Off the beaten track

According to Surf Coast Trail Runners Club president Michelle Morrissey, the Surf Coast is second to none for experiencing trail running at its finest.

“We’re very lucky on the Surf Coast,” Morrissey said.

“It’s very easy to get through a 20km run on the trails, a lot easier than a 20km run on the road, because you’ve got a lot of lovely distractions.

“Now it’s like all the wildflowers are starting to come out and we’ll go to such and such because we know we’re going to be looking out for wildflowers, and you’re starting to get the lizards and the snakes are coming out.

“And the events are second to none.”

Morrissey said trail running was also much more accessible when compared with other types of running as it catered for a wide range of abilities.

“We say to people ‘Come along, you’ll really love it’ and they do, because there’s something for everyone in trail running.

“We have people who walk 5km up to people who run a couple of hundred.

“We just find trails are really inclusive, because it’s very acceptable to walk the hills, and acceptable to walk the beach leg or whatever.”

Morrissey said interest in trail running has increased exponentially over the past 10 years, particularly among women.

“I remember the first time I actually entered a long trail run very early days, I had to buy men’s trail runners because I didn’t have many options in trail runners, but now it’s actually huge for women,”

The committee of the Surf Coast Trail Runners Club organises a monthly night run, a hike once a month, a ladies’ run once a month, as well as helping run several Surf Coast trail runs including the Surf Coast Century along with Rapid Ascent and Brooks Surf Coast Trail Marathon and Afterglow Trail Run with Tour de Trails, both held along the Great Ocean Walk.

“No one gets left behind – it’s a pretty standard saying among most trail clubs, because we usually have someone up the front, someone up the back sweeping and we cater to all abilities,” Morrissey said.

At 62, Geelong-based Erik Bumbers has been running for the past 11 years but took up trail running about four years ago, and said he found it a lot easier on the body than running on roads and paved tracks.

“I started trail running by joining in events like Park Running on a Saturday morning… and it sort of snowballed from there, you get to know people, and you get into events.

“You start running on your own and you don’t realise what’s out there, what sort of groups and clubs there are.

“I started running for fitness, but with the trail runs I found it’s a great group of people, very inclusive, and group runs are very enjoy.

“And you sort of call it a family, we call it the surf Coast Trail Runners family.”

Bumbers said the regular hikes and runs organised through the Surf Coast Trail Runners are always a great way to reduce stress and build community.

“It’s the challenge, physical and mental… and every run, there’s something rather new about trail running, you don’t know what to expect. It’s an adventure every time you go out.”