| | TRAIL Mail #22: Friday 12 June 2020 | It's Lockdown 2.0 for (digital) issue 36.
Off-shelf: current issue uplifted.
New virtual events this month.
Last 18 days to win your Suunto 7. | | In this issue (click the category to save scrolling): - From the Editors. Friends, Lockdown 2.0, running, and waterfalls.
- Photo of the week. A birthday trek in Cape Town.
- News. Snow in the south, and backing a buddy.
- Funny. Top trail running tips from Dumb Runner.
- Trail Poll. Have your fellow trail users been behaving?
- Calendar. New contact-less events and races to look forward to.
- Gear. World-class support from Anita's Racerback DynamiXstar bra.
- Competition. Last 18 days to win Suunto 7 smartwatch worth R8,000.
- TRAIL, digital. Read issue 35 online. Print off shelves now.
| | | | | DEON: Friends, deadlines, and running.
A fortnight ago I was added to a WhatsApp group of Matric classmates, the Class of 84. A whole lot of hilarity has ensued. Have you found that you've also been contacted by people or reached out to people who you've lost contact with? Isn't it a wonderful feeling to remember some of your crazy shenanigans, while sharing this current crazy moment? Our friends shape us, with connections that make the scaffolding of our life more robust. Reach out, and cherish them.
This experience reminds me how special the trail running connections I've made are. I think you'll find that community spirit shining in our pending issue, which is going to be our first digital-only issue. It's a big step for us, and we cannot do it without you. So we reached out in a previous Trail Mail. If you contributed to our survey, thank you.
The bottom line? The vast majority of respondents (91%) said they will give digital a try, even if they do prefer print. We are working hard to make it a very special experience, and rest assured that we will continue to build on that. We're implementing your feedback to make our text larger and more fun to read on smartphones and tablets.
With a good deal of work left to get the mag live by 29 June (a week later than planned before COVID-19), we won't have a Trail Mail next week (19 June) or the Friday after (26 June). We'll catch you back here on Friday 5 July.
Wishing you happy trails on a wonderful weekend!
Deon Braun, TRAIL founder | | HELOISE: The edge is my happy place.
I had an urge when I set off on my solo trail exploration of Giba Gorge on Saturday morning. I wanted to take a risk. Maybe it was to really use all the fight or flight stress built up in my body, or maybe it was to recreate a remembered sense of freedom and adventure.
Years ago I was a homeschool tutor, and one of the boys I taught was a super adventure companion: happy-go-lucky, curious, playful, patient. We would ride our bikes around Giba Gorge and hop off to investigate. Once we found a mine and played in the mud. Once we left our bikes at the base of a massive cascading waterfall and scaled it up and down. It was this cascade that I pursued on Saturday. (Not the McIntosh Falls pictured!)
And I made it all the way to the top of the slippery, overgrown waterfall! By myself. It's been a while since I've felt so accomplished. I can't be the only trail runner who really enjoys the feeling of being in danger. It really clears your head...
Here's to many more adventures, mine and yours!
Heloise Hunter, TRAIL associate editor | | | | A number of trails have opened with level 3 lockdown, now that the 5km radius restriction has fallen away. We loved seeing your photos on Monday's Trail Trophy Facebook thread. In our favourite this week, Beryl Penny celebrates her birthday with her trail hounds and best trail buddy. They adventured from Llandudno Ravine to Constantia Nek, exploring Judas Peak, Grootkop, and Mclears. Her photo may appear in a future TRAIL issue – and so could yours.Share your lockdown trail running #TrailTrophies on Facebook and Twitter at any time. Use that hashtag and #trailmagpix on Instagram and Twitter when you tag us. Or email us. Be sure to tell us a bit about your run for the caption. (Please note: event photographer images aren't printed.) Prefer words? Write a letter instead. Your opinions, life-changing experiences, happy and sad memories, and reflections on our sport are waiting to be shared with the community. If your letter is published, you'll receive a pair of run-specific Feetures socks. | | |
|
