Posted
on December 6, 2015
Even
if you have never heard of trail running, you probably already know
exactly what it is: running on hiking trails, as opposed to roads or
tracks. Some people trail run competitively, often training and
racing on mountainous terrain with fairly steep trails.
You
might wonder what the difference is between trail running and cross
country running. After all, cross country also pits runners against
each other on “natural terrain,” which may include grassy areas,
dirt paths, and gravel roads. It's not all that easy to distinguish
between cross country and trail running, but cross country running is
generally over shorter distances and certainly the sport has been in
existence longer and has strict governing rules.
Basically,
trail running tends to be longer and looser.
Trial
running is a part of a swell in interest in “adventure racing.”
People seem to be more interested in off-road sports, in wilderness
sports, and in extreme sports. The tag line for Paul Mitchell XTERRA
Trail Runs is “Where Mother Nature is your toughest competitor.”
Other
names for trail running include mountain running, hill running, or
(in Britain) fell running. A more extreme version of the sport –
running at very high altitudes – is sometimes called skyrunning.
Millions
of people in the U.S. alone participate in trail running. Today's
world championships are 21 kilometers long (a bit more than 13 miles
– so what is called a half marathon), but some trail running races
are shorter or way longer – more than 100 miles (161 km)!
In
some trail races, only water and emergency medical aid is available
at aid stations, but in other trail races there are food and energy
drinks every 5 to 10 km. Some trail races even last multiple days –
and, of these, some provide lodging and runner support for each
night, but others require the runners to carry all their needed
equipment: clothes, sleeping bags, food, emergency flares,
flashlights, compasses, etc. While RUNNING!
XTERRA
Trail Runs are held all over the world. We're talking Australia, New
Zealand, Philippines, Malaysia, Japan, Brazil, Costa Rica, Canada,
Luxembourg, Greece, Spain, Ireland, Sweden, Denmark, Italy, France,
the Czech Republic, and Switzerland. Today's championship race is
held in the U.S. But not just any old place in the U.S. – it's in
Hawaii!
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