Let me introduce myself

Let’s start with what I’m not. I’m not a gun runner, I’m not an expert and I’m definitely not a “runfluencer”. I’m not here to flog products or to wow you with my amazing lifestyle or my stunning achievements out on the trails. That’s already a crowded field and in any case, it’s not my vibe.

Instead, I want to take the often mind-bogglingly complex world of running and simplify it. I’m a middle-to-back-of-the-pack trail runner, an enthusiastic amateur. I’ve also been a journalist for more than three decades. So my aim in this newsletter is to explain running concepts to people like me - and like you too.

What sorts of concepts? All sorts of things. For example:

• The best technique for running downhill, and uphill

• Different approaches to nutrition and why it’s important

• The same for hydration (including post-run hydration involving 🍺 🍺 🍺 )

• What the hell is Zone 2 training and how on earth do you do it?

• Does it matter if my cadence isn’t 186 steps per minute?

• The gear you really need to hit the trails

Previews of some of the big trail races are also in my plans, so you know what to expect if you’re thinking about entering. And I’ll be bringing you interesting human stories from the trail running world.

I’d also love to build a community around this newsletter, so I’d love to hear from you on what you’re interested in. Whether you are trail curious, brand new on the trails, or you’ve been running for years, send me the questions you’d like answered and the concepts you’d like explained.

You could watch literally 1,000 YouTube videos on subjects like these, but to be honest, more often than not I just find them confusing.

And I’m also planning to curate the best of what I find around the Internet for you - whether that’s YouTube videos, articles in online magazines or podcast episodes.

I love being a runner

While I’m not an expert, I love running. The longer the distance, the more I like it, mainly because I have no fast-twitch muscle fibres. I blame my genetics. I’m not a newcomer to the sport - I’ve run on and off for most of my life. But in the past decade I’ve gotten much more serious.

I’ve run one 100km ultra - Surf Coast Century in 2024 and three 50km ultras - The Guzzler Glass Half Full in 2020 and 2021 and the Gold Coast 50km in 2021. I’ve also run five marathons - Gold Coast in 2019 and 2022, Brisbane in 2021 and 2024 and the Sunshine Coast in 2023.

Parkrun is an addiction - at the end of 2024 I was closing in on 350. I’ve also run a heap of races on the road and on the trails at distances between 5km and 42.2km. While I prefer the trails, I also get out on the roads. Sometime there is no better alternative.

I’m a member of two run clubs. Trailiens is a proper trail running club run by the good people at The Trail Co. And Fat Cannon Run Club, which also has a trail division, is a piss-take club established in 2019, before run clubs were a thing.

But, while I’ve run a lot, I am bang average. I took almost 18 hours to get around the Surf Coast Century course and I’m yet to break four hours for a marathon. So if you are just dipping your toe into the world of running and trails in particular, this is the newsletter for you!

You can follow me on Strava where my handle is, you guessed it, Stuart Watt.

So I run and I’m a journalist … what else?

Married with three grown up kids - Samuel who’s 28 and lives in Melbourne, Alexandra who’s 26 and lives Brisbane and Charlotte who’s 24 and still lives at home. We are lucky enough to live in The Gap, literally walking distance from the myriad tracks on Mt Coot-tha, Enogerra Reservoir and the D’Aguilar National Park.

My other hobbies are football (that may be soccer to you) - playing for the mighty Mitchie Nomads - and beer from independent breweries. And I have two dogs, Jack, who’s 15, and Bean, who’s a pain in the arse.

Starting this newsletter feels a bit like standing on the start line of an ultra - something I’ve not tackled before, like a 100 mile race. I’m excited, but nervous. I’m not sure I’ll be able to pull it off. But I know I’ve done the work and if I get my head down, I’ll be okay.

I hope you’ll come along for the adventure.