Surf Coast Century ultra marathon approaches

A COUPLE of thousand trail runners are heading to the Surf Coast next weekend for two huge events – the Surf Coast Century ultra marathon and Race 4 of The Trail Running Series presented by The North Face – making it one of Australia’s biggest trail running weekends.

The seventh edition of the spectacular Surf Coast Century will start and finish in Anglesea featuring a 100km off-road course that takes competitors along the beaches, 4WD tracks and hinterland walking trails in the Anglesea, Torquay and Aireys Inlet areas.

The 100km race kicks off at 7.30am on September 15 with a mass start on Anglesea Main Beach and will see over 1,100 runners from around Australia and overseas participate in the 100km and 50km, solo and relay team events.

A similar number of trail runners will take to the Anglesea trails on Sunday morning for Race 4 of the Trail Running Series which features a range of shorter races of 8km, 15km and 23km in length as well as a fun 2.5km Kids’ Run.

Last-minute entries to both events are still available to keen runners who would like to be involved in the action of race days.

Friends, families, support crews and the general public are all invited to cheer on the runners if you see them next weekend – the figure eight course is very accessible for spectators, with Anglesea’s Lion’s Park being the start, half way point, finish and event hub with a sponsor expo, food and drinks.

Keep an eye out for the Spectator Hot-Spots Liftout in next week’s paper, and also be aware of the course markings on pathways, trails, and beach stairways across the Surf Coast next weekend.

The event is organised by Torquay-based adventure sports event management company Rapid Ascent; well-known for hosting challenging and professional off-road events.

To enter or find out more, head to surfcoastcentury.com.au and trailrunningseries.com.au.