021correspondent Faziela Harris-Davids chats to a local trail running group for women and what it hopes to achieve.
RECENTLY trail running has been in the news for all the wrong reasons, with many incidents of muggings and robberies, we shine a spotlight on Trail.her, created by Kauthar, who has created the perfect opportunity for female runners to run the trails without fear.
As a road runner, I was searching for an opportunity to up my game and combine my love for hiking and running. That is when I came across a Trail.her post shared on Instagram and decided to join. As a self-proclaimed introvert, meeting new people is always a challenge, but I found the group to be really welcoming and supportive, which is exactly what you need when battling the trails of Kloof Corner or Alphen Trail. Coupled with lots of laughs and chats in between, I found the space to be such an amazing opportunity to network with like minded women who just needed a space for themselves.
I caught up with Kauthar to chat a little bit more about Trail.her and what inspired her to start, here is what she had to say:
What inspired you to start Trail.her?
I was always a runner, but stopped with my pregnancy and then having kids. I started up again when I was going through a tough time. Spending time running in nature was the most magical, transformative medicine for me. So many women contacted me via Instagram to ask if they could join me. That’s when I realized that I was not the only woman who needed this outlet for a space to feel safe and just exist. So I decided to take a leap one day and extended an open invitation to women to join me for a trail run. I was completely overwhelmed with gratitude when 12 women showed up at sunrise to join me. The reason I started this was to inspire women to get out of their comfort zone, and understand the power we wield when we work together.
What is your main goal with the group?
To empower women. Watching these women show up and surprise themselves each week has been absolutely magical. Sometimes we just need to put our toes out of our comfort zone to get a glimpse of our potential. You’re one step away from your newest adventure
Who do you think should join?
Any woman who wants to get out of her comfort zone. Some of the women who are now running with us had never even been on a hike before. We have space for any woman who is medically fit, able and willing to push.
As a complete beginner, at which level of fitness should I be at, to join?
Absolute beginners should be able to run for 1 minute and walk for 2 minutes for a period of 45 minutes.
How do you see the group growing in future?
This is a big one, I have so many visions for this space. The most immediate one is to enter a few races in the new year, and set up a structured training schedule where we work together and support each to achieve our goals. I am currently working on an all natural diet plan, with recipes which will be shared with the group once I’m sure it can produce results. The list goes on and on, but we’ll leave it to fate to decide which road to take
Any tips on how to start trail running?
Put on some shoes and get outside. Start with what you have before investing in a pair of shoes. I ran in an old pair of road shoes for nearly a year before getting a proper pair. Our bodies are designed to be outside. You will most definitely be challenged, but the views.. Oh the views.
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