Tour de Trails

Tassie Trail Fest a Tourism Draw Card

Press Release / 06.03.2017

Tasmania’s own celebration of trail running, the Saucony Tassie Trail Fest is happening this weekend, 11, 12, 13 March, the event attracting a huge interstate and international following along with plenty of local stars of the trail in attendance.

More than 400 runners, including 170 interstate and international participants, will descend on the small township of Derby, which has in recent years become known as a trail Mecca for mountain bikers. On the long weekend it will be turned over in part to those reliant on two feet rather than two wheels to speed along the silky singletrack Derby has become famous for.

The Saucony Tassie Trail Fest features distances ranging from 44km through to 21km, 14km (including a day and a night run), 6km and 2km, with off-trail entertainment including running seminars including one presented by elite ultra runner, Australian representative Majell Backhausen, along with a trail run film screening and live music by Launceston musician, Tim Gamble and his band

Now in its second year, the trail running festival has already established itself as one of Australia’s ‘bucketlist’ running events.

“Tassie Trail Fest offers something for every level of runner from kids and beginners through to advanced trail runners,” says organiser, Chris Ord, from Tour de Trails, a company that organises trail running events and tours across the globe, including a run tour of Tasmania’s East Coast.

While most of the action will take place on the popular mountain biking trails of Derby, the festival briefly decamps to Welborough for a half marathon. For those keen to squeeze in as many trails as possible over the weekend, organisers offer an entry dubbed the ‘Multiday Madness’, which challenges runners to complete each and every event on the roster that doesn’t clash – a total distance of more than 100km over the two and a half days.

Online entries will remain open until Wednesday night. On the day registrations will be taken.  
See www.tassietrailfest.com.au for more details.