Australia’s first 200 mile race, the Altra Nerang 200 (320 kms), is set to take place at the end of September. It forms part of the Nerang Trail endurance festival which takes place from 27-30 September, 2018.

There are several events on offer ranging from 25 kms to 200 miles (320 kms) but the feature races are the Altra Nerang 200 miler and the Asia Trail Master Nerang 50 miler.

The events have attracted entrants from most Australian States and from Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand and the USA. The Altra 200 miler has a line-up of stars including Kevin Muller, Sam Weir, Jeri Chua (Singapore), Lisa Spink and Kerrie Williamson.

Kevin is the current Australian M45 record holder for 6 hours (81.4 kms), is a former world M40 record holder for 48 hours and has won numerous long distance events including the highly acclaimed Coast to Kosciuszko (240 kms).

SamWeir won the Anzac Day 450 kms ultra event in 2014 and is well known for his win in rowing across the Atlantic Ocean in 2017. Chua, Spink and Williamson are all seasoned long distance runners and are veterans of the Coast to Kosciuszko event. The Asia Trail Master is expected to attract entrants from all over Asia once established. The upcoming event is the inaugural event and is already attracting keen interest.

Event organiser, veteran ultra-runner Ian Cornelius says “The loop course is ingenious. It provides the opportunity for frequent rehydration & food intake and lends itself to frequent crewing care, not normally available on point to point courses.”

Some suggest that the Nerang course, set in heavy forest, does not offer views available from the alpine regions elsewhere. Ian adds that glimpses of the Gold Coast skyline and beachfront are hard to beat. The loop setup is considerably less expensive to maintain than traditional point to point 200 milers on offer in the USA and, as a result, entry fees are less than a half. The Altra Nerang 200 is the first 200 miler in Australia. The event distance is hugely popular in the USA.

More information is available at www.nerang200miler.com

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Dan

I'm a mediocre runner who can bat above his average when I train hard. A man of extremes, I do enjoy everything life offers and consider it an absolute pleasure just to be able to put one foot in front of the other and let my mind wander somewhere different.