Trail running

Trail running or skyrunning is a variant on running that differs markedly from road running and track running. Trail running generally takes place on hiking trails, most commonly single track trails, although fire roads are not uncommon. A distinguishing characteristic of the trails is that they are often inaccessible by road except at the trail heads. The trails tend to traverse varying terrain; hills, mountains, deserts, forests, and narrow passages are common. Likewise, steep inclines or rough terrain sometimes may require hiking or scrambling. Runners participating in trail runs must often descend these same steep grades. It is not atypical for trail runs to ascend and descend thousands of feet.

Trail running is growing in popularity and is enjoyed throughout the world. As of 2006, there are over 6.7 million regular trail runners in the United States, and over 40 million worldwide. [http://www.outdoorindustryfoundation.org/resources.research.participation.html] It has a particularly heavy following in the Mountain States, the Western US, and California.

In the United Kingdom, the British Athletic Federation authorised this definition in 1995:

In the context of athletics, trail races are primarily along footpaths and bridlepaths marked on Ordnance Survey maps as "public rights of way". They are "highways" to which pedestrians have unrestricted access in English law. Towpaths, forest drives, farm cart tracks and paths in parks etc, from which motorised traffic is excluded, arealso trails when the owners' permission is obtained. [cite web|url=http://www.tra-uk.org/downloads/A_Guide_to_Organising_Trail_Races.pdf | author=Trail Running Association | title=Guide to organising trail races | page = 4 | accessdate=2007-11-25]

Some trail races take place in less isolated areas, and routes can include public parks or canal towpaths.

Equipment

Many trail runners use specially designed shoes, which have nobblier and stiffer soles and are generally more rigid than running shoes. The midsole of the shoe tends to be a rubber or plastic compound which is effective protection against stones and other such scree which may puncture a regular road running shoe. However, the lack of an easily compressible midsole means that the shoes are less 'cushioned' than their counterparts designed for tarmac. This is generally counter-acted by the fact that races take place on softer surfaces than road races (grass, trails etc.). Other equipment includes wicking garments, water bottles, sunscreen, sunglasses, gaiters and ivy block. Some trail runners prefer to carry water using a hydration pack(CamelBak), which consists of a bladder, a suck tube and a small low profile backpack. A trail runner might carry the Ten Essentials to reduce the hazards inherent in wilderness travel. Some trail runners will sometimes use ultra light hiking poles (which are often not allowed during competition) to increase speed and stability.

Training and events

Trail running takes place in both organized trail races, and as a recreational activity. Trail running is usually an individual sport, although training is commonly done in groups.

Common distances in races are 5 km, 10 km, 20 km, 30 km, Marathon (42km), 50 km, and 50 miles. Anything over Marathon distance is considered an Ultramarathon, and many "ultras" range beyond 100 mile mark. The quintessential 100 mile trail run is the Western States Endurance Run, also known as the Western States 100. There are also many [http://runtrails.blogspot.com/2005/12/consider-series-competition-for-2006.html Trail Running Series] that combine multiple races over the course of the season. There is also a New England Trail Racing circuit, called the [http://www.runwmac.com/gt2006/gt06-races.html "Grand Tree"] . In Great Britain, the new [http://www.lakelandtrails.org "Lakeland Trails"] is the biggest trail running series with over 3000 competitors in 2006.

In South Africa, Rhodes Trail Run and Skyrun are two events staged in the southern Drakensberg mountains (Witteberg). Trail running stage races, such as the Cape Odyssey, are also becoming popular in South Africa. The 'Big Daddy' of South African trail running since 2000, the Kalahari Augrabies Extreme Marathon, is a 7-day, 250km self-sufficiency run through the Kalahari Desert. A separate section on www.AR.co.za, South Africa's adventure racing website, is dedicated to a comprehensive listing of trail running events in South Africa (see external links below).

Trail races differ considerably from other races, since runners enjoy the solitude of nature for the bulk of these runs. In addition due to the smaller number of participants, the odds of running with no other participants in sight are very good. Similarly, runners in these events must rely on their own inner resolve, since crowd support is very limited given the inaccessibility of the courses. Trail races are commonly equipped with aid stations supplying food and beverages every 5 to 10 kilometers. Nevertheless, runners in trail races, particularly longer ones, usually carry their own water and food along the course.

During training runs, carrying one's own beverages is a necessity. Additionally, navigational skills are much more important during training runs, where one invents the course oneself, compared to organized races where the courses are very well marked (this is a matter of interpretation). Carrying maps when training in unfamiliar areas is highly recommended, as runners cover large distances and veering off course is not uncommon, especially in areas where signage is limited.

See also

* Ultramarathon
* Adventure racing
* Hiking and hillwalking
* Multisport
* Cross country running

References

External links

* [http://www.ar.co.za/ Adventure Racing, South Africa - "with a separate and comprehensive listing of trail running events in South Africa"]
* [http://www.trailrunner.com All American Trail Running Association]
* [http://www.coolrunning.com.au/ultra/glasshouse/index.shtml Australian Trail Running Site]
* [http://www.backcountryrunner.com Backcountry Trail Running / Ultra Running Resource and Forum]
* [http://www.cape-odyssey.com/ Cape Odyssey Trail Running Stage Race]
* [http://www.envirosports.com Envirosports]
* [http://run50miles.org Run 50 Miles to Feed 2000 Kids | a Mountain Masochist 50-Mile Trail Run Project]
* [http://miniponies.blogspot.com New England Track and Trail trail running club]
* [http://www.runningtimes.com Running Times Magazine]
* [http://www.runnersworld.com Runner's World Magazine (U.S.)]
* [http://www.runthenation.com Run The Nation]
* [http://www.trailrunnerx.com TrailRunner - Route planning software for offroad trails]
* [http://www.trailrunnermag.com Trail Runner Magazine]
* [http://www.trailrunning.co.uk UK's premier Trail Running website]
* [http://www.tra-uk.org/index.php Trail Running Association] (U.K.)
* [http://www.tripleblaze.com/trail-run/ TripleBlaze - Trail Runs]
* [http://www.wasatchspeedgoat.com WasatchSpeedGoats Trail Running from Utah's Wasatch Mountain Range]
* [http://www.runintheboonies.org Wilderness Trail Running Association]
* [http://www.ws100.com Western States 100]
* [http://www.xterratrailrun.com/ XTERRA Trail Run Series]
* [http://www.gentingtrailblazer.com Trail Running into a million-year-old rainforest]