ISSUE 47 | TRAILRUNMAG.COM
NAVIGATING RACES IN A CHANGING
Climate
SO MUCH CHANGE HAS HAPPENED IN THE LAST FEW YEARS WHEN IT COMES TO TAKING ALL CONSIDERATIONS BEFORE ENTERING AN EVENT. WE’RE NOT JUST TALKING ABOUT THE POPULARITY OF OUR SPORT GROWING EITHER AND DEALING WITH BIG NUMBERS – WE’RE TALKING NATURAL ALTERATIONS IN CLIMATE AND THE HABITAT AROUND US. AS HILARY MCALLISTER DISCOVERS, THESE DAYS THERE’S MUCH TO ABSORB AND PREPARE FOR THAN JUST TAKING TIME OFF WORK AND ENSURING YOUR TRAINING IS UP TO PAR – IT CAN SOMETIMES BE ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT YOUR A RACE HAS BEEN MODIFIED OR EVEN WORSE, CANCELLED BECAUSE OF ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS. WORDS: HILARY MCALLISTER IMAGES: CALUMN HOCKEY Just a few years ago, our key considerations before signing up for an event were, can I get the time off work, find time for training, keep that niggle at bay, afford the race fee and stomach another gel feast!?
metaphorical bars of injury, empathising with my fellow trail-loving friends as they experience the frustration of postponed events and the subsequent mental and physical juggle of training, work, travel and logistics that goes with it.
Fast forward a few years and since 2020 that list has grown considerably. COVID aside, the increased frequency of severe weather events has meant that many races, both big and small, have had to postpone or cancel.
I love trail running because it allows me to get out into nature, clear my head and over time, be able to explore further and faster.
For the past two years, I’ve been sitting back, watching from behind the
I believe that trail running is inextricably intertwined with nature, and therefore to be able to continue to enjoy time on the trails, I need to give to these places. In 2020, I was one of the rag-tag trail runners that
co-founded For Wild Places, a not-forprofit that strives to connect trail runners with ways to protect the wild places we love to explore. In the aftermath of the Black Summer bushfires, it was a small way in which we could harness the go-get-‘em attitude of the trail community, and take action to curb the impacts of climate change on the places we love most. Since this time, our continent has experienced more frequent and severe weather events, from flooding and high winds to unseasonable snow and
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