5 LEADERSHIP LESSONS FROM RUNNING FOR TEAM AUSTRALIA

Kate Dzienis • March 30, 2021

5 LEADERSHIP LESSONS FROM RUNNING FOR TEAM AUSTRALIA – REFLECTIONS ON THE 6-HOUR IAU GLOBAL SOLIDARITY RUN

Contributed by Kay Bretz, AURA Member

5 Leadership Lessons from Running for Team Australia
Reflections on the 6hr IAU Global Solidarity Run

On March 22, I had the honour of representing Team Australia in the 2021 IAU Global Solidarity Run. As one out of eight runners across Australia, I could run wherever I wanted, as long as it was for six hours continuously. I deliberately picked Albert Park lake in Melbourne for its convenient location and luckily was gifted the probably last beautiful day of summer.

I love ultrarunning because it offers so many lessons beyond the sport. Therefore, instead of a traditional race report, I would like to reflect on what this experience has taught me for work and life in general. These are my 5 leadership lessons from the weekend:

LESSON #1: BE AGILE IN UNCERTAIN TIMES

I had a well-considered plan for 2020, selecting the few races I wanted to participate in. Not racing too often helps me prevent injuries and keeps me mentally fresh. COVID had other plans for all of us and my plans all fell through. I no longer take anything for granted and am grateful for events going ahead. I hope the Irrational S.O.U.T.H. 200-miler goes ahead in June but who knows what will happen by then? Applying for Team Australia in the 6-hour format was a welcome opportunity which popped up, leaving me more than 11 weeks before my intended A-race. From a leadership perspective, all we can do is be clear about our priorities and acknowledge that nothing is certain. The more uncertainty we face, the more we have to be agile.

LESSON #2: DROP THE EGO WHEN IT GETS IN THE WAY

In my application for this event, I declared that my intention was to run 75-80 kilometres. I hoped to run a new PB and demonstrate the fitness I was in for a 100-kilometre race last year cancelled by COVID. Yet the first reality check in training put a spanner in the works. My body was rebelling against what my mind was hoping for. Only three weeks before the event, my glutes and lower back muscles prevented me from running fast or longer than 90 minutes. The leadership lesson was to drop the ego when it gets into the way. We will excel in whatever we are doing when we start acknowledging things as they are. It was not a matter of playing small or giving up; I had to surrender to the circumstances as they were.

LESSON #3: DON’T FIND EXCUSES TO DELAY LIVING YOUR PURPOSE

Chasing a big total would probably have ended in a death march well before the 6-hour mark. What I was asked to do was let go of the distance goal my ego had in mind and embrace the gift of being forced to slow down. It was a great reminder how often performance aspirations get in the way of pursuing our purpose. I want to inspire the magic (see my newly published book ‘Turning Right’ for more) and, together with my partner Rebecca, came up with the idea of making it an inclusive run for whoever wanted to participate, joining me to celebrate ‘global solidarity’. Regardless of the circumstances, there is always an opportunity to live our purpose.

LESSON #4: CREATE THE CONDITIONS FOR EVERYBODY TO THRIVE

I had about a dozen runners joining me and was in good company once my body started complaining about the effort it was in for. Whether they ran a few hundred metres or more than a marathon distance with me, what counted was sharing the experience. Several runners celebrated their longest run in years, others incorporated the run into their training program, while all of us enjoyed catching up with familiar and new faces. The leadership lesson I see is how important it is to look beyond our own needs and create meaningful experiences for everybody involved.

LESSON #5: FOCUS TO GET THE JOB DONE

It gets tough in major challenges and we come to the crossroad where we have to choose how we continue. We can try to avoid failure and somehow survive or we find a new way to thrive. With 90 minutes of running left, the sun was burning down on us and I felt the urge to slow down. Two strategies kept me focussed and got me through to the end: one was setting a distance goal requiring me to keep up the momentum, the other was to ‘hop onto the train’ and tuck in behind my amazing fellow runners. Passing the arbitrary goal of 73 kilometres was less about performance and much more a mechanism to maintain focus. The important lesson is to find something worth focussing on when times get tough.

We cannot avoid tough times; whether in running, work or life. But let’s be honest, that’s why we choose some of our challenges in the first place and, as a result, learn something new about ourselves. It’s these challenges which then prepare for the ones we’ve never asked for – the ones life throws at us unexpectedly.

Pictured: Kay Bretz with his support and pace crew for the Solidarity Run. Photograph – Rebecca Toomey.

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Australian Mountain and Trail Running Championships 2027

By Jin Kato • July 8, 2026

The world-class trails of Kunanyi/Mt Wellington will play centre-stage for one of the country’s fastest-growing sports, after the Kunanyi Mountain Run (KMR) was awarded the hosting rights for the first-ever combined Australian Mountain and Trail Running Championships (AMTRC). KMR was awarded the National Championships after a competitive bid process, overseen by the Australian Ultra and Trail Running Association (AUTRA) and Australian Athletics (AA). AUTRA President, John Claridge, said that KMR “offered everything we were looking for”. “World-class trails, proven event management and a passionate community. It provides the perfect stage for Australia's first combined National Trail Championships," he said. It’s expected that Australia’s elite mountain and trail running athletes, and support crew, will travel to Hobart, as they vie for a spot in the Australian team that competes at the 2027 World Mountain and Trail Running Championships. "This is a landmark moment for trail running in Australia,” Mr Claridge said. "We're excited about what this championship represents; not just next year, but for the future of trail running in Australia... helping grow the sport and inspire the next generation of trail runners." The 2027 AMTRC at KMR will be the first time that all championship distances have been held together, at the one festival. “It aligns us more closely with the way World Championships are presented, creating a stronger pathway for athletes and raising the profile of the sport,” Mr Claridge said. KMR, a 3-day trail running festival which has been held annually since 2022, expects to draw more than 1500 runners and hikers from across Tasmania, Australia and internationally next year. The AMTRC will be embedded within KMR’s existing event program, allowing elite athletes to compete for the national titles, while sharing the same spectacular trails and event-experience as recreational runners. “We’re honoured to have been selected as host,” KMR’s founder and director, Lincoln Quilliam said. “KMR continues to welcome runners, and hikers, of all abilities. From the elites who want to represent Australia on the world stage, the group of mates or work colleagues who run the team relay together, the mums returning to running after having a baby, as well as those who are trying trail running for the very first time,” Mr Quilliam said. Tasmanian runner, Jessica Collins, who has represented Australia, said it was exciting news for KMR, Tasmania and the sport. “This is such a great opportunity for Australian athletes. I’ve run many of the KMR events and know the courses and the terrain are on par with what we see at the World Champs,” she said. The City of Hobart has supported Kunanyi Mountain Run since its inception, and Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds said she was “thrilled” with the news. “Events like this not only showcase the natural beauty of our region but also reinforce Hobart’s reputation as a vibrant destination for world-class outdoor experiences.” The 2026 edition of KMR brought in $4 million to the Tasmanian economy, generating more than 8000 bed nights across the state, which Alex Heroys, Chief Executive of Destination Southern Tasmania, said was a “significant return for the visitor economy”. “Kunanyi / Mount Wellington is one of Tasmania’s great natural assets, and the Kunanyi Mountain Run shows exactly how powerful events can be in driving regional tourism,” he said. “We have an epic mountain right on Hobart’s doorstep, an airport less than 30 minutes away, and a city that is well set up to welcome thousands of visiting athletes, support crews and spectators.” “This event also reinforces Tasmania’s growing reputation as a world-class trail running destination. With steep, technical trails and real mountain terrain, Kunanyi offers conditions that are genuinely comparable to what athletes will experience at the World Championships, making it an ideal place to compete, train and visit.” For more information: Kunanyi Mountain Run Dates: 19-21 March 2027 Pic credit: David Nolan & Ryan Slater