Trail Running

Ultra Trail Australia by UTMB was, for the first time, a World Major Race. I lined up for the UTA100 with the goal of finishing top 10. I'm pleased with the outcome of placing 6th despite not having my best day. We always try to prepare for these big races in the best way possible and that includes trying not to get sick.

From the beginning of my time I have always been an active athlete. I spent my childhood running, cycling and competing. I had a bright future in sport. Until, in October 1997, at the age of 16, I was doing a post race recovery ride when I was hit by a car travelling over 100km/h. Please be aware that this article contains medical imagery that may disturb some viewers.

With less than 2 weeks to go until The Track 520km - the epic journey from Alice Springs to Uluru - I threw myself into the Buffalo Stampede 100km with one clear intention: this was not just a race, but a rehearsal for something much bigger. Check out Sia's heartwarming account as part of her preparation for the big one in May this year.

One of our customers took out the new La Sportiva Prodigio Pro trail running shoes for their first run with the Dandenong Trail Runners on their annual Australia Day event. They ran just over 20km on a variety of surfaces with a couple of small technical downhills to test stability and grip.

The Manaslu Trail Race is a challenging multi-stage trail race passing through some of Nepal’s most beautiful Himalayan landscapes in a part-circumnavigation of Manaslu, the world’s eighth highest mountain. Check out Brand Ambassador Nicole Paton's stage-by-stage breakdown of this out-of-this-world serious adventure.

The Rapid Ascent Run Bibbulmun Track Stage Race is a 3 day trail running stage race along the most spectacular sections of the famed Bibbulmun Track in Great Southern WA. Check out Brand Ambassador Sia Kindberg's account of this sensational serious adventure.

Every year in early November, the Victorian town of Bright hosts the classic mountain running event called the 4 Peaks Bright Alpine Climb. First held in 1979, the race is essentially a stage race, where competitors run or hike up a different peak each day, with the total cumulative time going towards the overall placing. This was only my second time racing the event, but after such an awesome time last year, I was keen to get up there again with a bunch of La Sportiva teammates.

I did my first trail run on Saturday 26/10/2024 at the Trails+ Halloween Howler. It was so much fun! I started my trail running journey with 5km distance on a relatively flat surface with subtle yet long inclines in between plus hints towards more technical elements in the future.

So, when six runners approached me to coach them for the Surf Coast Century in Anglesea this September, I knew it would add yet another task to my already jam-packed schedule. As a Project Consultant, I’m used to juggling multiple projects daily. My approach is always rooted in curiosity: "How can I do this? Why isn’t this working? How can we make it better?" And as a passionate trail and ultra runner, I couldn’t turn away from the opportunity to share the beauty of trail and ultra running with others.

Nicole Paton is a competitive ultra runner from Melbourne specialising in the 60-100km distance on mountainous terrain. Growing up on a farm in North-East Victoria she had a very active and adventurous outdoor lifestyle as a child. Her parents enjoy travelling around Australia, camping and hiking so that was a large part of her outdoorsy upbringing.