A SHINING DIAMOND OF LONG DISTANCE

Kate Dzienis • December 21, 2017

THE MELBOURNE SUBURB OF DIAMOND CREEK IN VICTORIA DOES INDEED HAVE A BIT OF SHIMMER AND SPARKLE TO IT, ESPECIALLY FROM A 21-YEAR-OLD RUNNER WHO IS SHINING ALL OVER THE GLOBAL RACE TRAILS WITH HER TALENT FOR DISTANCE RUNNING.

Lucy Bartholomew may be young as far as ultra runners are concerned, but she’s been in the game since age 15 when she crewed for her father at the North Face 100 (now known as the UTA100) and ran from checkpoint to checkpoint ahead of him.

At 16, she officially entered her first 100kms event alongside her dad.

She hasn’t stopped since then, and earlier this month on December 2 captured the hearts of a global audience when she crossed the finish at South Africa’s Ultra-Trail Cape Town 100kms not only as first female, but setting a course record with her time of 11:21:49 and claiming 11th overall out of 120 participants (and where only 17 altogether were women).

This year alone, Bartholomew has run five 100kms events, including her longest ever race the TDS 120kms in France where she finished fifth, and says it was a no brainer when it came to registering for her last race of 2017.

“I signed up for UTCT only a few weeks ahead of it,” she explains.

“It was really a bit of a ‘why not?’ and I’ve always wanted to go to South Africa, so when the opportunity arose I thought it was a brilliant way to finish off a great year.”

The UTCT is known to be both an achievable, yet challenging course, with technical scrambling, rock traversing on the Table Mountain, sandy beach running, rock hopping and open roads.

Despite knowing all this, Bartholomew reveals the nerves did kick in.

“I was nervous,” she says.

“I always am (before a race) but I felt particularly nervous for this one; I wanted to do well, not for myself, not to finish my season with a win, but because of so many people who had messaged me.

“The community in Cape Town took me in like their own, and then of course for Australia.

“It was powerful energy I had, and I ran with it the whole way; I started fast, and I wanted to try and hold on through the really technical 35kms which I struggled with.

“Local legend Robyn Owens caught me at 50kms, but after here, it became seriously runnable and I was able to use my flatter Aussie training, giving it gas to the finish.

“I’ve become pretty used to the normal hurt of a 100kms, and I had moments I struggled with, but I have a strong mind and just embraced every step.

“It helps a lot when you have such amazing people out there cheering for you, and looking out for you.”

Bartholomew admits she barely remembers all the emotions and feelings she went through while racing at UTCT, but does recall the usual feelings of relief and happiness at the finish.

“You wait for this moment for so long (the finish), and it’s over so quickly,” she says.

“Yet the finish at UTCT feels like it will be with me for so long because of the amazing memories and time I had out on the trails.”

At such a young age, no doubt this 21-year-old has still got places to go and races to conquer across the globe. So, what’s in store for 2018?

“I’ve left the year ahead wide open,” she reveals.

“I think it’s important to have these moments where there is nothing on the horizon, and I can just look towards Christmas, the new year, and spending time with my family and friends.

“I do plan to get to New Zealand for February or March, but what I do there, who knows?”

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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.