Tag: Trail running

  • A Week in the Mountains, Stairs to Heaven, and a Surprise Podium!

    A Week in the Mountains, Stairs to Heaven, and a Surprise Podium!

    October 3, 2026 Sometimes, a race is just a race. And sometimes, it becomes an excuse to escape to the mountains, spend an entire week soaking in the outdoors, explore new trails, meet new people, and come back with memories that go far beyond the finish line. This was one of those weeks. The original…

  • How Serious Are You About a Race If You Reach the Race Location and Realise You’ve Forgotten Your Gear?

    How Serious Are You About a Race If You Reach the Race Location and Realise You’ve Forgotten Your Gear?

    If I were asking this on race morning, I could forgive someone for forgetting one small item. Race-day nerves are real, and sometimes things slip through the cracks. But if you are travelling to a destination or mountain race, where the organisers have been repeatedly messaging you about mandatory gear, and you still arrive without…

  • Mountain Training Week

    Mountain Training Week

    Finally, back in the mountains for some much-needed mountain-leg training. I missed this last year and went to Chiang Mai UTMB without much climbing-specific training. I had planned to head to Rishikesh or somewhere similar after VDHM, but an unexpected bout of dengue meant that even my training was limited for a while. This isn’t…

  • Is Life Good on the Other Side of the Start Line: Reflections from Bhatti Mines Ultra

    Is Life Good on the Other Side of the Start Line: Reflections from Bhatti Mines Ultra

    Is life good on the other side of the start line?Yes… and maybe no. Yes – when you see the smiles on runners’ faces after they’ve crushed the course, finished their first race, or simply enjoyed a great outing with friends. No – when you see the opposite of all of that. This year, Bhatti…

  • Two Years of Trail Femmes: Trails, Miles, Smiles & Lot of Magic

    And, just like that we turned two! When Trail Femmes began, it was not about building a huge community; it started as a safe space for women to come together on trails. Just like how many running stores go, what started as a short run turned into a space for women to show up as…

  • Vagamon ULTrail: Excitement, Anger, and a Hard-Earned Straw Hat

    Vagamon ULTrail and I go back a bit; this was my second time lining up at the start, and once again, I came back with the winner’s straw hat. This time, it was the 36 km category, run on an updated route that promised more adventure, more elevation, and more of Vagamon’s wild beauty. What…

  • Race Report | Chiang Mai by UTMB – HMOG 50 (56 km)

    Race Day: December 6, Saturday Distance: 56KM Weather Conditions: Not so cold as I thought it should be Let’s start with the truth: I’ve had better race days… There is nothing pretty about this one. No gentle introductions, no rolling warm-ups. This race gets straight to the point – steep climbs and equally steep downhills,…

  • INTHANON20 | Chiang Mai Thailand by UTMB: A Warm-Up That Warmed My Heart

    Race day: November 30 Location: DOI Inthanon National Park Weather Conditions: Pretty cold and freezing INTHANON20 was meant to be a “shakeout race” before the big one next weekend, but it turned out to be so much more… a reminder of why I love toeing a start line, feeling the buzz of runners around me,…

  • Another Trip Around the Sun

    Another birthday… another trip around the Sun! This past year has been a ride – work, Trail Femmes, my own training… juggling it all wasn’t easy, but I made it through. And somewhere in the middle of it all, I added one more hat: running coach. I still can’t believe how fast the year went…

  • Life’s Best Detours are Found Off-road!

    I recently stumbled upon the quote, “Life’s best detours are found off-road.”And I haven’t been able to shake it off since. It made me reflect deeply on why I’m a trail runner. It wasn’t just because the best ultras happen on trails or because I went through a phase of being obsessed with ultrarunning. It’s…