With 6 weeks to go before Run Warrandyte, now is the time to dust of your sneakers and enjoy some of the fantastic trails and tracks right at your doorstep in our beautiful suburb.
Run Warrandyte
The Run Warrandyte course itself covers a range of surfaces and gradients. For those running the 5km to the 21km, it’s a great opportunity to get familiar with the lay of the land and practice changing from the stability of the asphalt, to the rocks and pebbles of the Tank Track and then to the graded scenic path alongside the Yarra. You might even see an echidna or two. There are four uphill sections along the course that will get the heart pumping. For those tackling one of the longer distances, make sure you include some hill training in your program to get the best out of your run on the day.
Warrandyte River
The track from Everard Drive to the Warrandyte Bridge and back is a beautiful flat path of around 3km. Perfect for low impact training, taking the kids for a jog or potentially some speed work. For those looking for a little extra distance there is an extension from the car park at the Bridge to the Stone House Gallery which adds 1.5km to your run or continue on to the end of Tills Drive and back for and extra 3 km. The extension through the car park is quite narrow so not as ideal for prams or little people on bikes.
4th Hill
Now this one is not for the faint hearted. You can enter this track from the first carpark along Gold Memorial Rd and exit on Yarra St. This hilly run is a real test for the legs and also a great chance to practice running on unstable ground. A lot of cyclists use this track so just keep an ear out. If you’re not keen on running, it’s still a great butt burn as a power walk.
Main Yarra Trail and Mullum Mullum
There are two great running tracks you can enter just behind the playground at Beasley’s Nursery. Take a left just over the bridge and you can head towards Donvale or go straight ahead and you can run all the way into the city. They are not as busy as the Warrandyte River track, but both are flat and also some sections are asphalted. Cyclists (and kangaroos) use these tracks too, but they’re nice and wide and are quite scenic. The Main Yarra trail is perfect for a long run. 5km from Beasley’s takes you to Fitzsimons Lane carpark where there is a toilet and drink station. For those looking to get some good ks in their legs, 10 – 12km from Beasley’s takes you in behind the Rosanna Golf Course.
Happy training!
