The trails around Alice are endless and endlessly diverse. Pretty much all single track, you may be working up a steep rocky incline or down technical terrain, enjoying long, flowy sections through the scrub or slogging your way across a sandy riverbed. Many of the trails used are shared with the very extensive network of Mountain Biking trails, specifically to the northern and western sides of the town and these are well documented in handy foldaway brochures you can get at the Tourism Information Centre or the Alice Springs Telegraph Station Kiosk, where many of the MTB trails originate.
But you needn’t feel restricted to designated tracks. Once your confidence is up you can pretty much head 5 mins out of town in any direction and come across a myriad of dirt tracks and roads that weave their way around the surrounding bushland.
There is a strong and dedicated group of trail runners in Alice Springs that train and run all year round, which means lots of early mornings and too many stunning sunrises to count. Operating as a sub-group of the Alice Springs Running & Walking Club, look out for the Red Centre Trail Runners on Facebook where all their organized events are listed and many like minded people are always up for an impromptu run off the calendar.
Furthermore there is another subgroup called the Alice Springs Dusty Divas which is a social trail running group dedicated to women, who meet early every Thursday morning with a view to building confidence and familiarization out on the trails.
All of these groups have a strong emphasis on safety out in the bush and will require a certain level of mandatory and suggested gear for when you head out. Some of the items you may be expected to carry are sufficient hydration, snake bandages and a decent map app downloaded on your phone such as Guru, Trailforks or Avenza maps.
Also starting at the Telegraph Station is Stage 1 of the iconic Larapinta Trail and this is a wonderful introduction to relatively non-technical trail running rewarded by some incredible views back over the township of Alice. It is also the location for the growing in popularity West Macs Monster Trail Running Festival which is run in late May each year and encompasses the entire 231km distance of the rugged, stunningly beautiful and ancient Larapinta Trail in a fully supported, non-stop international trail running event with various distances and team vs individual options. You can find more information on this challenging and most rewarding event at https://westmacsmonster.com.au/
