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New Here? If you love getting out on the trails - running, hiking, rambling or a combination of them all - I'm sure you'll find something to whet your appetite for the trails right here.  Every edition I strive to deliver free and fantastic value to you, often including: Trail hacks, running and hiking news, nutritious recipes, big hairy audacious race reports, wholesome articles and book, podcast and blog shout outs about all things trails!

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Baked into June’s issue

• A quote to inspire

• Ultra Inspiring: Bronco Billy’s 100s + Karl Melzer and the moose attack

• Food to Fuel: Nutrition 101

• Hikes worthy of your bucket list: Tour Du Mont Blanc

• Incredible Races: Bighorn 100

• Trail Strength: Jump rope to jump boulders

• Podcast, Book and Blog Shoutouts

• THE News round up

ps. Make sure to click "Display images" at the top of this email, if they're not showing.

See you out there,

Shaun

A reminder that many hands make light work and that the trails that you see in the big races but also on most hikes, are there and passable because of the hard work of others - often volunteers.

"You can't go wrong with getting strong."

Skipping is a hard-to-beat cross training workout for runners and hikers.

It’s a cardio workout that’ll have you sweating in minutes. Not only that but it boosts metabolism and coordination and most crucially in terms of injury-proofing yourself… it improves calf and achilles elastic energy.

Most overload injurie happen due to eccentric load, which is the controlled lengthening out, or shock absorption type of muscle contraction. Skipping is fantastic at building this and it ultimately means we are better placed to handle shock but also more economical due to improved elastic strength.

So get a jump rope and start off with a small, easy amount. It is an awesome short workout or even a warm up that’ll have your bouncing over boulders and powering up hills with ease, in no time.

There’s plenty of workouts out there for you to find, but here is an OK starting point:

**Have you got a tip that you want to share? Let me know, contribute to our community and get a shoutout. Email me

A huge bonus of regular exercise and sweating it out in the great outdoors? A great appetite and a need for refueling. We’re here to help hit the sweet spot with tasty, nutritious recipes by yours truly, great blogs or, sent in by you.

This one hit’s different.

Rather than give you one kick ass recipe of idea of a wholesome snack, I came across a post this week that I couldn’t go past. Nutrition 101 in 25 sentences.
They may not all fit with your ideals etc, but if you learn 1 o2 two things from it, then that’s a huge win. It’s not always and shouldn’t be about one special food or recipe that will move the leaver but about having a healthy all round diet and avoiding the pitfalls that so many fall into.

TLDR: Lot’s of whole fruit and veg and water, as well as adequate protein and fiber intake.

Jeff Browning has got me inspired and wanting to literally run out the door and find some trails. He’s an ultra runner, coach and all round nice guy that has had an awesome year!

Jeff is, aka Bronco Billy is a veteran ultra runner who has done some of the worlds toughest ultra mountain races, including Western States 100, Ultra Fiord in Patagonia Chile, Europe’s Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc, and Ultra Trail Mount Fuji in Japan. He’s also a 6-time finisher and 2018 champion of the wild and tough Hardrock 100 in SW Colorado.

This year he has won not one, not two but FIVE ultra marathons, so far, with 3 of them being 100 mile+. The latest being the Bighorn 100, which I’ve done a quick ruin down on, for you:

The bighorn races were started to help preserve the atmosphere of the Bighorn mountains when threatened by a hydro power development project. years later the 100mile race was added.

It’s tough, it’s remove and there is wildlife galore.

It crossed through the Bighorn National Forest and racers have 35 ours to complete the out and back course.

Stats:

• 100 miles

• 20,500 feet of ascent

• 76 miles of technical single track trail

It’s one of the classics and also a race which, due to it’s prolific wildlife, lead to a entertaining yarn a few years ago from Karl Meltzer about a run in with a 7 foot tall old mama Bullwinkle Moose. It’s one of the dangers of being a leader in a remote race - you’ve got to clear the path! He had a attach with a Moose though and still managed to win the race. Here’s the entertaining short story on his blog.

Links: Jeff’s website, Jeff’s Twitter, Karl’s website, Bighorn100 website

There’s not many treks where viewing platforms are so abundant and there’s even cable cars for those that want skip the steep climbs. There’s also not many treks that are as popular as Tour Du Mont Blanc, and that’s for good reason - it’s spectacular. It’s a classic route and one of the most popular in Europe.

Location: Going through the Alps of France, Italy and Switzerland, the circuit loop starts and finishes in Chamonix, France, circumnavigating Mont Blanc.

Distance: 110Miles (177km)

Elevation: 30,000 feet, total

Days: 7-11

Sights: Beautiful alpine flowers, glaciers, meadows, snowy peaks and towering granite as well as the more mobile birds of prey, ibex and chamois.

Does it make your bucket list? What's on the top of your list? let me know on Twitter and it may just make it into the next edition.

Read more: Amore in-depth guide to the classic 11 day itinerary HERE or a report for the more frugally minded hiker on the realities of cost and the need to be prepared.

Ditch the regular news that’s full of all the bad things happening in the world and get a healthy dose of good news. Inspiring news. Interesting and crazy news.

This first one caught my attention. It’s bizarre.

Candice Burt, absolutely smashed the Guinness world record for the most consecutive days running and ultra. She is also the founder and CEO of the Triple Crown races - the Tahoe 200, Bigfoot 200 and Moab 240.

The great poo problem. Should we all be hiking with a small shovel or trowel?

New Zealander George Murray and Australian Emily Gilmour-Walsh claimed victories in the UTA100 races at Ultra-Trail Australia by UTMB. it was Murray’s first 100km win and a win that was years in the making. Also as a side note - the Blue Mountains have so many amazing trails!

This month: Alone on the Wall - Alex Hannold
3 hours and 56 minutes on the sheer face of El Cap - this is a superhuman effort to make this climb, without a fallback - nothing. On June 3rd, 2017, Alex Honnold became the first person to free solo Yosemite's El Capitan―to scale the wall without rope, a partner, or any protective gear―completing what was described as "the greatest feat of pure rock climbing in the history of the sport".

In case you missed it. Last month was one of my all time favourites: Scott Jurek’s, Eat and Run - My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness

If you've got a podcast, book or blog post you loved lately that is inspiring, wholesome, or just bloody good, send me a message on Twitter

“Limit your limitations. If you want to do something, don’t overthink it. Go for it. ”
– NEDD BROCKMANN

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See you out there,

Shaun