From The President (SEPTEMBER 2025)

As we head into the final stretch of 2025, there are just 14 weeks left in the year. In that time, an incredible 27 events are still on the calendar, including two National Championships this weekend alone: the 48 Hour at the Southern Sydney Track and the Long Trail Championships at Lonely Mountain, Orange.

Next month we’ll see the 50km Road Championships at the GC50, and in November, the 100 Mile National Championships in the Grampians. Of course, yesterday on the world stage, the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships began in Spain. Our Vice President, Geoff Russell, is on the ground there, cheering on the Australian team and representing AUTRA internationally. Head to our socials to follow the team. 

Recognising the Work Behind the Races

These events don’t happen without an extraordinary amount of dedication. Race directors, volunteers, and crews continue to be the backbone of trail and ultra running. As we look at the calendar, it’s worth pausing to recognise the thousands of hours of unseen effort, course marking, permits, aid station planning, logistics, and all the details that allow runners to line up at the start line.

Equally, our first four months have been busy behind the scenes at AUTRA. From selection committees finalising national teams, to ongoing discussions with race directors, to committee meetings stretching into the early hours, there’s been a huge amount of work quietly underway. Much of it isn’t visible to members week to week, but it is the foundation that keeps the sport organised and moving forward.

Listening and Acting: The Ultra Playbook

Last year’s survey gave us invaluable insights into what our members want to see in the sport. This feedback has shaped the Ultra Playbook, which will be released at the end of October. The Playbook will be our five year strategy clear, structured, and built around strengthening the sport at every level.

The Playbook is about more than events and championships. It speaks to volunteer recognition, trail regeneration initiatives, good and fair governance, growing our visibility and sponsorship, and creating a pathway that gives every runner, whether newcomer or elite, an opportunity to grow in the sport. 

You know, when I look at where running was before COVID in 2020 and where it is now, it’s incredible to see the shift. Running is no longer just an exercise it has become part of our culture.

On the trails, we’ve been inspired globally by runners like Courtney Dauwalter, Kilian Jornet, Jim Walmsley, Ruth Croft in New Zealand, and right here at home by Lucy Bartholomew. On the roads, we’ve witnessed the brilliance of Sifan Hassan and Eliud Kipchoge redefining what’s possible. In 24-hour racing, we have seen Aleksandr Sorokin and Miho Nakata redefine the limits, and in Backyard Ultras, well, Aussie Phil Gore is leading the way.

Ultra running is a culture. Trail running is a culture. Backyard ultras have become their own culture. And you, our community, are at the very heart of it.

As AUTRA, our role is to listen, to serve, and to shape this culture into something extraordinary. Together, we are building not just races, but a movement. And with the Ultra Playbook about to launch, we now have the roadmap to take this culture further than ever before.

Go Team Australia, and have an awesome month.

Gary Mullins

President, AUTRA