Start 2016 the right way, with TRAIL 18.
As always, there is a strong dose of advice for both running and healthy living.
Achieve faster times using Coach Neville’s recovery-based training sessions, learning from Europe’s best, and getting your technique right.
Relive South Africa’s biggest races from the last few months, and get the scoop on recent international events.
With our geographical spread covered, we thought about South African trail runners in urban areas who need a trail workout before or after work. So we asked our experts and selected the seven best bite-sized runs in four provinces.
For more inspiration, read about our cover athlete Christiaan Greyling’s trail journey, alongside his significant other (and household name) Landie Greyling.
And last, but not least, take the best care of your bones, gut, and legs with advice from medical and coaching experts.
There’s tons more, but discover that for yourself as you read the magazine,available as a back issue here!
What else is waiting inside issue 18?
Competition
- Subscribe to TRAIL magazine from 15 Jan 2016 and you’ll go into the draw to win one of two Black Diamond SPOT headlamps worth R699 each. The SPOT puts out a whopping 200 lumens of light power!
Reader experiences
- Take a peek into the lives of other trail runners in our reader photos section. Read about Tom Ridl’s fiery escape in the Drakensberg, and get inspired by our reader letters.
- Explore the mysterious Karoo on foot with Meg Moodie, in her month-long trek.
Quick Runs
- Get a quick workout on local, bite-sized trails across South Africa, from Coetzenburg in the Western Cape to New Germany in KZN, and Kloofendal in Gauteng.
People
- 2015 was a GREAT year for trail running the world over! TRAIL has recognised impressive trailies in categories like Loudest Trail Kit, Most Manly Beard, and Best Trail Hound in the 2015 TRAIL Awards.
- Our cover athlete has transitioned from a dark horse supporting his elite ultrarunning wife, to a trail-star in his own right. Christiaan Greyling, Landie Greyling‘s husband, is firmly in the limelight after winning the tough Ultra-trail Cape Town, and joining greats like AJ Calitz, Bruce Arnett, and Jock Green on the Salomon Skyrun podium. Read about his adventure racing past, discover what a day-in-the-life of an elite athlete and engineer looks like, and find out why Christiaan would never move back to Gauteng.
- Get inspired by Peter John Moses, an ex-gang member who found his salvation in running.
- Immersed in trails as a runner, event organiser, and race photographer, Sven Musica is the gregarious and goofy face of trail running in Mpumalanga. Read about his family and trail journey.
Love your nuts? James Davis does! He tackles trail runs with his wedding tackle slung in a speedo, to raise money and awareness for testicular cancer detection.- Riverside Trail, the beating heart of trail running in Durban, has been around for five epic years. Get to know the generous, motivated, life-altering characters that form their ranks.
Training
- Has your training plateaued? Get further and faster without risking injury, using Coach Neville‘s recovery-based training programme.
- Sort out the twinge on the side of your knee before it becomes full-blown ITB syndrome, with another installment of Sean Tait’s injury prevention series.
- Stay cool on the trails with five scientifically supported tips, from deodorant to your hat, to VO2 max.
Train and achieve like a European. Learn from South African elites like Karine Bezuidenhout, Andrew Hagen, Nicolette Griffioen, Johardt van Heerden, and Thabang Madiba who have raced in the Alps and Pyenees. Top European runners Marc Pinsach, Emma Roca, and American Adam Campbell add their voices.- Don’t leave your children at home in front of the TV when you run, share the joys of trail with them! Parents and coaches share advice for running with children aged five to sixteen years.
Experiences
- Hear from Bev and Richard Attfield at Team Eat.Run.See. They ran the islands of Hong Kong and Lantau as part of their three-year vegan globe-running adventure.
- TRAIL held its first Gauteng clinic, and Camilla Kernes was there. Read about the lessons she learned and the people she met.
The Otter African Trail Run is the Grail of Trail. Marc Lauenstein now owns that grail, as he is the first and only person to complete the five-day hiking route in under four hours. Experience the astonishing feat from his perspective.
Nutrition
- You need a diet high in dairy, or at least a calcium supplement for healthy bones and teeth, right? WRONG! Let Dr Mirkin and Dr Oliveira school you on the myths about calcium, and find out why consuming more won’t protect you from osteoporosis or stress fractures.
- What superfood ticks all the boxes? Paleo, vegan, Banting Green List, GMO-free, AND low-cost… It’s the sunflower seed! Learn some innovative ways to get your daily dose of the nutty, nutritious snack.
- Chocolate is good for you, and good for your running. Find out why, and how to use it to your advantage.
- Yet another gold star for the supertato, as it is shown to slow cancer in its tracks. Find out how to cook sweet potato without losing nutritional value in water.
Gear
- Our product guide will fill you in on some of the latest gear from brands such as adidas, Black Diamond, Brooks, First Ascent, Hi-Tec, K-Way, NuZest, The North Face, Salomon, and TomTom. Get your gear on, be ready for the adventure when it comes.
- Win one of two Black Diamond SPOT headlamps!
Events
- We look back at some of the bigger trail races that have taken place in South Africa, including Giant’s Cup UNCUT, Dryland Traverse, The Otter African Trail Run, Golden Gate Challenge, Red Bull LionHeart, Salomon Skyrun, Trail Clinic, Ultra-trail Cape Town, and Lesotho Ultra Trail.
- There are 130 events lined up from January to September 2016 from across South Africa, and internationally. Get the details and start lining them up with the help of our calendar!
Planet
- In the face of widespread drought in South Africa, analyse the politics of access to water in the documentary Blue Gold: World Water Wars.
- Saffas love their rhinos, and trail runners take the cause to the fore with events like RHINO. The Peak, and The Rhino Run. Find out why Tracy Zunckel, Su Don-Wauchope, AJ Calitz, and Johardt van Heerden love the beautiful beasts enough to sprint up an iconic Drakensberg peak.
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.
