We protect what we love

FRIDAY . 16. 09. 22 .

Welcome to the end of another working week, the start of some weekend FUN!

Spring is well and truly here (as is La Niña, officially! 😒) and we are loving seeing all of the changes in the landscape, with the warmer weather bringing out wildflowers, veggies and summer running gear!

This week I'm taking over Elle's usual newsletter duties, as she takes a well-deserved week off to focus on marking assignments and training. Tomorrow I'm excited to be lacing up at the Surf Coast Century with friends and family as we tackle 100km of beautiful, Surf Coast trails. If you're headed along, be sure to keep an eye out for the FWP blue tee and say hi!

This week we are excited to share Dave Lennon's takayna300 project with you, as he runs a BIG loop around through takayna in lutruwita / Tasmania's northwest to raise funds for the Bob Brown Foundation. If you love all things trail and ultra running, our next Trail Chat with Krissy Moehl is not to be missed! Krissy has competed in over 100 ultra events and will be sharing her years of experience (good and bad!) with our community. And finally, if you want to feel confident out on the trails this summer, we highly recommend coming along to our Trail First Aid Course. Covering all things trail, injury and snake related, this session could save your, or your trail mate's life. 🐍

Let's get into it!

🤙🏽 🏃🏼‍♀️ 🌞

takayna 300

300km over 3 days to protect takayna

Dave standing in a logged coupe in takayna/Tarkine

This morning at 5 am, Dave Lennon set off from the Corrinna, an isolated town on the Pieman River, roughly 40km off lutruwita / Tasmania's rugged coast, on a 300km loop through the majestic landscapes of takayna/Tarkine. Over three days, Dave and his crew will traverse windswept and rugged beaches, battered by the Roaring 40's, rough forestry roads, old-growth rainforest and massacred, clear-felled logging sites before cruising back to Corrina via the scenic Tarkine Drive. I caught up with Dave just before he headed north to hear more about takayna 300, and how this project came to be.

HM: You're only days away from setting off at Corinna for a 300km loop through takayna. How are you feeling, physically & mentally about your upcoming adventure?

DL: I am feeling every kind of emotion possible right now in the lead-up to the run and a little burnt out from the logistics and planning leading up to it. Honestly, I just can’t wait to start running and moving through this incredible landscape! The body is feeling good and I have not gone completely insane yet, so I think I am ready to take on this challenge!

How has the training been going? What have you been doing to prepare both the body and mind?

I tend to do a lot of my training by how I feel and some are probably concerned that I am under training, but I enjoy listening to the body and knowing when I need to back off from running. Over the last few months of training I have added a gym routine at Kieser Hobart which has made a huge difference to my running and has me feeling strong. Along with that, I have also been attending regular Yoga Classes at Equalise Hobart which has also been great for keeping my body moving fluidly. I am keen to see how the body reacts to such a challenge. 

In regards to preparing my mind, having mindfulness moments to myself in nature and meditation most mornings has been a huge part of keeping myself sane in the lead-up to this run and hopefully will be able to help throughout the three days to keep my mind strong.

kunanyi makes for an excellent(and chilly!) training ground

When did this idea come to you? You've participated in takayna Trail back in 2020 - what made you want to do more to protect takayna?

This idea actually came to me when I was at work guiding at the Bay Of Fires on the North East of lutruwita / Tasmania last year. During some long days at work walking down the beach, I get time to myself to walk and think. I find this a really therapeutic space walking down the beach where I think of my most whacky / great ideas! It was just after hearing some bad news about more rainforest destruction in takayna and I was thinking about how I could help in my own unique way!

It was all just a dream until I ended up being able to mix it with my final major project in my university degree. Killing three birds with one stone, helping the protection of the environment, challenging myself to a run and finishing university. 

Why is takayna so special to you? Have you had any specific experiences in takayna that inspired you to raise awareness and funds to protect it?

Being born and raised in lutruiwta / Tasmania I find so much importance in every single part of our amazing country and environment. I believe that takayna is the forefront of what needs urgent protection. I believe if we push hard for the protection of an area like this and make it a World Heritage Protected zone, returned to the palawa people of lutruwita. It would give us so much hope in protecting the rest of the extremely delicate, precious and incredible landscapes at risk across our little Island.

The peaceful and pristine Pieman River

What is your relationship to sports activism - by undertaking takyana 300, do you identify as a sports activist? 

I am rather new to the concept of sports activism, but I guess at this point I am one! Being a keen hiker, mountain biker and trail runner from a young age I have always found that the use of the human body is such a great way to express your feelings and now more than ever it is such a good way to use it to create much-needed change in our society.

I have also been very inspired by other sport activism challenges recently. I don’t think there is any better way to protect our wild places than being in and moving through the environment.

How do you think doing this for an environmental organisation (the Bob Brown Foundation) will change your experience on the trails? Has the preparation for this event, compared to other races, felt different?

The preparation for this has felt a lot different, normally I would be terrified now thinking of lining up on the start line of an ultra event in a few days. But strangely I am rather relaxed at the moment and I think this comes down to knowing what I am doing is for a good cause and that it is not a race, it is a run.

Are you doing this supported, or unsupported? If you've got a crew, how will they be helping you along the way?

This run will be well supported throughout the three days, with family and friends offering support throughout multiple stops of the run with food and drinks. I will also be joined by a mix of local friends from the trails who will be joining me for different sections of the run and hopefully help me get to the finish line. I will be trying to sleep for a couple of hours in my van each night to try and aid recovery for the next day which is quite a luxury!

lutruwita/Tasmania has been your home your whole life - how do you think this has shaped your relationship with the natural world?

I think being born & raised in lutruwita / Tasmania gives you somewhat of a completely different outlook on life and what is important. I have noticed it more as I have grown up and spoken to people who have been raised in big cities. Down on this Island, we do things rather slowly and just want to live simply. I think at this point in time I think everyone needs to slow down and live simply. THE WORLD NEEDS MORE LESS.

What are you most worried/afraid of happening during your 300km run? What unknowns or things out of your control are keeping you up at night?

I have been rather busy with work, University and all the background parts of this project which has kept my mind busy enough not to worry yet. I think it is all going to hit me on the drive up to takayna on Thursday when I realise what I have got myself into…

Gondwana rainforests of takayna/Tarkine

And finally - how can people follow along on your run, and support your fundraising campaign for the Bob Brown Foundation?

Reception is not very good in takayna, but when we get a chance we will be putting out as many updates as possible throughout the run on Instagram, and you can also track me on the map throughout the run at this link. To donate to takayna300, head to the fundrasing website.

Okay, final question. What's your favourite trail sustenance? 

POTATO! I love salted baked spuds! But I will also be consuming lots of Clif bars, jelly beans and vegemite sandwiches throughout the run!

Thank you Dave for taking the time in the days leading up to this epic adventure to share more about takayna 300 with us! To donate, head to the website and be sure to follow along on this epic loop of takayna via social media.

🥔 🏃🏻‍♂️ 🌊 🥪

TRAILL CHAT #5

with Krissy Mohel

Krissy and Bob Brown at the takayna Ultra finish line, 2019. Photo: Jarrah Lynch

We are excited to welcome American ultra-runner, advocate, race director and van-lifer Krissy Moehl to the Trail Chat (virtual) couch next week! Krissy literally wrote the book on ultra running and has extensive experience during her 22+ years in the world of trail and ultra running. Krissy says "the sport of Ultra running has taught me about life, the highs and lows, personal limits and exceeding them and most importantly, finding balance in self and how I interact with the world."

Krissy recently contributed to this article for Outside Magazine about how to embrace getting older as a runner, and we are looking forward to chatting about this, and many other topics including her 2019 takayna Trail experience and race director life.

Join Krissy and the FWP crew next Wednesday 21st September at 9.00am AEST for Trail Chat #5. There will be a Q&A at the end, so be sure to bring along any questions you have for Krissy! You can learn more about Krissy via her Instagram or website.

Register to Attend

🐶 🏃🏻‍♀️ ⛰ 🚐

TRAIL FIRST AID COURSE

Saturday 8th October 2022, Mornington Peninsula

We are excited to be partnering with Survive First Aid to organise two ‘Trail First Aid’ courses on the Mornington Peninsula. In this trail-specific session, the experienced team will take us out on trails and show us how to use what is on hand to treat common trail mishaps and injuries.  

The first course is on Saturday 8^th October, from 9.00am – 4.30pm, leaving from Arthurs Seat. The course will take place along the 2 Bays trail and is $170 per person, and numbers are limited.

REGISTER NOW

🌳 🤕 🌳

What another jam-packed newsletter! There is so much happening at the moment, Elle and I are struggling to keep these weekly updates (somewhat!) short and sweet. Next week we are excited to hear from Karin Traeger ahead of her 280k adventure along the Birrarung/Yarra River, from source to sea. We also have Lou Clifton's UTMB recap to look forward to, as well as some FWP events happening over the summer months.

Thank you all for continuing to support For Wild Places - we are very excited to see our small but mighty community consistently growing. As always, thank you for taking the time, for wild places. 🙏🏽

Hilary & the For Wild Places team

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UPCOMING EVENTS

20/09 A night of Action For Earth, Melborune/Naarm | register

08/10 Trail First Aid Course, Arthurs Seat | register

16/10 TRS Silvan | event info

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 Wadawurrung country. To these people, we pay our respects.

Always was, always will be.