We protect what we love

FRIDAY . 07. 10. 22.

Happy Friday folks! Welcome to the end of another week; one we hope was filled with sunshine, spring flowers and hopefully some time out in wild places!

This week we are bringing you updates from the trail, as we check in with Dave Lennon on 'takayna300' , and Karin Trager's 'Run the Riverkeeper' project. Both ultra-adventures might be physically over, but now the post-adventure mental and physical recovery kicks in, and the reflection process begins. It was great to hear about how these two wild places-focused projects went down, and how the awareness and fundraising are going.

We are also excited to announce our next two Trail Chat guests, and bring you news on our new Membership discount partners, just in time for spring trail time! So grab yourself a warm (or cool!) beverage (depending on the time of day!) and prepare to be inspired by Dave and Karin's experiences.

🏃🏻‍♀️ 🛶 🤙🏽

RUN THE RIVERKEEPER RECAP

Karin Traeger reflects on a river run

A week has passed since I finished this epic journey along the Yarra catchment from source to sea, exploring the trails and connecting with nature while raising awareness about river issues. 

I was super lucky and grateful to have Hilary on crewing duties for the whole week, which made things flow perfectly. Big shoutout to her and the entire community of For Wild Places. Their work is what we need as a community that enjoys the trails and natural spaces to play and wants them protected for future generations. 

Through this newsletter, I will briefly recap the wonderful experience of this run. The good, the bad and the ugly things we saw and experienced, including what could change for the next one. No, I don't see myself doing another 280km soon….but who knows? I might have opened a little can of worms into the multi-day stage running concept 😏

Running does not always need to be about PBs and fast hot laps. I am, in fact, a "slow runner". I take too long snapping photos of Blue Tongue lizards and orchids. And a few years ago, I found my calling in using this superpower of running long distances with environmental activism (Check out The Plastic Runner for more on this). 

So we kicked off the big run on 25/09, World Rivers Day. Why on this day? Because it was the perfect way to give a celebration and acknowledge the Birrarung/Yarra River with what's most special to me: Trail running and ultras. 

DISCLAIMER: I have never done multi-day stage running. This was a whole new world to me!

As every ultrarunner knows, foot care is paramount!

The GOOD

Spending time with friends and connecting to nature with a "for purpose" adventure.

After so many months in lockdown and not being able to see my friends for a while, it was normal to feel disconnected once we came out of the COVID funk. For the past 2 years, I have felt the same, having done most of my runs on my own and within limited space. This was the best way to reconnect with some friends and the trail community while feeding the bug of exploration/nature adventure. While some people decide to have these experiences solo aiming to get that "revelation" time and experience, this run was different. I wanted to share the journey with people that have been part of my family away from home. Thanks to all the legends that supported us on the ground and from afar! Your words of encouragement were vital when I felt low. 

Experiencing the Birrarung one step at a time while sharing it with the community:

As the CEO of an organisation that advocates for the Birrarung/Yarra River, I have always believed in "walking the talk". In my case, I decided to run the talk! This project allowed me to connect with the waterways personally, listening to the surroundings while partaking in one of my main hobbies. I have been around water all my life, so this experience of celebrating while becoming part of that trail was a life-changing memory. I came with no expectations and left with so many gifts. 

Nutrition

This was a whole new thing for me. I have done a few 100km and other challenging ultras. Still, stage running was a parallel dimension I knew nothing about. Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to trial a bit of multi-day nutrition when I decided to solo hike part of the Larapinta Trail over 8 days. I found the perfect option for me, which were Radix Ultra meals. You can have 800 calories in a small portion without compromising nutritional value or yumminess! As I don't eat meat, the variety of freeze-dried meals is minimal…and we are all sick of the bland "Bolognese pasta". Radix is full of wholesome ingredients, which first caught my attention. My Larapinta nutrition was successful, so I used a similar approach with this big run. I didn't want to overthink it when it came to getting the calories in, and I wanted to ensure I was eating more than just a bag of crisps per km. Breakfast and lunch were Radix. Dinner was something fresher and less heavy. I used most of the things I had been eating during training, meaning my gut knew what was coming. 

Gear

The main advice is to keep using what you are familiar with. I have been using Salomon as my brand of preference for trail shoes for many years. However, this is a personal preference, and you should try a few things before committing to any brands. Having said that, I usually use the Men models as they have more room in the toes plus more sizes. I have learnt to give space to my feet when doing these big runs, as they usually get swollen, and we all like to keep our toenails.  I had no chafing, blisters, or toenails missing. I am surprised too! 

One of my secrets is to prepare my feet before hitting the ground, covering them in anti-chafing cream and wearing Injinji socks. Yes, the funny toe ones.

I also brought a whole bunch of spare options in case something failed. This included having a few head torches, shoes to rotate, rain jackets, and vests, and seeing how they would feel/perform during the day. Worse case, I knew I would have the crew waiting a few kms later and wouldn't have to drive all the way back to Melbourne because the torch wasn't working. You are better off having something and not using it than having a stressful time because you missed bringing a particular item. Ensure you are also organised and have your gear in clear containers for easy access. This will keep it tidy and ready when you need it.

The clear, cold Yarra River upstream near Reefton

The BAD

Shoes too tight on day one = Swollen foot with on-and-off pain during the week

Talking about not using new things... 😬 I got a fresh pair of Ultra Glides, and because I have worn these in the past, I thought I would be alright wearing them straight from the box on Day 1. I tightened them too much, compressing the top of my foot. This resulted in swelling that stayed throughout the week. I listened to my body and kept pushing along as long it felt okay. Lots of magnesium salts and horse cream later, I was still standing and running on Day 6. I was conscious of reminding myself that the run was long and that it was better to pace myself properly to avoid going too hard too soon. 

Forgetting my torch - how to keep your ego on track.

Be humble and respect the trail at all times - this was a rookie mistake! Part of Day 2 was a bit new to me and sounded great on the map, but some of the tracks changed due to fire break work. I thought I was going the right way, made a navigational error, and ended up being 2 hrs behind schedule, meaning I would run out of daylight. 

Once I was back at the O'Shannassy Aqueduct Trail, I made a call to Hilary so we could meet somewhere on the trail as I was running out of light. Lesson learned: DO NOT FORGET to check your ego. Always carry the basic "mandatory gear" if you are on inaccessible trails. Too much confidence might result in landing at an abandoned rehab centre in the middle of the bush, which reminds you of a horror movie scene. Luckily, I was fast enough to get to Hilary before the nightfall!

Crew life! Ready and waiting for Karin near Warburton

The UGLY

Litter in isolated places

It really shocked us to find litter in the middle of the bush. Much of the tracks are only accessible via 4WD. However, this is not a finger-pointing exercise against the 4WD community. I have met some fantastic individuals organising cleanups to mitigate the impacts of a few bad apples. Finding illegal dumping or broken glass around in the middle of pristine forest areas was still disappointing. If you like the bush, let's keep it clean so others can enjoy it the same way. While we couldn't collect everything we found, we used the Snap Send Solve app to report these findings. The app alerts the relevant authorities with a geolocation tag so they can organise a collection. 

Polystyrene pollution in "pristine" places around Mt Lofty

Polystyrene pollution has been proven to be one of the main contributors to macroplastics in the Yarra River. While it's pretty common in the Lower Yarra, closer to the city, I was sad to see pieces of it in the banks around Mt Lofty. One of the primary industries generating this problem is construction. I assume this material finds its way into our waterways due to the urban expansion and housing development happening around the Middle and Upper Yarra. Yarra Riverkeeper Association is currently working with the EPA and industry bodies to improve the regulations and guidelines on using this material. We hope this will reduce the amount we now see going into the environment. 

Teamwork makes the dream work! Riverkeeper Charlotte Sterrett, crew chief Hilary McAllister & Yarra River runner, Karin Trager

Thanks again to everyone for the amazing support, the kudos, the snacks and the lovely messages! It was a great project, and I cannot express how happy and proud I feel to keep representing Latina women in the outdoor space!

You can still support the fundraiser here or follow me on Instagram for more stories from the run. You can read more about the run via this ABC article, or news segment. And be sure to check out Yarra Riverkeeper to learn more and get involved.

🍟 🙌🏽 🛶 🏃🏻‍♀️

TAKAYNA 300 : A RECAP

Dave Lennon on his 300km run around takayna/Tarkine

Day 1: The rugged west coast of lutriwita

The run did not end up quite going to plan, but could not have gone any better in my opinion. I ended up with some stomach issues which resulted in me not being able to keep food or drinks down throughout the run. I decided to call it early on day one after running 102km from Corinna to Temma up the rugged West Coast of lutruwita / Tasmania. This section was absolutely beautiful, ancient rugged coastlines and giant ocean swell took our breath away. Then giant sand dunes made us feel like we were in the Sahara desert, if it weren't for the giant roaring ocean next to us I could have almost believed we were!

During this run we passed through some very powerful sacred areas to the palawa people. Moving through this land you can feel the importance and the power of 40,000 years of history around you - Thank you to the palawa people for caring for this land in the way it was meant to be cared for and letting us run on your country.

With almost 10 hours of headwind and soft sand, it was fair to say it was hard and slow moving all day. 

Day 2: Ouch

The next day I got myself up and was still unable to eat, but I pushed on to try to give myself an appetite, but after 20km on day two I knew I had to stop and rest or it would get a lot worse. From here the amazing trail running community who came up to join me throughout the run stepped in and we turned takayna 300 into a community relay.

Day 2: Team work makes the dream work

I rested and got enough energy to complete the last 27km on day three to finish off the 300km loop around takayna, The run did not end up quite as planned. But the community coming together to help finish the loop for the protection of takayna was more powerful than it ever could have been with just me running it by myself.

Day 3: The home strech

There were parts of this run where it truly felt like we were on a different planet. This reminded me why I did this and why this area needs urgent protection for future generations to enjoy. I hope to continue this project onwards into the future and bring it back as a community relay with multiple sports disciplines involved and ultimately continue to push for the protection of takayna / Tarkine and all the wild places in Tasmania.

Overall we have now raised over $10,000 for the protection of takayna and the native forests of lutruwita. Fundraising will be open for a couple more months and we are working on a short film recapping on the weekend that we are super excited to share soon! See more from takyana300 here.

🌳 💚 🌳

FRESH MEMBERSHIP DISCOUNT PARTNERS

Being a FWP has new perks!

After launching in March this year, we wound up our Founding Membership offering last week. The lucky trailheads who signed up will forever have their names in lights on the FWP website!

A big thanks and shout out to our Founding Membership partners: Tarkine, Trail Brew, Adventure+ and Patagonia. Their support helped the program take off and their generosity created a buzz around the offer. Check them out; they’re great people with not only quality products, but great values too.

Going forward you can sign up as an individual member. With the exception of having your name on the website, individual members will have all of the benefits of a Founding Member.

In fact, we’re pumped to announce that, from this week we’re bringing on board three new discount partners: Paddy Pallin, Fractel and Goodr! FWP members will now be eligible for a complimentary Paddy Pallin lifetime membership (allowing them a 10% discount on full-price items), 15% off Fractel purchases and 10% off Goodr purchases. The 20% Tarkine discount and 10% Trail Brew discount will continue to be honoured also.

A HUGE thanks to our new discount partners. As FWP’s membership program continues to grow and evolve, we couldn’t do it without the support of these wonderful brands.

Sign up for FWP membership TODAY!

🙏🏽 💙 🙏🏽 💙

UPCOMING TRAIL CHATS

We are very excited to welcome Team USA, Salomon athlete and energy economist Michelle Merlis to our October Trail Chat! We are backing it up in November when we'll be joined by Erchana Murray-Bartlett, who is 2000km into her incredible 6000km journey from the tip of Australia to the toe! She'll be joining us after her daily marathon, to hear all about the literal and figurative ups and downs of running 90+ consecutive marathons!

RSVP for our chat with Michelle here, and Erchana here.

💪🏼 🏃‍♀️ 👊🏼

And that's it for another week! Thank you for making it through another long update from us - there is always so much going on in the trail and ultra world, it's hard to keep these brief! In the coming weeks, we are excited to bring you news of some upcoming events and opportunities to get involved with FWP.

As always, thank you for your continued support. We hope you have a great weekend exploring and celebrating wild places.

Hilary & the For Wild Places team

CHECK US OUT ON INSTAGRAM

UPCOMING EVENTS

16/10 TRS Silvan | event info

20/10 Trail Chat with Michelle Merlis | register

16/11 Trail Chat with Erchana Murray-Bartlett | register

20/11 Great Forest Trail Marathon, Healsville | register

11/02 Trail First Aid Course, Arthurs Seat | register

25/02 takyana Trail, Waratah, Tasmania | register



We acknowledge the the First Nations people who have been custodians of land, waters and culture for tens of thousands of years. We pay respects to First Nations Elders past, present and emerging.

This email was written on Boonwurrung lands. To these people, we pay our respects.

Always was, always will be.