There is a new date on the Australian trail calendar, and it is right on our doorstep. The inaugural Illawarra Escarpment Traverse runs on Saturday 31 October 2026, taking runners from the sand at Stanwell Park up onto the escarpment and along the ridgeline to a finish village at Bulli Tops. Two distances, one clifftop finish, and some of the best coastal views you will find anywhere in New South Wales.


Image: Osprey Dyna Pro Women's Running Vest

We have been walking, running and guiding people through this country for years from our shop in Helensburgh, which sits at the northern end of the very escarpment this course traverses. So when a trail running event landed in our backyard, we did not need much convincing. This is our guide to the courses, the mandatory gear, and the kit that will get you to that finish line comfortably.

Our complete guide to trail running the Illawarra Escarpment

What the Illawarra Escarpment Traverse asks of you

The event runs two courses, and they are genuinely different beasts.

The 19km is a point-to-point starting at 7:00am from Stanwell Park Beach Reserve. You begin at sea level and finish at Bulli Tops, which means the climb is not optional and it comes early. There is a five hour cut-off, which sounds generous until you factor in the ascent, the rock and the sections where you will be moving at a hike rather than a run. Treat it as a mountain course that happens to be short.

The 6km starts at 10:00am and runs from the Bulli Tops precinct around Panorama House, with a two hour cut-off. It is the entry point for anyone new to trail running, and it still delivers the escarpment views without asking for the full sea-to-summit effort.

Both courses finish at the same place. The finish village runs from 10:00am to 1:00pm with food, coffee and event partners, and presentations at 11:00am. Parking is free at both locations, though carpooling is encouraged.

Why trail running here is different to running anywhere else

Escarpment terrain in the Illawarra is loose sandstone, root-strewn singletrack, rainforest gullies that hold moisture long after the rain has stopped, and exposed clifftop sections where the wind does what it likes. Add the possibility of all four seasons in one morning and you have a course that rewards preparation over raw speed.


Image: Osprey Dyna and Duro Running Vests

What that means practically: you will be braking hard on descents, edging on off-camber ground, and dealing with grit that wants to get inside your shoes. Grip and foot protection matter more than cushioning stack height. Weather protection matters more than saving forty grams. If you have been running the fire trails at Royal National Park or the coast track, you already know the feel of it. If you are coming from the road, this will be a step up, and it is worth a few reconnaissance runs before October. Our guide to trails across Australia and our Sydney walking trails guide are good places to find training ground close to home.

Choosing trail running shoes for escarpment terrain

The event organisers list trail shoes as strongly recommended, and we would put it more bluntly than that. Road shoes on wet sandstone are a fast way to end your race early. What you want from trail running shoes on this course is aggressive, multi-directional lugs, a rubber compound that stays sticky when wet, some structure through the heel so your foot is not rolling around on off-camber ground, and a toe cap that will survive meeting a root at pace.

LOWA Fortux GTX Men's Trail Running Shoe

This is the shoe we point people towards when they tell us they want one pair that will handle a wet escarpment race and then keep going as a speed hiking shoe. The LOWA Fortux GTX is built around a GORE-TEX membrane, so it is waterproof, windproof and still breathable. On a course with rainforest gullies and dew-heavy morning grass, that is the difference between running the second half in dry socks and running it in bricks.

Underneath, the DYNEVA midsole uses a rocker shape and a 6mm drop with genuinely high rebound, so it cushions long descents without feeling vague. The TRAC ULTRA rubber outsole runs a bi-directional lug pattern, which is a technical way of saying the lugs are angled to bite forward when you accelerate and bite backward when you brake. On steep escarpment descents, that braking grip is what you will notice most. The jacquard upper is abrasion resistant and holds up to rock scuffing far better than a thin mesh.

One honest note from us: the Fortux runs on the narrower side and some runners find it comes up small. Come in and try a pair on, or size carefully if you are ordering online. Fit is not something we like to guess at over email.

Trail running shoes women runners can trust on technical ground

Women's specific footwear is not a marketing exercise. Narrower heels, different forefoot volume and different load through the arch all change what a shoe needs to do. When we are fitting trail running shoes women are going to race in, we are looking at heel hold first, because a heel that slips on a descent will give you blisters by kilometre eight regardless of how good the outsole is.

La Sportiva Ultra Raptor 3 Women's

The La Sportiva Ultra Raptor 3 Women's comes from a mountain running bloodline, and it shows. The FriXion White outsole paired with the Impact Brake System is the standout feature here: the lug geometry is designed to absorb downhill impact and convert it into traction rather than skid. On polished sandstone and loose gravel, this is one of the most confidence-inspiring outsoles we stock.

Version three is also a roomier fit than earlier Ultra Raptors, which has made it work for a much wider range of feet. If you want more background on the brand, our guide to La Sportiva is worth a read, and if you decide you want a waterproof option instead, our LOWA waterproof footwear guide covers the GORE-TEX side of the range.

Carrying your mandatory gear: the Osprey Pro run vests

The Traverse has a mandatory gear list, which means you are carrying something whether you like it or not. A hydration vest that bounces will ruin a 19km race, so this is not the place to improvise with a daypack.

Osprey Duro Pro 10 Run Hydration Vest

The Osprey Duro Pro 10 was developed with elite athletes and honed for ultra racing, and the detail work reflects that. It ships with two Hydraulics 500mL soft flasks with removable WingStay stabilisers, so you have your mandatory litre of water covered straight out of the box, riding up front where you can reach it without breaking stride.

Storage is where this vest earns its keep. There is a zippered main compartment, a spacious pass-through lumbar pocket, an upper back stash pocket, an upper zippered pocket with an internal cord for securing bulkier items, four stretch drop-in pockets and dual vertical-zip front pockets. In practice that means your compression bandage, space blanket, food and phone all have a home you can find without stopping. The restricted-stretch backpanel stabilises the load while still letting you move naturally, and a soft airmesh bodywrap keeps the contact surface ventilated and chafe-free.

It also includes a removable Duro Dyna Pro Quiver for trekking poles, which can be anchored diagonally or vertically, plus a dual-carry system for front or lower-back horizontal carry. Three pole options in one vest. If you are undecided on poles, our complete guide to hiking poles covers the trade-offs.

Osprey Dyna Pro 10 Run Hydration Vest, Purple Dusk

The Dyna Pro 10 is the women's specific version, and Osprey has done the harness work properly. The Dyna yoke and harness are fine-tuned for shorter, narrower and curved body types, with dual lightweight adjustable elastic closure cords so you can dial in the fit on the move rather than stopping to fuss with buckles. Everything else carries across: the two 500mL soft flasks, the pole quiver, the pass-through and upper pockets, the restricted-stretch backpanel.

Both vests are 10L, which is more capacity than a 19km race demands. We will be straight with you about that. But if the Traverse is your first trail race and not your last, a 10L vest is the one you grow into rather than replace, and it will carry you through a 50km without complaint. Both are also compatible with the Osprey Hydraulics LS 1.5L reservoir if you prefer a bladder, sold separately.

Patagonia Capilene Cool Sun Hoody

Sun cover is on the mandatory list, and a late-October morning on an exposed clifftop will find every gap in your kit. Our pick is the Patagonia Capilene Cool Sun Hoody, which solves the problem in one layer instead of stopping mid-race to reapply sunscreen to your arms. It is Patagonia's most sun-protective tech tee: 100% recycled polyester jersey in a single-knit construction that makes the UPF 40+ rating inherent to the fabric rather than a chemical treatment that washes out over time.

 

A textured back lifts the fabric off your skin to keep air moving, the wicking finish dries fast when you sweat through the climb out of Stanwell Park, and the generous hood has a button closure and is cut to sit over a cap for extra neck coverage.



The sleeves are shaped for athletic arm movement, which you will appreciate on the steeper sections where you are using your hands. We stock the Men's Capilene Cool Sun Hoody in Fitz Roy Trout and the Women's Capilene Cool Sun Hoody in Gumtree Green, both made in a Fair Trade Certified factory. More on why this matters in an Australian spring is in our guide to UPF sun protective clothing.

The mandatory gear list and what we would add

The event requires every runner to carry a minimum of 1L of water, a compression bandage (7.5cm x 2.3m), a space blanket, a food portion and a charged mobile phone. Sun protection and a hat are also called for, and the organisers are clear that the weather can turn.

Our additions, based on running this country ourselves. Carry more food than the minimum, because the 19km climb burns through it faster than you expect. Pack an electrolyte option rather than plain water alone, particularly for a warm late-October morning. Take a lightweight wind layer if the forecast is unsettled, because the clifftop sections are exposed. And know how to actually use that compression bandage before race day, which is a fair reason to read our wilderness first aid guide. On sun protection, our guide to UPF clothing covers what actually works in an Australian spring.

If you are heading out to recce the course on your own beforehand, a satellite communicator is worth considering for the sections with patchy reception. Our Garmin inReach and PLB guide explains the difference between the two.

Find us at the finish line and the 6km start line

We will be there on the day. PAST Outdoors is setting up at the finish line at Bulli Tops and at the 6km start line, so come and say hello whether you are racing, supporting or just up there for the view and the coffee.

Bring your questions. If you are unsure whether your shoes are up to the course, if your vest has been bouncing on training runs, or if you want to talk through what to do differently next time, that is exactly the conversation we enjoy having. Full event details, entries and course maps are on the Illawarra Escarpment Traverse event page.

Using the Traverse as a stepping stone to bigger trail running races

Plenty of people find their first event is the one that gets them hooked. The Traverse works well as an entry into trail running races because the 6km gives you the terrain and the atmosphere without the commitment, and the 19km gives you a genuine mountain course in a manageable package. From there, the step up to 30km and 50km events around NSW is a matter of training volume rather than new skills.

The gear scales the same way. The shoes and the vest you buy for this race are the shoes and the vest you take to the next one. That is exactly why we would rather fit you properly once than sell you something cheap twice.

Why shop trail running shoes with PAST Outdoors

We are a family-owned Australian business, and our retail store is in Helensburgh, at the top of the escarpment this race runs along. We are not a warehouse guessing at what works on this terrain. We run it, we hike it, and we guide groups through it.

That local knowledge sits alongside a track record we are proud of. We have over 2,280 customer reviews with 94% of them at five stars, and we are trusted suppliers to emergency services, government, military and outdoor education groups across Australia.



When agencies whose staff depend on their footwear in genuinely serious conditions choose to buy from us, that tells you something about how carefully we select what we stock. We only carry brands we personally use and believe in, which is why you will find LOWA, La Sportiva and Osprey on our shelves and not a wall of anonymous alternatives.

The practical benefit for you is fit. Trail running shoes live or die on fit, and our team will actually put you in the right size, talk through your foot shape, and tell you honestly if a shoe is wrong for you. We also run guided hikes, short courses and community events, so the advice you get is from people who were on the trail last weekend.

Race day is Saturday 31 October 2026. That gives you time to get your shoes fitted, break them in properly, and do a few long runs with a loaded vest before it counts. Come and see us in Helensburgh, or shop the range online and we will get it to you.

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