President's Report: September 2024

Simone Hayes • September 26, 2024

september, 2024

It’s so nice to see it warming up! I recently ran a race on the Coast Track in NSW on a stunning day, with whales breaching right next to me as I trucked along, looking out at all the many species of wildflowers and waratahs out in bloom, and it made me very grateful to be a runner that can get out and enjoy the trails that we are lucky enough to have on our doorstep (I live in Southern Sydney so the Royal National Park is my playground).

I’m sure many of you reading this also have your own unique playground and amazing places to run across the country, and we should all feel really grateful to have bodies that allow us to relish in this sport, no matter what level of runner you are. Runners come in all shapes and sizes and levels of ability, but we all get to enjoy the same great things by just being out there.

There is lots happening on the international stage before the year ends. Congratulations to the recently announced 100km World Championships team that will represent Australia at the 2024 IAU 100km World Championships in Bengaluru, India, on 7 December. We have such great depth in the women’s team this year which is amazing to see, and I hope this trend continues across all races, both road and trail, over the next decade.

On the trail side, next month we send off our trail team to South Korea to race in the APTRCs (Asia Pacific Trail Running Championships) which is being hosted by iTRA. We wish them all the very best as they wear the green and gold. They will be competing in the Short and Long Course as well as the U23 categories.

This month we launched a sneak preview of our new AUTRA merch which has been really well received and we hope to have it on the production line very shortly and available to you all for purchase before Christmas. If you are a fan of our original AURA shirt that we all loved we have a bit of stock left that will be available at a bargain price. You can never have too many running shirts!

We have great new AUTRA partners listed for our members on the website so jump on and log in and take advantage of all the new discounts on offer. Its worthwhile checking on a regular basis as we continually add more partners so our members can get more benefits!

If you haven’t visited our events calendar lately its time to jump on as there are new events being added each week and the 2025 calendar is now open. Just visit here and start planning! And training :)

That’s all the fun stuff and I won’t bore you with the boring but important stuff we are doing, but rest assured that your hard-working committee is at it every day working to promote the sport of ultra and trail running for you all, and ensure that it will be a sport that is able to withstand changes and challenges in the years ahead. We are here for you, our members, and the sport, and as always, we thank you for your continued support.

Simone Hayes, President

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AUTRA Race Report 23-3-2026

By Kate Dzienis • March 23, 2026

Herdy's Frontyard Ultra, WA Gold Coast Backyard Ultra, Qld I'm Still Standing Sydney, NSW Trail Run Australia - Tathra, NSW Sri Chinmoy 48hr Track Ultra (Australian 48hr Track Championships, ACT Washpool World Heritage Trails, NSW Tamworth Trailblazer, NSW Upcoming Events WEEKLY NEWS REPORT FOR 23-3-2026 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.

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.