President's Report: July 2024

President's Report: July 2024

Simone Hayes • July 30, 2024

july, 2024

A big July hello to all of our members, and a big welcome to our new ones! Its so great to see our membership growing month on month as we continue to strive to deliver you more and more member benefits in the form of discounts, information, newsletter, podcasts, but most importantly by bringing on new races for you to all enjoy. Our event calendar continues to grow so we hope you are as excited by this as we are!

Our team has been working closely with our new Director of Events, Lisa Sherman, and our aim is to make the AUTRA calendar the ‘go to’ calendar in Australia for the running community. If any race directors out there need help or advice about listing or insurance, please reach out to Lisa.

This month we are excited to announce your National Championship events for 2025! So, lock them into your calendar and get training!

  • Long Trail – Lonely Mountain Ultra 100km – Orange, NSW
  • Short Trail – Five Peaks 58km– SA
  • 100 mile Trail – Grampian Peaks Trail (GPT) miler - VIC
  • 50km Road – Gold Coast 50 – QLD
  • 100km Road – Sri Chinmoy 100km – ACT
  • 48 Hour Track – Southern Sydney Ultra – NSW
  • 24 Hour Track – Sri Chinmoy – ACT


Congratulations to all the successful applicants. We had an extraordinarily hard decision to make this year with so many great events applying. We tried to mix up the events so that many states were covered, as well as offer the opportunity to host to some newcomer events that have proven to be well run events over the last few years. We can‘t award them to everyone unfortunately, and we hope to see the events that were not successful this year reapply next year. There is a criteria we consider when selecting so as to offer a quality championship across all events.

On the Trail Running front, we have sent off our provisional team selections for the Asia Pacific Trail Running Championships and will announce the team once it is confirmed. But its exciting times to be able to officially send a trail team under the AUTRA banner.

We are in the process of designing our new AUTRA merchandise so watch this space! We are adding some cool new lines to the list such as hoodies, socks and new hats along with a newly designed AUTRA shirt, singlet and buff range.

Check out our growing list of partners offering members benefits on your members page on the website. New partners on board this month include Pace Athletic, Fractel, LSKD, Health+High Performance, and Mindset for Runners.

Upcoming AUTRA events in August are:

  • Birdy’s Backyard Ultra – WA
  • Red’s Backyard Ultra – NSW
  • Tolosa Half, Quarter and Mini – TAS
  • Rumble in the Jungle – NSW
  • Sri Chinmoy Canberra Trail 100 – ACT
  • Berry Long Run – NSW
  • Backyard Ultra Trail Series – Echuca – VIC
  • K2PD – QLD
  • Unreasonable East 100 & 200 miler – QLD
  • GBomb Trail Run – NSW
  • Wild Earth ‘Coastal High’ Trail Runs – QLD
  • Southern Sydney 24 Hour Ultra – NSW


So, if that’s not a good enough reason to lace up your shoes and get out there, I don’t know what is! Not to mention make sure you are a current financial AUTRA member to get all of your race entry discounts and make the most of our partner discounts - you can save a huge amount of cash on entries gear and more!

That’s it for July, I looking forward to giving you some more exciting news next month!

Simone Hayes, AUTRA President

By Kate Dzienis July 25, 2025
Read all the latest results for Ultra Adelaide, Wild Dog Backyard, 3M3D, Elephant Trail Race, Boyne Valley 50, and Backyard Ultra Trial Series - Bendigo.
By Gary Mullins July 24, 2025
Applications for the IAU Asian and Oceania 100K Championships, Bangkok, Thailand, 22-23 November 2025, are now open. About the Event The IAU Asian & Oceania 100 km Championships bring together the region’s fastest road‑ultra athletes. The race is being held in Wachirabenchatat Park, Bangkok. Applications are now open for AUTRA Members wishing to be considered for selection to the Australian Team. Please refer to the documents below for full details: Application Form Selection Criteria GIS Applications close: 8:00 PM AEST, Thursday 31st July 2025 Team announcement: Tuesday 17th August 2025 For any questions regarding the event, the selection criteria, or application process, please email: gary.mullins@autra.asn.au Representing your country is an honour few get to experience. I wish every applicant the very best as we move toward selecting a team that embodies the spirit, strength, and unity of Australian ultra and trail running. Yours in running, Gary Mullins President, AUTRA
By Gary Mullins July 23, 2025
OFFICIAL TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT 🇦🇺 Australia’s squad for the 2025 IAU 24‑Hour World Championships Albi, France 18‑19 October AUTRA is proud to celebrate the athletes who’ve been selected to represent Australia in the 24-hour World Championships. The 24-hour World Champs has a rich history in Australia. 57 runners selected since 1990. We know the above athletes will represent with pride, and inspire the next generation. Follow our socials over the next three months and follow the journey of the team.
By Gary Mullins July 22, 2025
The AUTRA Committee and members would like to congratulate all athletes selected for the 2025 World Trail & Mountain Running Championships. THE LINE‑UP Female Team: Lara Hamilton Jessica Ronan Emily Bartlett Emily Rogers Ruby Smith Patricia McKibbin Jess Jason Sarah-Jayne Miller Miah Noble Nicole Paton Kellie Angel Cecilia Mattas Hannah McRae Male Team: Fraser Darcy Iain Best Nathan Pearce Michael Kernahan Toby Lang Alec Franzke Tadhg Nolan Robert Shannon Billy Curtis Blake Turner Brodie Nankervis Vlad Ixel Ben Burgess Matthew Crehan Andrew Gaskell Thomas Dade. Congratulations to the coaches and team managers as well. The link to the full team and distances, can be found HERE . Thank you to Australian Athletics in believing and backing our Aussie trail talent. Their support gets the green and gold to the start line in Canfranc-Pirineos. 🙌🇦🇺 Follow our socials over the next 2 months to get to know the athletes. Let’s show the world what Aussie grit looks like. ✊🏽?
By Gary Mullins July 21, 2025
Join AUTRA as a State Representative! Are you passionate about ultra and trail running? Want to make a real impact in your state’s running community? We’re looking for dedicated State Representatives to: Promote trail & ultra running locally Engage in the running community and run clubs. Support race directors and represent AUTRA at races including, volunteering, and sharing event highlights Maintain strong communication, share news, spotlight race results and upcoming events, & grow membership benefits What you bring to the team: A passion for ultra/trail running and your local running scene Excellent communication and community engagement skills Current AUTRA membership and availability for bimonthly meetings and weekend events Why apply? It’s a chance to foster regional trail/ultra communities, elevate athlete experiences, and contribute to AUTRA’s national growth. Role Description: State Rep Role Description Applications close: 5pm, Monday 28th July Apply here: State Reps Application Form
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IN OTHER NEWS

By Kate Dzienis July 25, 2025
Read all the latest results for Ultra Adelaide, Wild Dog Backyard, 3M3D, Elephant Trail Race, Boyne Valley 50, and Backyard Ultra Trial Series - Bendigo.
By Gary Mullins July 24, 2025
Applications for the IAU Asian and Oceania 100K Championships, Bangkok, Thailand, 22-23 November 2025, are now open. About the Event The IAU Asian & Oceania 100 km Championships bring together the region’s fastest road‑ultra athletes. The race is being held in Wachirabenchatat Park, Bangkok. Applications are now open for AUTRA Members wishing to be considered for selection to the Australian Team. Please refer to the documents below for full details: Application Form Selection Criteria GIS Applications close: 8:00 PM AEST, Thursday 31st July 2025 Team announcement: Tuesday 17th August 2025 For any questions regarding the event, the selection criteria, or application process, please email: gary.mullins@autra.asn.au Representing your country is an honour few get to experience. I wish every applicant the very best as we move toward selecting a team that embodies the spirit, strength, and unity of Australian ultra and trail running. Yours in running, Gary Mullins President, AUTRA
By Gary Mullins July 23, 2025
OFFICIAL TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT 🇦🇺 Australia’s squad for the 2025 IAU 24‑Hour World Championships Albi, France 18‑19 October AUTRA is proud to celebrate the athletes who’ve been selected to represent Australia in the 24-hour World Championships. The 24-hour World Champs has a rich history in Australia. 57 runners selected since 1990. We know the above athletes will represent with pride, and inspire the next generation. Follow our socials over the next three months and follow the journey of the team.
ALL NEWS