Training

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.

Last Saturday was a wonderful day for rogaining with great weather for everyone on the ground at Spargo Creek, South of Daylesford. The attendees/participants were very thankful and appreciative for the opportunity to learn a lot, at both the theory session and in-the-field as well as signing up for future rogaine events!

Katrina Watson OAM (received in 2018 for services to medicine) recently came in for a pack fitting with staff member Gerhard for the 3 Capes Track in Tasmania, just in time for her 70th birthday!

Congratulations to our Major Prize winner Miriam Powell on winning a Bogong Equipment climbing gear pack as well as 2-Day Climbing Course with Melbourne Climbing School and 10x Pass for Climb West Melbourne Bouldering Gym! We received 80 entries to the competition from members of the community wanting to make their voices heard.

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.

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.

I was recently lucky enough to take part in the Everest 135, a unique ultra marathon in Nepal that follows the historic route from Jiri to Everest Base Camp. By far the biggest challenge I’ve undertaken in my ultra running career, to be honest it left me a little shell shocked and confused.