THE inaugural Dorrigo Rainforest Run took place on Sunday 6 February.

42 runners enjoyed the cooler conditions as they took off from the rainforest centre along Dome Road to Never Never Picnic Area and back.

The 23.5km run was organised by the community group Coffs Trail Runners who hope to make it into an annual event.

Race director Keelan Birch said the support from the running community was outstanding.

“We had people travel as far as Newcastle, Walcha and Byron Bay take part.

“Running doesn’t get much better than exploring the Gondwana World Heritage rainforests.”

One runner described the course as “magic”.

“The rainforest was so lush after all the rain and the waterfalls were incredible.

“I had never been to Dorrigo before and running through the national park was just magic!”

Mr Birch offered his congratulations to the inaugural race winners.

“Congratulations to the winners Daniel Stein and Annabelle Swainston who completed the journey in 1:40:05 and 2:23:46 respectively and have set a new benchmark for years to come,” Birch said.

“And a special thankyou to all our volunteers who made it a brilliant morning out.”

Coffs Trail Runners now head north for their next race to the Washpool World Heritage Trails held in Washpool and Gibraltar Range National Park on Sunday 27 March.

More details on this popular race and the club can be found at coffstrailrunners.com.