2018 AURA Ultra Performance Of The Year Award Voting

Rob Donkersloot • January 18, 2019

The “AURA Ultra Performance Of The Year Award” is now open for voting by AURA Members. Nominations were received from 1 January, and these were short listed to the top six nominations as judged by the AURA Committee. The “AURA Ultra Performance Of The Year Award” will be announced on Australia Day.

Nomination 1: Annabel Hepworth Adelaide 6 day

Nomination: Running the furthest distance for 6 day event in the world for the year for a female (742.8km).

Nomination 2: Mick Thwaites, Balatonfured 6 Day Hungary

Nomination: 837 kms in his first 6 dayer. Won the race and completed several milestones during it. Third furthest male distance over 6 days in the world in 2018

Nomination 3 Tia Jones, World 100km Champs & Asia 24 Hour Champs

Nomination: Amazing performance by Tia Jones making it onto both the 100k and 24hr Australian teams to compete at both the worlds and Asia championships
Also for her accomplishments at both the events. Watching Tia dig deep to try to hold onto the 1st position for most of the 24hr event only to fall to a fantastic 2nd place by only 1km in the dying stages, and still managing to break her own Aust AG record for the 24hr with her total distance of 218km

Nomination 4: Larissa Tichon, Comrades Marathon

Nomination: Larissa this year ran the 90km Down Run of the iconic and arguably the most competitive Road ultramarathon in the World, Comrades in South Africa.

At her first attempt, she ran 6:22:08 to finish 21st overall female and earn a Silver Medal. I believe that this is the second fastest time for an Australian woman in either an up or down run.

The significance of these results would only be truly known by those that have participated in Comrades.

Nomination 5: Brendan Davies, 100km World Championships

Nomination: Whilst on paper not his best time, I think this performance is worthy of recognition and nomination of the Performance of the Year. In a race of very tough conditions, as the last man standing, Brendan displayed true team spirit each time passing the Aussie women and encouraging them. He showed what it is like to truly zone out of the external factors, be a superb team player, and run an exceptional race all at the same time.

Nomination 6: Meredith Quinlan, Hong Kong 4 Trails

Nomination: Female winner and new female course record holder (66.50) of the Hong Kong 4 Trails 2018. 298km race with over 14500 m elevation and self supported whilst on the trails. Runners must break 60 hours to be a finisher or 75 hours to be a survivor. Participants must also get themselves between the trails and the clock doesn’t stop. It has only been the last two years that anyone has broken 60 hours. No female has yet broken 60 hours. Locals have a significant advantage as the race is not marked and the trails are run in the reverse of their official direction. This was Meredith’s first attempt and she took many by surprise by not only being the first female but smashing the previous female course record. Especially significant as it was a hot year and many participants didn’t even make it through the first 100km trail.

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2026 AGM Notice (15 April 2026)

By Dave Martin • March 14, 2026

AUTRA’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held on Wednesday 15 April 2026

AUTRA statement regarding Snowies Trail Run Festival

March 12, 2026

AUTRA has been in direct contact with the organisers of the Snowies Trail Run Festival, In2Adventure, regarding a recent situation involving an athlete and the event’s in‑person safety briefing requirements. In2Adventure has confirmed that the situation was discussed directly with the athlete at the time. From In2Adventure’s account, and for the purpose of clarifying the public record, AUTRA notes the following points: At no stage was the athlete prevented from breastfeeding at the event. The organiser states that the following options were offered to enable the athlete to participate while still meeting safety requirements: a quiet and private space where she could breastfeed while still being present at the briefing; the option to receive the required briefing at the 30 km start line after the start; and the option to change her registration to the 21 km event, where the briefing is conducted on the start line. At no stage prior to event registration on Saturday night did the athlete contact the organiser to advise of her situation or request alternative arrangements, which limited what could be put in place at the time. Face‑to‑face safety briefings have always been a requirement for In2Adventure events due to the remote and higher‑risk nature of the trails. AUTRA was aware that in‑person briefings were used and had not raised concerns about that general approach. The organiser has indicated that this requirement is driven by safety, duty‑of‑care and insurance obligations, and follows previous experience where remote or online briefings resulted in athletes starting events without critical safety information. The organiser maintains that the event was not conducted in a manner that was intended to be non‑inclusive, inflexible or discriminatory, and that decisions made on the day were based solely on safety requirements that apply equally to all participants. AUTRA’s aim in issuing this statement is solely to clarify the context and ensure that the public record reflects the information provided to us by the organiser.