Salomon’s Trail Running Festival returns to the UK this summer with three events, one in Scotland and two in England. The festival comes to the Pentlands, near Edinburgh, on May 18.
From beginners to ultra-distance experts, the festival has something to suit everyone:
- Guided runs of 5km, 10km and 20km
- A 50km ultra run
- Workshops focusing on technique, local trails, kit, nutrition and fitness
- A yoga session
- Demo kit from Salomon and Suunto
- Food and drink vendors
- Evening screening of a short Salomon film, talks and music at The Apothecary in the city centre.
A spokesperson said: “The Salomon Trail Running Festival provides the perfect opportunity to join the friendly trail running community as it grows – and to enjoy the freedom of some beautiful trails.”
Guest expert: Ultra runner Donnie Campbell
Scottish ultra runner Donnie Campbell will be a guest speaker at this year’s Salomon Trail Running Festival in Edinburgh. The running coach and founder of Get Active Running, reveals his 5 reasons for heading off-road for a run.
1. Better for your body
Trail running provides a quicker route to fitness because it calls on a larger group of muscles as you adapt to the varying terrain and slightly trickier underfoot conditions.
Balance is what gives you the edge towards the end of a run and trail running is great for this, too. The terrain is also kinder on the joints than pounding the pavement.
2. To discover new places
You could run the same route from your home on the pavements again and again, or you could head off to seek new places and explore your local surroundings on the trails.
Close to many villages, towns and cities you’ll discover a network of country paths, hills and forest trails and even mountain routes.
It’s mentally uplifting to run in the country and with new things to see and new trails to follow you’ll have little chance of getting bored.
3. For quality not quantity
You need to adopt a different mental approach when off-road running. It’s not all about the miles covered and personal bests, but more about the time spent on your feet.
The distance you’re able to cover is often dictated by the local terrain, which means miles are less important than timing. This takes the pressure off your training and enables you to enjoy it further.
4. For injury proofing
Trail running has less repetition compared to road running, which means you are less likely to get an injury on softer, kinder terrain.
With trail running, you hit the ground at different angles and that can leave you less prone to injuries created by running on a more even and hard surface.
Trails also absorb more of the impact of each foot-strike than pavements or roads.
5. To meet new likeminded people
Trail running is fast growing in popularity so you will have the chance to meet new and like-minded people. They often a nice bunch, too!
Join Salomon Trail Running Festival
For location details as well as specific event and ticket information, see Salomon rail Running Festival.