The Blade and Tasman Island
Posted inTrail Running

Cradle Prep on the Capes

Tasman Island from The Blade In a couple of days I will be lining up for my third Cradle Mountain Run. On the first Saturday in February each year, 60 privileged individuals gather, pre dawn, at Waldheim Chalet (just up the hill from Ronny Creek) and run, amble, skip and trip their way to Cynthia Bay, some 78 kilometres…
Snow at sunrise
Posted inTrail Running

Overland Snow from Go to Whoa

Overland Track in Snow Last week I was working at Lake St Clair when Kylie came to visit. In typical Kylie fashion she arrived via an Overland Track trail run on what may turn out to be the best snow day of the winter. Sun rises over Cradle Plateau Good snow had fallen overnight Friday and intermittent flurries continued…
Moon and stars before dawn
Posted inTrail Running

Red Hot Go on Rufus

Mount Olympus reflections Early this year I had the opportunity to work as relief skipper on the Overland Track ferry, Ida Clair. I’d often thought doing laps of Australia’s deepest lake on the nation's highest ferry service would be a hoot. Sure enough, I’ve now had dozens of conversations with hikers stoked to have completed their hike or excited…
Overland with the Works – Take Two
Posted inTrail Running

Overland with the Works – Take Two

Kylie with Overland Track sign at Ronny Creek I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again…  If at first you don’t succeed… Barely days after our first attempt at Overland Track with all Classic Side Trips, Kylie announced another thumping great high was heading our way following a good dumping of snow.  Reluctant to succumb to the ice…
Sunrise lake reflections
Posted inTrail Running

Overland Track with the Works – Take One

The Overland Track with all the Classic Side Trips mission was born out of Kylie’s 50th birthday project – 50 Mountain Marathons in 50 Consecutive Weeks which ran until August 2024.  With work and life in general preventing marathons in some weeks, it was inevitable that attention turned to missions that could deliver multiple marathons in a week, sometimes…
Approaching Pelion Gap in the snow
Posted inTrail Running

Lap of Pelion East – August 2020

Approaching Pelion Gap in the snow In 2011, on an autumn mission to Kia Ora Falls and Castle Crag, I was walking the Overland Track just past Kia Ora hut around 11am. An unlikely group of runners approached from the south. The foursome had light packs and were moving freely and quickly compared with me and my full multi-day…
South Point
Posted inTrail Running

South Point

A day trip from Tidal River to South Point via Oberon Bay then return via Telegraph Saddle in one of Australia's reputedly busiest national parks. How many people do you think we met? None! Little Oberon Bay Oberon Bay Well, to be exact we saw 2 walkers heading away from us towards the lighthouse at Roaring Meg but they…
If Aus Mtn Running Champs Were One Week Later…
Posted inTrail Running

If Aus Mtn Running Champs Were One Week Later…

Fresh Autumn snow blanketed kunanyi / Mount Wellington a couple of Sunday's ago.  It was exactly a week after our mountain hosted the Australian Trail Running Championships.  What if the snow and the championships coincided?   Panorama Track Settled snow would have been encountered at the event's halfway mark on the steep Old Hobartians track.  Front runners would have encountered…
2018 Australian Mountain Running Championships
Posted inTrail Running

2018 Australian Mountain Running Championships

Happy finishers Fine and mild conditions (by Tassie standards) accompanied runners as they ascended through the stringy bark (E. obliqua) forests on kunanyi / Mount Wellington's lower slopes in the 2018 Australian Mountain Running Championships.  After leaving Talosa Park fire trails gave plenty of elbow room as social joggers like myself were soon separated from serious contenders on the steep sections before reaching…
Australian Mountain Running Championships – 2018 Course Preview
Posted inTrail Running

Australian Mountain Running Championships – 2018 Course Preview

Last month Kylie and I heard the Australian Mountain Running Championships will be held in our backyard on 8th April this year.  Further investigation revealed the course includes our favourite section of the Back Yard Loop.  As if to entice us even further they have a non-championship section, presumably for social runners like us, which has the added inducement…