available here, as a single issue or a package deal.