This article was written by Mike Duggan, a trail runner, father and current President of the Trail Running Association of Queensland, Australia. In 2022, Duggan launched Trail Running 2032, a grassroots, community-driven campaign to see trail running as a sport contested at the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic games.
What was it that people reached for during the COVID 19 global pandemic? Their running shoes. Exploring the outdoors powered by your own two feet provided a healthy endeavour to locked-down individuals. It also created a whole new market of everyday people interested in the sport of trail running. With little more requirements than a pair of running shoes and a dirt track to follow, it’s a fun, healthy and accessible sport that everyone can be involved in. The interest has shown no signs of slowing down with trail running now having an estimated 20 million participants, according to World Athletics.
Editor’s note: Find a trail race in your area.
With trail running now a common word within households, it’s time that the sport became an officially recognised Olympic and Paralympic event. On a number of occasions trail running has been put forward as a sport to be contested at the Games, most recently being supported for inclusion in the Paris 2024 and Los Angeles Games 2028. However, the timeline was considered too tight for inclusion in Paris and LA. Brisbane 2032 on the other hand, has been identified as having a 10-year runway into the Games that would be conducive to leveraging the exploding growth in the sport and its growing popularity across the world. What better stage than the Brisbane 2032 Games to showcase our own backyard and one of the fastest growing sports?
Even with such growth, it seems that at the heart of the trail running experience, two fundamental ideals remain unchanged: a deep immersion in nature and building social relationships. Tim Coles, Race Director, Coach and owner of The Trail Co trail running and adventure sports specialist stores, has been part of the sport for over 15 years. He has witnessed firsthand the transformation of trail running over the last decade. “From what used to be a pretty niche sport with a few dozen of the same faces at each event to today, where you’ll have multiple events on the same day attracting hundreds of runners to each,” says Coles.
He supports the growth of the sport but notes that, “Even while it continues to grow, it’s still a really close-knit, welcoming community where everyone looks out for each other.” Coles suggests the beauty of trail running is that, “It’s so much more than just a sport, it’s a way of life for so many people.”
On the trails at the Brisbane Marathon. Photo: Joep Buijs.
Brisbane’s liveability is closely linked to the natural environment and Brisbane has been named Australia’s Most Sustainable City multiple times at the Keep Australia Beautiful Australian Sustainable Cities Awards. Celebrating Brisbane’s natural environment by using her natural ‘stadium’ to contest trail running, will showcase what she has to offer.
Ben Duffus, Elite Australian mountain, trail runner and coach, grew up in the Brisbane region and now travels the world competing as one of the sport’s best Australian products. “I was lucky to grow up with Mt Coot-tha’s network of trails right on my doorstep, and my family and I would regularly hike along these tracks as a kid. When I started running track and cross- country competitively in high school, these same tracks became my favourite training grounds. It was only natural to then gravitate towards mountain and trail running quickly as an adult.”
Trail running has provided Duffus with the opportunity to travel and explore many parts of the world helping him to understand and appreciate different environments with the intimate connection trail running brings. Duffus considers the mental skills developed, and grit built through hours of persevering through the many challenges of running long distances, have helped immensely academically and professionally, “I now get to share my passion as both an athlete and a coach, and I find it incredibly fulfilling being a part of the trail running community.”
Women are increasingly joining the sport and international standard races are bearing witness to elite female runners challenging their male counterparts for overall placings in the top 10. A testament to the athleticism of world-class competitors transitioning into the sport from track and field, Ironman and marathoning. However, it hasn’t always been this way.
Women on the trails in Brisbane. Photo: Joep Buijs.
Elite trail runner and coach, Meagan Brown, has observed this change only recently as it used to be that, “Standing on the start line of an event and not seeing many other female faces was quite intimidating.” Providing more pathways into our sport for women is helping to equalise the gender imbalance seen in female coaching and race director roles, as well as the participation rates for the ultra-distance events. Brown is so grateful for the incredible opportunities trail running has provided her.
“I’ve had the honour of being able to represent Australia twice in two different World Championship events, travel the world from Japan to Europe to the USA, and meet some amazing like-minded people,” says Brown. Trail running has opened up a whole new career path for her as a women’s trail and ultra coach, as well as igniting a passion within for women in sport.
In mid-2022, the Trail Running Association of Queensland (TRAQ) launched the Trail Running 2032 Campaign, a 10-year plan to have trail running accepted as a sport contested at the 2032 Brisbane Games. TRAQ President, Michael Duggan, says, “Our mission is to grow the trail running community through care and support. Providing opportunities for people of all abilities to be involved in safe and sustainable trail running activities is key to the long-term success of the sport and we can’t think of a better way to showcase trail running and the natural environment of Southeast Queensland than the 2032 Games.”
Checkpoint One participants. Photo: Dominic Murphy.
In early 2023, TRAQ hosted ‘Checkpoint One,’ Australian ‘Leadership in Trail Running’ summit. This was an opportunity for trail running stakeholders from across Australia and overseas to come together and discuss the formation of an Australian national trail running body and the Trail Running 2032 campaign’s delivery.
The long trail adventure to 2032 has already got off to a flying start with the support of the Tasmanian Trail Running Association, Trail Running South Australia and with international support from the International and American Trail Running Associations.
To find our more about the Trail Running 2032 campaign contact Michael Duggan, TRAQ President, at [email protected]. Featured photo credit to Joep Buijs.
