FROM ADRENALINE RACER TO HIPPIE RUNNER
Kate Dzienis • August 23, 2018
Contributed by Rob Donkersloot, AURA President
A few years ago I reckon my ultra running was about the adrenaline rush. About a week before race day it would start – the scarier the race, the bigger the rush. I would feed it like a smack addict, with harder races, longer distances. If I wasn’t jumping out of my skin at the start line, I would be worried there was something wrong. Everything was about the goal, the pace plan. Achievement or failure. During the race itself my mind would focus on what lay ahead, the pain that was waiting for me. Just to top up the adrenaline.
Then in 2015 after falling apart at Great North Walk, I fired my then coach, a hard core ‘man’s man’ legend in US trail running circles, and replaced him with a self-proclaimed hippie, a legend in Australian ultra track running circles.
I was introduced to meditation, and how to think differently about my running, both before and during events. In December that year, I stood on the beach for the start of Kosci, and rather than excitement and adrenaline, my mind was at peace and totally calm.
You’ve chosen a terrific way of integrating images and text into your website. Move the image anywhere you want in this container and the text will automatically wrap around it. You can display events team members new products and more easily and creatively. To start add an image from the Image Picker and edit it as you would edit any image in the system. For example you can link the image to existing pages in your site a website URL a popup or an anchor. After you’ve chosen the image add your text. You can add text that describes the image you’ve selected or simply use the image for decorative purposes. \nYou’ve chosen a terrific way of integrating images and text into your website. Move the image anywhere you want in this container and the text will automatically wrap around it. You can display events team members new products more easily and creatively. To start add an image from the Image Picker and edit it as you would edit any image in the system. For example you can link the image to existing pages in your site a website URL a popup or an anchor. After you’ve chosen the image add your text. You can add text that describes the image you’ve selected or simply use the image for decorative purposes.
Try being a hippie runner, and concentrate on the journey rather than the achievement. You may find you like it.
Results for 2026 Southern Cross 24 Hour, Delirious WEST, Gil's Galavant, Run Tarra-Bulga and 2 Rivers Backyard.
AUTRA’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held on Wednesday 15 April 2026
Kunanyi Mountain Run, Tas Buffalo Stampede Festival (Australian Long Trail Championships), Vic Cairns 50, Qld Lithgow Ridgy-Didge Trail Run Festival, NSW Southern Cross 24 Hour, SA Upcoming Events WEEKLY RACE RECAP FOR 30-3-2026 As always, we're continuously on the hunt for your stories and reports, so get those race reports and photographs in to ultramag@autra.asn.au with the following information: Word document, single spaced Include the name of the event, the date and the location anywhere in the report (just a bullet point at the top is great) Please attach photographs to the email – do not put images in the body of your Word doc. You’ll just get me emailing you back asking for the photos sent in the correct way! As many photos as possible. With our new website, it’s now easier than ever to include a nice gallery in each race report No PDFs please And remember, it doesn’t have to be about an AUTRA-listed event specifically! You just have to be an AUTRA member for the 2026 year. Also too, if you’ve run in a non-AUTRA listed event anywhere on home soil or internationally, we’d love to include your race results and experience in our Member Updates, so please do reach out to us via email to kate.dzienis@autra.asn.au If any corrections need to be made in any of the results listed below, please alert me via email.
Read all about Zachary Harris's Gone Nuts 2026 race!
Good governance is often at its best when it's quiet. Read on for more from David Martin.
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Results for 2026 Southern Cross 24 Hour, Delirious WEST, Gil's Galavant, Run Tarra-Bulga and 2 Rivers Backyard.
AUTRA’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held on Wednesday 15 April 2026
Kunanyi Mountain Run, Tas Buffalo Stampede Festival (Australian Long Trail Championships), Vic Cairns 50, Qld Lithgow Ridgy-Didge Trail Run Festival, NSW Southern Cross 24 Hour, SA Upcoming Events WEEKLY RACE RECAP FOR 30-3-2026 As always, we're continuously on the hunt for your stories and reports, so get those race reports and photographs in to ultramag@autra.asn.au with the following information: Word document, single spaced Include the name of the event, the date and the location anywhere in the report (just a bullet point at the top is great) Please attach photographs to the email – do not put images in the body of your Word doc. You’ll just get me emailing you back asking for the photos sent in the correct way! As many photos as possible. With our new website, it’s now easier than ever to include a nice gallery in each race report No PDFs please And remember, it doesn’t have to be about an AUTRA-listed event specifically! You just have to be an AUTRA member for the 2026 year. Also too, if you’ve run in a non-AUTRA listed event anywhere on home soil or internationally, we’d love to include your race results and experience in our Member Updates, so please do reach out to us via email to kate.dzienis@autra.asn.au If any corrections need to be made in any of the results listed below, please alert me via email.
