Shafeeqah Gordon is a local favorite in the Cape Town trail community. She’s the leader of the legendary shafflers at Tuesday Trails. A pocket rocket with a sense of humor to match. She can be found on the start line of some pretty tough races & you’re always guaranteed a smile if you see her. Stoked to welcome Shaf to the podcast & to get to know her better during this conversation.

// TOPICS COVERED

(0:00) Welcome!

(01:44) Shaf’s entry to trail running

(08:26) Tuesday Trails & leading a group

(19:40) What does the retail space teach us?

(26:10) Outdoor education awareness (31:00) Kapaan Tours & her Dads influence

(38:40) Are you an overpacker? (40:22) Growth in the trail space & female participation

(44:30) Emotional finish lines & UTD

(52:50) What’s next for Shaf

(54:18) Reading & inspiration

// RESOURCES MENTIONED

- KapAanTours Instagram: @kapaantours

- Shaf Gordon: @shafgordon

Keep up to date with all things Trail Culture: https://www.trailculture.co.za/ Check us out on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trailcultureza/

The second half of the chat with James Montgomery from the Run Project on the Craft of Coaching.

We go deeper into the specifics of working with the person in front of you, how to make training relative to the individual, how to shape & improve your thinking as a coach and more.

This chat really left me inspired to keep learning and to really view each athlete and their goals as separate puzzles to be solved.

Special thank to Carbon Endurance for fuelling Season 2 of Trail Culture.

Carbon Endurance Instagram

Carbon Endurance Sport Consulting

The Run Project

The craft of coaching 💭 Part 1

So stoked to have James Montgomery on the podcast to share his extensive experience & talk about what it takes to be a great coach. 🏃🏽‍♂️ 🏃🏼‍♀️📈 We talk about the evolving athlete, the balance between fun and hard training, the structured vs intuitive approach to running & more.

Special thank to Carbon Endurance for fuelling Season 2 of Trail Culture.

Carbon Endurance Instagram

Carbon Endurance Sport Consulting

The Run Project

Fooled by Randomness

The bigger picture & what athletes should consider when thinking of health and movement.

This week we’ve got Dr Hilton Lazar joining us to chat about health, movement & the role of chiropractic. An expert in his craft, we talk about pain management, injury diagnosis, what running does to our spines & the role of adjustment.

The difference | The family | The history 🦦

A magical stretch of coastline, it’s roots run deep with a special history. An incredible story of family, conservation, community and a single race making the greatest difference. Hearing these stories brings both memories & emotions to the surface. It’s a great privilege to share them with you. 🎙️ The Otter episode goes live tonight 💭 #trailculture

FACES AFRICA

THE OTTER TRAIL

A motley crew of friends, 100kms & a skeleton 🏴‍☠️

So stoked to kick off season 2 of Trail Culture with an absolute legend, Petrus de Klerk 🤙🏼 Famed for their presence at Kloof Corner during UTCT, we chat to Petrus about the the Mountain Mxn, tradition, trail culture & more.

An incredible human with a gees crew of friends, a wicked sense of humor & stories to match. We’re back and the stoke is alive, enjoy.

Mountain MXN

Does power have a place in trail running? We’re back with another Trail Science episode. This week, Simon de Waal from Rooted in Dirt joins us to talk about power as a performance metric.

• When should we use power?
• How is it measured?
• What should the real world application look like?
• & does power work as a performance measure in the trail running space?

“The best way to learn is by doing” - @michael_bakes

From getting cliffed out on Mnweni, to a solo unsupported DGT, to a wedding at the top of the Amphitheatre. This weeks guest is Michael Baker. An athlete, a coach, an adventurer & captain of group missions. This episode really is one amazing story of adventure. The name speaks for itself & I'll let you find out more.

The Hiking Vikings

The Bakery

The Long Road Part 2! This week, pocket rocket and adventurer, Mari Marincowitz joins us on the podcast to talk about her miler journey and what happened out there on the course. Fresh off a win at the George MUT by UTMB Miler, she shares some of her stories & we experience the Outeniqua once again through her lens.

Taking her time in the day to day, running Milers is perfect for Mari. It's once step at a time with no need to rush in her words.

This episode covers:

• Running the miler is the easiest part of the process
• Her experience of the Outeniqua
• Challenges and highlights of race day
• Working through the outside noise & finding peace in the mountains

This week, pocket rocket and adventurer, Mari Marincowitz joins us on the podcast to talk about her life journey. Running has remained the consistent thing throughout her travels and exploration. Fresh off a win at the @georgemountainultratrail Miler, she shares some of her stories & in part 2 we experience the Outeniqua once again through her lens.

From India, to Shanghai to South Africa. Part 1 of Mari’s interview takes us on a global journey. Running in different spaces, cultures and places, we get to know Mari and her development into the athlete she is today.

Stay tuned for Part 2 & for now, Episode 29 is live!