~ musings and meanderings
about all things trail ~
Rockhoppin’ Trail
about Linda Doke
Three decades (plus) of ultra-distance running began with a chunk of years on tar (incl 10 Comrades, 16 Two Oceans) and followed with more than 25 years of trail, racing through canyons, on beaches, deserts, islands, glaciers, salt flats, over mountains, escarpments and peaks. Nine years ago I began coaching, passing on the ultra-running lessons I’ve learned to help others seeking to reach beyond their comfort zones discover their full potential.
alpine meadows and Ferrero Rocher ice cream
From the cracking dry cold of the Sani Pass, Lesotho, to the sunny skies and lush alpine green of Ruhpolding, Germany, with a brief stopover in Cape Town to throw all our kit in the wash and say g'bye to loved ones, these past four days have been a whirlwind. The 11...
rockhoppin’ the escarpment
Crazy adventure photographer extraordinaire Kelvin Trautman kicked off his Durban beach slops to brave the chilly air up here earlier this week to take some great shots of Ryan (aka Mach1) and I on the very edge of the escarpment above the Sani Pass, doing...
two nine and counting…
Yesterday I learnt a new phrase – a rather astonishing one at that. But then, it’s American, so go figure! When something is absolutely brilliant, or really great, they say it’s “the shit”. As opposed to when something’s awful, they say it’s really shitty. So there I...
From pole to pole
Well, I’m happy to report I’m back running again... again. It feels good not to feel, for the first time in more than a month, that I’m not popping a lung every time I run uphill. So, to celebrate I thought I’d take up pole dancing. Alas, there’s nothing exotic or...
Snot without the trauma
People say if you want something badly enough, you’ll make it happen. Put it out to the universe, believe with all your heart, do all the necessary groundwork to prepare for it, and it will be. I do believe that, and I live by it. I believe positivity attracts good...
Hout Bay Trail Challenge 2010
Yesterday was the annual running of my favourite race, the Hout Bay Trail Challenge. What makes it my favourite? That’s easy – it’s special: not only because it’s another reason (if I ever need another reason) to play on the beautiful mountains surrounding the valley...
Temporary delay over, now all systems go
Isn’t it crazy how science has managed to work out how to split the atom, create stem cells, map the human genome, conduct surgery via remote control, and even possibly have achieved a vaccination for HIV... and yet there’s still no cure for the common cold. And...
Dare to challenge
“No one can say ‘you must not run faster than this, or jump higher than that.’ The human spirit is indomitable.” (Sir Roger Bannister, first person to run a sub 4-min mile) They say the greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do. There’re so many...
Trail Champ profile: Ann Trason
Born in 1960, Trason is an American ultramarathon runner from California. Her racing career spanned two decades, and during that time she smashed 20 world records. She’s most well known for her dominance of the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run, said to be amongst...
No time? It’s the lamest excuse of all!
Those lines: “Gee, I really wish I could start running... but I just don’t have time...” We’ve all heard it said, and we’ve all chuckled. But sometimes I hear it said with such sincerity that I struggle to laugh it off – and I marvel that the person saying it actually...
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