CELEBRATING 50 EDITIONS OF TRAIL RUN MAG

I've worked for over 20 years in my chosen profession as a writer, with today – in 2024 – heralding my bucket list job as editor of a magazine, and being at the helm for Trail Run Mag's 50th edition.

When approached for the opportunity to go from journo to TRM editor, there was no way I was going to say ‘no'. It was the cherry on top of my continental cheesecake – being already a runner, I could take it even further and really hone in on sharing the stories and photographs that I believed could make a difference.

TRM50 marks just over two years as editor, with four editions per year and each edition taking just under three months to put together. I can't always be time crucial with content, but I can take the time to make sure everything going into the magazine is well worth your cup of coffee or tea – either iced or hot.

As I write, I'm taken back to reflect on particular moments over the past two years that are memorable for me and mean the most in my journey as the editor of a publication delivered and read across the Tasman. The first happened not long after TRM42 (Feb-Mar 2022) was released, this being my inaugural edition with every hope that I'd done previous editors' justice, when a race director mate of mine came up to me full hug in flight, at an event I was reporting on, and told me what an amazing TRM I'd created – that the stories were ‘spot on' and he was proud of the work I'd achieved.

I still feel that hug to this day.

Another is the interviews. I've had the opportunity to speak to people like Lucy Bartholomew, Phil Gore, Dion Leonard, and in this edition Kilian Jornet. It's one of my favourite things about being a journalist – the people I get to interview. I also like to think that I'm a journalist of a different nature; keeping in mind that I don't do hard news or police and court reporting, I like to see myself as someone who shares the tales of other people's lives in the hopes of motivating and inspiring even just one person.

Which brings me to another memorable moment during my time as TRM editor. TRM45 (Nov-Dec 2022) saw the publication of Conquering Trails and Adversity: Fighting The Demons Within (re Thomas Dade and his battle with an eating disorder) and There's More Behind Felix Than Meets The Eye (re Andrew ‘Felix' Poli and his experience running with ADHD). Never have I had more correspondence with readers than with these two articles; over the course of eight weeks or so, I received texts, emails and social media messages from trail runners who had in one way or another connected to the stories, telling me they related to either Thomas or Andrew and thanking me for writing and publishing their plights.

Connecting with the trail running community is the best way to make sure

I'm doing what I need to be doing – giving rise to your voices. If I don't hear from you, I don't know what you want. And without your stories, I can't write anything (I mean, I could write something, but you, the readers, are what make TRM exactly what it is today).

So as we get down and dirty into 2024, I lift my insulated coffee cup in cheers to the incredible people who have made an impact in the last two years – indeed the last 12 years – as story givers, contributors, writers and photographers to Trail Run Mag.

And to Chris Ord, because without his Angry Trail Runner reputation and the desire to kickstart a magazine out of his garden shed in 2011, a newly declared Mood Booster Runner (that's me) now gets to keep the legacy going with big thanks to Adventure Entertainment.

Happy trails,

Kate Dzienis

Editor, Trail Run Mag