One of the first TFT Approved trail runs outside of the UK featuring, other things, innovative clip-on/clip-off trail markers, starting the 'event in a bag' concept.
The Alpha Trail Run: Winter Trails of Manly Dam event, held on Saturday, June 21, 2025, successfully attracted a wide range of trail runners to the popular Northern Beaches reserve. Utilising an 8-kilometre looping course, the event offered three primary distances: the 8km Trail Taster, the 16km Trail Trekker (two laps), and the 24km Trail Blazer (three laps), catering to participants from novice to experienced trail runners.
The route provided a scenic and challenging experience, taking runners along the water's edge of the Manly Reservoir, past stunning bushland views, and across the iconic Manly Dam Bridge, all while negotiating the park's characteristic mix of technical single track and fire trails. The event was highly regarded for its organisation, including clearly marked courses, comprehensive aid stations, and a strong focus on post-race community and recovery.
Trash Free Trails Australia was a key partner in this event, supporting Alpha Trail Events in their mission to deliver a clean and responsible race.
The organisation's role was focused on environmental stewardship, encouraging runners to adopt a 'Leave A Positive Trace' ethos and helping the event operate as a 'cup-free' race. By promoting the use of refillable water bottles and educating participants on the impact of single-use pollution (SUP),
Trash Free Trails ensured the event's footprint was minimised, protecting the valuable bushland and aquatic environment of Manly Dam.
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Trash Free Trails Australia is based in Manly on the Northern Beaches of Sydney. We respectfully acknowledge the Gayamagal people as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which our community exists, a place they know as Car-rang-gel (North Head, Manly) and the surrounding region. We recognise their deep and continuing spiritual connection to the land, waters, and sea of the Northern Beaches. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.
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