TRAILS AND ALES

How did your group begin?

It began when Timmy G and Sharpy started training for the UTA100 in early 2017 around Nail Can Hill. After that first run together, they agreed to meet same time, same place. The only difference was Tim brought some ales for after the run. Sharpy returned the favour next week and then decided to invite others to join us.

Tim got a logo made up and decided on the name and that made us all legit. Then it spread like wild fire. All the boozehounds with a running problem were soon coming out of the woodwork for our weekly group run. It turns out there are a fair few people out there that reckon the best time for a beer is after a run in the bush!

We also inspired others who were watching our socials and could see the good times we were having. Nek minute, Andy Badrock is on the phone from Bright saying ‘I will walk over burning coals if I have to, what do I need to do to get patched up as a Trails & Ales leader in my home town?’ Bright Trails & Ales was born.

More recently the 3rd official chapter started in Bendigo led by the bearded legend Trav Edwards.

Where does your group run mostly?

Nail Can Hill, but always up for a drive and an adventure!

What is your favourite local trail and why?

There are too many local trails on Nail Can that picking just one would be rude to the others. It’s sketchy, dry, rocky and nothing special but it’s just perfect to us, we love it.

We are also so lucky that our ‘local’ trails extend into places like Beechworth, Bright and Yackandandah where you can disappear for a day and not encounter more than a handful of people.

What local event do you rally around?

Nail Can Hill Race (11.3km), the first Sunday of May. It’s been going since 1977. Steve Moneghetti holds the record at 34:57 set in 2003. To put that into context, only 4 other runners have gone under 38 mins since.

You will also find a massive contingent of T&As crew at Buffalo Stampede in Bright, and down at Anglesea for SCC. If there is a trails event on somewhere, chances are you’ll see a T&As singlet getting around.

What single piece of advice would you give a newbie joining your group?

After your first group run, you’ll be hooked, thank the group and yell out ‘I’ll bring the beers next week!’ It’s too good a time to not come again.

If your trail group was an animal, what would it be and why?

A kookaburra, always flying around the bush, laughing and having a good time!

If you were heading out for a solo ultra run and some bastard stole your pack so you can only take two things, what would you have in each hand?

A cold tinnie and some toilet paper. The essentials.

The world is ending. Nominate a trail anywhere on the planet that your group must run. It’s the last trail you’ll ever see. Where is it?

Gotta rep the home area, Nail Can. It’s rough, dirty, single track everywhere, just the way we like it. Or maybe South Island of NZ with the T&As crew would be an epic way to go out.

Your group can choose any three people on Earth, living or dead, to come join one of your runs. Who are they and why them?

Beau Miles – the bloke bloody loves an adventure!

Thor – not the God of Thunder, but one of our local legends. He has the best laugh in the world, always up for a beer no matter what time of day it is, and climbs like a mountain goat!

Pedro Goddard circa 1980s/early 90s (Timmy’s old man) – watching that moustachioed legend running marathons is what got Timmy into running. Without that inspiration T&As might not even exist!

How have you seen participation in your group change people and lives?

We have had T&As proposals after Buffalo Stampede Marathon. We’ve got T&As babies running around the area. We’ve had members driving back seven hours straight after work trips just to get back for our Wednesday night group run. Gug and Sarah decided to live in Albury/Wodonga over other towns because of their close affiliation with the T&As group.

There’s a reason a bunch of the crew refer to it as ‘church’, the group means a lot of different things to a lot of different people.

The countless friendships, connections, memories and beers shared that all tie back to T&As are what we are most proud of though. It truly is an amazing group of people from all walks of life and a simple philosophy that has been shared by others around the country. How good is the trail running community, right?!