NEW FKT ON CANBERRA CENTENARY TRAIL

Kate Dzienis • June 30, 2021

Contributed by Elliot Cooper, AURA Member

FKT on Canberra Centenary Trail, 13 June 2021, Canberra ACT

Ultra runners have become accustomed to having an adventure run or FKT attempt on standby in case a race they’re training for is cancelled. For a number of ACT athletes the 145km Canberra Centenary Trail is becoming a question of not ‘if’ but ‘when’. I ran it twice last year – once supported in 18h36m32s (when Neverest Canberra was cancelled due to poor air quality) and once in tandem with my mate, and now AURA ACT state representative Matt Griggs, setting the unsupported only known time (OKT) in 18h23m15s.

13 June, 2021 (Sunday) was one year since another local runner, Alex Ramsey, brought the supported FKT down to 16h50m23s. It was also the date on which Matt Griggs and Chris Wilder (our crew) should have been pushing into day 2 of Mirrim Wurnit.

Three members of AURA (Matt, myself and Justin Hiatt) set out from Holdens Pondage at 6am with Ramsey’s record in mind. We set a strong pace and pushed through the first marathon in under 4 hours. Coming down Mt Majura we hit the halfway point in just over 7 hours. After that it started to get hard.

Fortunately we have a great local club in Ultra Mediocre Runners of Canberra with very strong runners who kept us fed and watered. Chris, winner of the recent AURA-listed backyarder the GUMBY, was our dedicated crew, driving all over Canberra to make sure we had what we needed. We had excellent pacers including Damien Stewart, Alec Brown, Matt Lamont, AURA ACT state representative Allicia Heron, Centenary Trail alumnus Brendan Codrington, Nettie Sakova and Andy Blyton who ran with us for sections to keep the pace on and the spirits high.

The 100km mark had us at One Tree Hill and with only a marathon ahead of us we donned head torches to grind out the bike path that lead to Belconnen. The relief at the summit of Black Mountain, our final climb, was monolithic. From there we followed the course through the Arboretum and over the Molongolo to our starting point by Holdens Pondage, finishing in 16h3m56s.

We beat the record by a respectable chunk, and Matt and I had beat our unsupported time by almost 2h20m. Justin, still new to distances over 100km, had an astonishingly strong run. We couldn’t be happier with the result and we look forward to future attempts on the Centenary Trail.

Pictured: Elliot, Matt Griggs and Justin Hiatt hitting out that FKT. Photograph – Supplied.

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AUTRA News Report 11-09-2025

By Kate Dzienis • September 11, 2025

Run The River Half, Qld Murphys Creek Challenge, Qld Lighthorse Ultra, WA Kunanyi Trail Series, Rialannah, Tas Upcoming Events WEEKLY NEWS REPORT FOR 12-09-2025 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 2025 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.

Team Manager 2025 IAU Asian and Oceania 100K Championships

By Gary Mullins • September 8, 2025

Location : Bangkok, Thailand Dates : November 21 - 24 2025 Role Type : Volunteer Position Time Commitment : Pre event planning + Travel Application Deadline : 17th September 2025 Thank you for your interest in supporting the Australian team for the 2025 IAU Asian 100k Championships. This role goes far beyond logistics. It’s about leadership, inclusion, and creating a positive, empowering environment for athletes competing on the world stage. AUTRA is committed to opening doors for those outside traditional pathways. We strongly encourage applications from coaches, former athletes, club leaders, volunteers, and passionate community members. You don’t need to have served on a board or managed a team before as we’re looking for people who genuinely care, are highly organised, and can proudly represent our athletes and country. Role Overview As Team Manager, you’ll work closely with AUTRA President Gary Mullins and Vice President Geoff Russell to prepare and support the national team before and during the championship. Pre-Departure Australia Act as the main contact for selected athletes and crew Assist with final entry forms and travel planning Prepare a Championships Agenda in alliance with the Team Managers Agreement Document Coordinate flights, uniforms, and team communications Help identify and organise crew support Attend online team planning meetings On the Ground in Thailand Be present and ready as athletes arrive Ensure all athlete needs are met so they can focus fully on their race Attend all technical meetings and represent the team professionally Coordinate team attendance at the opening and closing ceremonies Ensure the team and crew are prepared, organised, and calm Address any issues that arise with efficiency and discretion Provide hands on leadership and moral support throughout the race Support Provided Accommodation in Bangkok for 3 - 4 nights will be provided by AUTRA An official team uniform will be supplied A volunteer allowance of $1500 will be provided to acknowledge your time and service during the championship period. What You’ll Need Excellent communication and interpersonal skills Strong organisational ability under pressure A calm, inclusive, and athlete first mindset Commitment to AUTRA’s Code of Conduct Member of AUTRA Applying To apply for the role of Team Manager please CLICK HERE and fill out the Application Form. Applications Close at 5pm 17th September 2025. Selection Process Following the application deadline, the AUTRA Committee will review all submissions and select the most suitable candidate. All applicants will be contacted by Gary Mullins within 7 days of applications closing. Gary Mullins AUTRA President