Virtual Challenges – Run

Events will start and finish each month and results will be published for each months events. You can register for a challenge and complete it within any month. Your data must be submitted for the month that you completed the challenge in, you have 24hrs after the challenge finishes to have your data submitted.

Your run must be a trail run with at least 60% of the distance on off-road trails (this may include fire and forestry roads). Walking/cycle tracks with hard surfaces (concrete, bitumen) do not qualify as off-road for this event. Your choice of route should focus on Dirt track where possible.

A minimum elevation requirement prevents people simply opting to run flat courses to minimize their run time but you have no upper limit if you wish to include more elevation.

ELEVATION FAQ

You will need to show proof of your efforts by submitting images of your run result. The image/s must show time/date of run, total run time, total elevation of run. Alternatively, you can provide a GPS file of your run.

Your run must be completed within the nominated start & finish dates and you can submit as many runs/walks as you like during the start & finish dates.

Check the status of National Parks in your state before choosing your courses.

Good luck and happy adventuring

Note: Salming Running Australia have a pair of shoes as a prize for the Next Months Challenge (May 2020) all you have to do is submit run data to go in the draw. The More runs the more times you times you are in the draw. Visit Salming Running Australia shoes

This is a challenge for the parkrun aficionados in particular. Get out there, away from the flatlands of most parkruns and onto some trails where you need a much greater focus on where you place your feet and it may not be as flat! The rewards for this are many; a change of scenery from your normal 5 km run/walk, a chance to ‘bond’ with nature and its inhabitants, you can escape the crowds (a really good idea at present), you can’t do this at home so it provides an escape for a short time, it can be done with the family, or friends you are in isolation with, and I’m sure you can find more good reasons to ‘escape for 5 km’.

This Run in the trails this is all about getting out into nature and taking in all of the energy that it brings. The distance is both achievable and challenging at the same time and is the perfect challenge to try and aim for a goal time if repeating the same 10 km course a few times. Repeat 10 km challenges can be done a couple of times a week at different effort levels or attacked once with maximum ferocity. If you have been running longer runs for a while, the 10km Challenge will help you boost some speed and power back into your running, if you normally run a 5km you will be tested to stretch out that effort and it might take some changes to your pacing to make that happen efficiently.

Hiking or running 10 km provides a reasonable amount of time on your feet (to offset all the sitting around at home) and more time to take in the surrounds, and you get your 10,000 steps done as well. 300 metres of elevation isn’t a crazy amount for a trail run of this size but should keep you honest and not be too comfortable compared to your normal 10km road runs/walks.

Here is a distance that is both achievable and challenging at the same time, and is the perfect challenge to try as a stretch from your normal week to week training.

Covering 20 km can be done a couple of times a month at different effort levels for experienced users or attacked once a month with maximum effort for those with less experience at this distance. As an added motivator, aim to run the same course twice and improve on your first performance after analysis and a good rest (at least a few days and ideally a week or more). This is a great challenge in itself, let alone when you can compare your efforts to others working under the same criteria.

When hiking for 20km there is plenty of time to take in the surrounds. The metres of elevation isn’t a crazy amount for a trail hike of this size but should keep you honest and not be too comfortable compared to the average challenge. Arguably tougher than running as you will be on your feet longer but you aren’t needing to hold any set pace to achieve a good time.

30 km is a tough distance and is generally about the time a road marathoner starts to fall apart. Add in the elevation of this run and you could successfully argue this is harder than a road Marathon. Add in some really tough terrain and you can start to understand how the NZ Coast to Coast run leg (31 km mountain run), the UTA 22 km or the 45 km 6 Foot Track Marathon (both Blue Mtns runs so pretty lumpy), might feel.

30 km can be done a couple of times a Month at different effort levels for experienced users or attacked once a month with maximum effort by the less experienced. As an added motivator leading into or after, aim to run segments of the same course in small chunks (10km or 15km at a time) to familiarize yourself with the track and learn how your body responds to the hills and know when to save energy and when to hit the gas!

When hiking for 30km you will have lots of time to take in the surrounds. Arguably tougher than running as you will be on your feet longer, but you aren’t needing to hold any set pace. Probably not advisable to just walk 30km until you have tried 20km just to get a feel of the time on your feet and the amount of water, nutrition, etc.

These are really tough distances for the ordinary runner or hiker. Lots of time is needed to build to these distances so we wouldn’t recommend regular 5 or 10 km runners jump straight into a course this long without some easy escape options. There are lots of Ultra runners who have been in training only to have events postponed so we offer this option specially for them. However, if you really want to find out what you are capable of the decision is yours. Hikers may be less daunted by these distances but remember this would not be a single day option for very many walkers.