Trail Running in South Australia
Watch this space! We’re in the process of confirming another couple of awesome speakers for your entertainment.
Usual story – come and join us upstairs at The Astor on Pulteney St from 6pm on Wednesday 18 September and we promise you’ll go home armed with some new knowledge and running plans. A great chance to catch up with fellow trail runners in a relaxed, friendly setting.
Due to Forestry SA activity, this year’s Mt. Crawford Challenge is at a new location with 4 completely new courses. This is your chance to check it out and become familiar with the courses before the event in September. You have the choice of running the 8km, 15km, 24km or 35km courses. Race director Steve will lead the 15km course. These courses are relatively flat compared to last year’s courses, so don’t be put off by a few extra km! The 15, 24 and 35 experience great views from the Mt. Pleasant summit.
We will meet at 7:45 for an 8:00 am start.
Directions (the easy way): click here
The meeting point is Ponderosa Campsite, at the end of Starkey rd. Enter Starkey rd from Cricks Mill Rd which is the Williamstown to Mount Pleasant rd 7 km from Mount Pleasant Town Centre and 14 km from Williamstown. Please note there will be no access from Starkey rd on race day (the carpark entrance will be from Cricks Mill rd, 500m north west of Starkey rd).
Stop off in one of the towns beforehand to use the toilets as there is only one toilet and trees at Ponderosa campground.
Coffee/brunch afterwards at Jack Rabbitt’s in Williamstown.
** This social run is on the same weekend as the Melrose Trail Festival. If you were considering going to the Melrose, we recommend you do that instead! It’s a fantastic weekend with amazing country hospitality. The Mt. Crawford Challenge will still be there on September 8 😃 **
Guru app (previously known as “Galileo”) strongly recommended: We strongly recommend you download the Guru mapping app for your phone, and load the GPX map into it. The “download gpx” link is just above the map on this page.
You will need to download the full version (roughly $2) rather than the free version.
If you are having trouble, arrive approximately 20 minutes early and ask around for help on how to set it up. If you know how to load a GPX file into Guru please do that before coming.
For iPhone users – the “download gpx” link wont work if you click it from within facebook. You need to open the safari app on your phone, visit trailrunningsa.com, and go from there.
If you would prefer not to use Guru, a printed map is also available by clicking the print map (PDF) button next to the map below.
***NEW LOCATION***
The Mt. Crawford Challenge is the fourth race in the 2019 TRSA Series. You don’t need to be a series competitor to enter – all are welcome. For more information on the series, click here.
Due to Forestry SA activity, this year’s Mt Crawford Challenge is in a different location with 4 completely new courses, the extra-long course being worth more series points than any other race in the series. The courses run on broad tracks through native woodlands and pine plantations as well as sweeping single tracks. The medium and long courses have expansive views from Mt. Pleasant summit, and the extra-long course also visits Mt. Crawford summit.
Mt. Crawford is the only event in the series with an extra-long course, making it a 4 point race. For more details head to the Series page.
Trail Running SA has booked the Ponderosa camp ground on Saturday and Sunday, and there will be plenty of room. There is no charge to entrants, their families and friends. Cars can be parked next to tents and some people have asked if they can sleep in their vehicle – this is OK too. Please note that fires are only allowed within designated fire pits. There will be a communal fire at the start/finish area. The race director (Steve) will be there from Saturday after lunch. To RSVP and let us know you are coming, fill out this form.
Presentations will be at 11:30 am. Trail Running SA members will be eligible for the following random draw prizes. Joining Trail Running SA is easy and costs only $10. Click here for more info on membership, and click here for more information on the random draw.
Key volunteer roles for this event:
We rely on a volunteer committee and countless volunteers on the day to put on each event, so please put your hand up to help keep these events going. To volunteer for this event, please click here and complete the form. All assistance is welcome. Thanks!
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We require carpooling (minimum 2 per vehicle, ideally 3 or 4) for this event wherever possible in order to minimise congestion and parking issues around the venue start area. For most people, this means coming to the event with some friends or colleagues. If you can’t find someone to carpool with, we suggest posting to the Trail Running SA Lounge on Facebook to link up with others.
Trail Running SA has a range of merchandise available via the online store. You can order online for pickup at the event. There will also be limited stock available at the event.
Please do not contact Trail Running SA requesting a cancellation or change until you have read the procedure for cancellations and changes here. There is a $10 fee plus any price difference for changes or cancellations.
Course maps are at the bottom of this page. The courses will be marked.
Presentations will be at 11:30am.
Our policy and methodology for determining course closure times is here. All courses close at 12:00pm, giving the following approximate cut-off paces:
Welcome! We permit walkers into the shortest distance only. This is to ensure that everyone is back safely and accounted for in time for presentations. Although we ask during registration whether you are walking or running, we don’t time the walking event separately to the running event. You can run if you like too.
If you are a slower runner doing the longer distances, check the cut-off paces above.
The start and finish of the loop are at Ponderosa camp ground, with entry to the carpark from the northern side of Cricks Mill Rd. (which is the Mount Pleasant to Williamstown road), 7.5 kms from Mount Pleasant Town Centre and 13.5 kms from Williamstown. Please note there will be no access from Starkey rd.
Click here for directions in Google maps – note this will take you to the road leading up to the campground, follow the signs until you get to the carparking location;
OR Paste the following into Google maps:
-34.748199,138.987352
To avoid long queues at the portaloos when you get there, please use a public toilet on the way. There are public toilets in Kersbrook, Birdwood, Gumeracha, Mt Pleasant and Williamstown.
There will be a bag drop tent. It will be unsecured and not supervised – bags are left at own risk. Don’t leave valuables at the bag drop tent.
Electronic timing bibs will not be mailed out and will be available for pickup at the event. Please allow sufficient time to pick up your bib with chip attached. You don’t need to lookup your bib number before the event, but if you want to, see here. We recommend arriving 30 minutes to 1 hour prior to the event start time in order to allow plenty of time to pick up your bib. You may need to park a few minutes walk from the start so please allow sufficient time to walk there.
After you have entered online and checked that all information provided is correct, there are 3 steps that you need to follow on arrival:
Entrants must make sure the data that timers have is correct, so must follow these basic procedures:
Beware of slippery patches on the tracks. Bare, packed, earth covered by green moss may be very slippery. Carry your phone on you when running as it could be critical if you get lost or injured.
The signs to look out for:
The red-and-white striped ribbons will be placed at frequent intervals (200-400m) to confirm that you are on the right track. Wherever you need to turn off, there will be an arrow sign. If you stop seeing any signs, turn back. Do not carry on and get yourself even more lost. All runners are expected to carry a mobile phone.
There will be 4 water stations on the extra-long course (at 11.5km, 17km, 23.5km and 31km), 3 water stations on the long course (at 6km, 12.5km and 20km), 2 water stations along the medium course (at 3.5km, and 11km) and 1 water station along the short course (at 4km).
Bring your own bottle belts or hydration packs, because there will be no cups of water at the drink stations.
There will be water, fruit, and Maurice’s delicious brownies, as well as a commercial coffee van, at the race start/finish. At the drink stations along the course, there will be water and lollies.
In order to enter a Trail Running SA event you must agree to the Trail Running SA conditions of Entry.
This event is organised by SARRC.
See the SARRC website for more information.
Want to feel all warm and fuzzy on the outside? Buy a TRSA hoodie! Want to feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside and contribute to trail running democracy? Come along to the TRSA AGM and speaker night. We’ll kick off at 6pm with a guest speaker, provide some nibbles including some delicious Roasted On treats (we’ve even coaxed their brilliant inventor into being our MC for the evening!) and all we ask is that you stick around for some AGM formalities that we’ll move through nice and quickly. If you’re keen to come along, please RSVP here so we can sort catering.
We’re very excited to host Emma Mattey, a sports psychologist who is going to talk to us about mental health in athletes. Emma is currently working in private practice and at the South Australian Sports Institute. Having completed a Masters’ in Applied Psychology (Sport & Exercise), Emma has worked across both the sport and general psychology settings. Emma has worked with athletes and coaches across a wide variety of sports including soccer, tennis, indoor and beach volleyball, hockey, water polo, swimming, diving, athletics, and many others. Emma will speak to us about Mental Health in Sport: Opening the Conversation.
As an athlete being peak physical and mental shape is incredibly important. Most of us already know that engaging in sport and physical activity is fantastic for our physical and psychological well-being, however, engaging in organised or competitive sport might also bring some unique sources of stress. Do you know the signs and symptoms that might be present when you or someone you know is struggling? This session will focus on helping you understand mental health, recognize signs that you or someone might be struggling mentally and emotionally and will provide practical tips for how to respond appropriately. We also discuss some tips and strategies for maintaining good mental health.
At the 2019 AGM on Wednesday 24 July we’ll be looking to fill a total of 12 committee positions, four of which are specifically elected, with a remaining eight classified as general committee members. Roles will be assigned to general committee members at the first committee meeting, depending on interests. We’re also after some extra people willing to help in ongoing non-committee roles for defined tasks. If you’re interested in getting involved, either on the committee or in an on-going non committee role, we’d love to hear from you! Have a read below and then flick us an email at volunteering@trailrunningsa.com by 5pm on Monday 22 July.
In addition to presenting a couple of quick reports and electing a committee, we’ll be presenting some minor changes to the Trail Running SA Constitution to the membership for approval. The changes have been ratified by the current committee and you can take a look here to see what they are.
If you’re interested in sticking your hand up for election to the committee, or if you’re keen to help in an on-going non-committee role, head to http://trailrunningsa.com/about/ for more information. Still got questions? Flick us an email at volunteering@trailrunningsa.com.