Trail mavens Andrew Hagen and Dirk Cloete explain how to blitz downhill by developing strength, resilience, and technique, while maintaining focus and seeking opportunities.

Hagen, the man behind the fastest known time (FKT) descending Platteklip Gorge, says, “Do low-risk, high-value training throughout the year, and save the big effort for the right moment. Executing your perfect descent is not about taking risks – it is about unwavering concentration and confidence in your ability.”

TRAIL magazine is a full member of the Audit Bureau of Circulations of South Africa.

Check out what's in store for TRAIL readers:

Reader submissions

Readers will get to see some great photos in the My Life photo section; Letters from legends – TRAIL readers share inspiring – and painful – stories; and Share a learning curve with Andrew Wesson running four 100km races in an effort to shed his novice status.

Places to run

A team of trail runners finds six nature reserves to run in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Western Cape: Melville Koppies; Moreleta Kloof; Krantzkloof; Vernon Crookes; Silvermine; and Jonkershoek.

Competitions

Win CamelBak hydration systems: two Circuit 1.5L and two Chute Bottles are to be won; and/or Win one of three pairs of Salomon X-SCREAM 3D shoes.

Training

Build up to running an ultra with Coach Mo aka Mauritz van Rensburg; Use one's body and mind to blitz downhills with three-time winner of the Three Peaks Challenge, Andrew Hagen; Swing a kettlebell to balance one's hips and get one's gluteus into gear with trainer Peri Zourides; Prevent stress fractures, and at the least spot the warning signs before one ends up in a moon boot. Physio and ultra runner Garth Oliver will show one how; Strengthen one's plantar fascia with five drills. Running coach, Sean Tait has techniques to side-step plantar fasciitis; and Be still and breath while one releases one's hips. Helen Weaver uses yoga to improve running.

Nutrition

Grow a superfood in one's backyard: sweet potato leaves and tubers pack a nutritional punch; and Kick the sugar and replenish one's salt for better health and recovery. Nutritionist Lucy Etherton shows one how to conquer one's sugaholism, while Dr. Gabe Mirkin explores the benefits of maintaining sodium levels.

People

Hano Maree has started the South African 100 Marathon Club; Eric Ngubane made a wise and successful transition from road to trail; Kilian Jornet set a new FKT for the ascent and descent of Aconcagua in the Andes; Chris Crewdson has run the Otter Trail route 21 times, and the world is a better place with him in it; The MAD2Run team gets ready to raise money for the Make A Difference foundation, in support of education in South Africa; Nikki Kimball prepares for the four day, 150km Richtersveld Wildrun in June; and Ben Brimble not only runs to win races, but to catch hijackers and explore the mountains. John Brimble chimes in about his proudest and scariest moments as Ben’s father.

Gear

Choose the right sports bra: size, features, and fit; When and how to wash one's trail shoes with podiatrist Dennis Rehbock; Choose the right gear for the job: Get gear tips from AJ Calitz, Kevin Flanagan, Andre Gie, Jock Green, Megan Mackenzie, Ryan Sandes, Liandi van der Westhuyzen, and Dom Wills; Winter warmth apparel? TRAIL has it, with seven great active clothing options for the chilly trails; Super shoes. Six models to choose from; Hydration heroes – check out four popular models; and Electric dreams of GPS, Heart Rate Monitors, some even strapless.

Six insightful books reviewed

Passes and Poorts South Africa by Marion Whitehead; Courage to Lead by Daphna Horowitz; South Africa For South Africans by Mariëlle Renssen and Hirsh Aronowitz;  Drink This In by Chris and Luke Muller; The Brain Surgeon’s Diet by Dr Adriaan Liebenberg; and Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer.

Motivation

Survive Honduras with team Eat.Run.See: Saffas Bev and Richard Attfield; Capetonian in exile, Ian Little, examines entry lotteries for oversubscribed events at a Western States 100 Lottery Party; and Shoeless in New York: get cheered on by New York City with Kevin Light without a watch or shoes.

Events

Red Bull LionHeart; Salomon Skyrun; Merrell Hobbit 100km Trail Run; Umhlanga Summer Festival Trail Run; TRAIL mag Valentine’s Day Trail Run; Ultra Trail Mount Moodie; Spur Silvermone Mountain XL; XTERRA Trail World Championship; Hong Kong 100; Coastal Challenge; Run the Rann; Sabrina Love Coastal Challenge Trail Run feature; and Calendar: 97 great trail running events listed.

TRAIL magazine became South Africa’s first print publication dedicated to the booming worldwide activity of trail running in December 2011.

Since then it has enlightened its growing readership with the best places to run, the most suitable gear and the most popular trail running events from every angle; visiting the Himalayas, Sahara Desert, Amazon and many local trails, including the famed Otter African Trail Run and the arduous Skyrun.

TRAIL is available from CNA, SPAR, Pick n Pay, Exclusive Books, Sportsmans Warehouse, selected Dis-Chem and Outdoor Warehouse stores and specialist sports retailers nationwide. Sign up for a year’s print subscription to TRAIL magazine and save R75 on cover price. Pay R32.50 per mag instead of R45.

TRAIL is available in one and two-year subscriptions (R195 for six issues, one year). It is also available digitally through Apple Newsstand, Magzter and Zinio.

For more information on TRAIL, visit www.trailmag.co.za. Alternatively, email [email protected].