Now in its 6th year, the Duval Dam Buster Trail Run is nearly ready to hit the trails of Mt Duval once more. With the tagline “The highest point: Go up, then back down” it’s bound to be another must-do event for running enthusiasts of all ages!
This year’s event will be held on Sunday the 24th of September and will, as always, start and finish at the Dumaresq Dam, located approximately 12km from Armidale’s CBD.
Event organiser and avid runner, Lee-Anne McKinnon, is very proud to announce that this year the 50km event has been accepted into the International Trail Running Association (ITRA) National League for the first time.
Ms McKinnon believes that the environment and community atmosphere are some of the key highlights of the event.
“Past runners have loved the country welcome, supportive volunteers and runners and have mentioned the wonderful camaraderie out on the course,” she says.
This year will once again feature 5 separate trail events including:
· The Duval Dash: a 3km family fun run/walk
· Duval Base Run: 8 km run
· Duval Dam Buster: 16km run including the now infamous Summit Trail
· Duval Dirty Thirty: 32km run
· Hendo Hustle Ultra: 50km ultra-marathon
Another key feature of the race is the exclusive property access that the event has managed to secure, offering participants the chance to see some truly stunning New England High Country scenery that is not always open to the public.
“We have access to Mt Duval and other private properties owned by UNE,” says Ms McKinnon.
According to the official website, the event is completely organised by a “committee consisting of passionate trail-running locals and interested community members” and is “hosted by Armidale Athletics Club”.
So, despite now gaining the attention of the national and international running community, the event is still very much grounded in the local community.
The committee is made up exclusively of volunteers who love running just as much as the event’s entrants and more help is always much appreciated. If you’re interested in volunteering, the sign-up form is available on the website.
If you’re keen to take a run at one of this year’s trails, entry to the event is also still very much open so there is still time to register. Ms McKinnon is particularly excited about the calibre of entrants this year saying, “We think we’ll have very competitive fields of new and previous participants for all our distances.”
For further information about the event, and how to enter visit the Duval Dam Buster website. Event updates are also shared regularly on their Facebook page.
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