President's Report: October 2023

President's Report: October 2023

Simone Hayes • October 30, 2023

Wow, it’s been a big few months with some even bigger ones to come, so I thought it would be nice to touch base with you on a monthly basis via Ultramag to fill you in on what we have been doing behind the scenes, how our calendar and events are shaping up, what new benefits we have to offer you and more!

The Committee wishes to keep everything we do completely transparent and keep you informed. We hope this regular report offers that to you all and gets you excited about what’s happening in Australia’s running scene.

Our Australian representatives are almost ready to fly our flag!

50km World Championships

Next week our Aussie representatives for the 50km world champs leave for Hyderabad, India to race on 5 November. We have a small but strong team of 3 men made up of Wayne Spies (Captain), Ben MacCronan and Tom Brimelow. All three are fit and ready to go and we wish them all the best for a safe trip and a successful race!

24 Hour World Championships

In less than 6 weeks our 24 hour reps head to Taipei to compete in the first 24 hour world champs since 2019 after a break during the pandemic. The large team of 6 men and 6 women team take to the track on 1 December and I believe we have the strongest team we have ever put together. We will touch base next month on the team closer to the event.

The 2024 Events Calendar is now live!

We are pleased to announce that the AURA 2024 Calendar is now open and live on the website. You can now start planning your year to make it your best year yet! Take note of our National Championship dates as well. We have some new events hosting these this year as well as many new events appearing for us all to take part in. 2024 is shaping up to be an awesome year of running!

Not all of us care about records and trophies, most of us run for the love of it and we are trying to expand this calendar for everyone in the running community to take part in and enjoy. We’ll always have our elites but they realistically make up a small part of who we are – runners that love to get out there in the community, experience new events, new trails and meet new people!

Exciting news – we have a new website coming!

We have been busy working behind the scenes all year developing a new website that we believe will be more user friendly, offer more to members and provide you with heaps of cool stuff to fuel your running habit with. We will be offering more content for members such as our Coaches Corner with lots of solid evidence based articles to help you improve and succeed written by AURA accredited coaches. We will also have links to these coaches if anyone is looking for guidance or for a coach. Also new will be our Gear Review section where we will be testing new products and giving you the rundown. We are working on delivering more and more Member Benefits Discounts so you can all go nuts shopping as runners love to do! We also plan to have some fun member-only competitions and giveaways throughout the year.

Information and entertainment wise there will be a lot of free content for runners such as podcast links (featuring our members and also lots of great interviews with experts regarding all things running) so you can ‘click and go’ on your next run direct from the website. Ultramag will now have full free access to all, as we want to share the love. All AURA history and records remains the same but will be easier to find. The backend has also improved but that’s all boring stuff you don’t need to know about.

And did I mention it looks great? So, watch this space, we plan to launch before the end of the year.

AURA State Representatives

Our State Reps have been busy spreading the word in their respective states and doing a fabulous job sharing with you what is going on, what events are coming up and what has come and gone. They are there to engage with the community and help in any way they can so please, reach out if you have any questions or you can post on your state page if you have something running worthy to share.

Thank you to our volunteers

As I said at the start, it’s been a big year. This is my fourth year on the committee and my first year as President and it’s been a big step up and a challenge at times, but I’m learning as I go and could not do it without the support of the amazing committee by my side, with Matthew Eckford, Stephen Redfern and Annabel Hepworth. These guys have been my rocks. We are a committee of four and we work well as a team and I couldn’t do it without them.

I also need to extend an enormous thanks to Alexis Oosterhoff whom without, we would all be lost! His input and hours of help he offers to AURA from results compilation to solving all of our IT issues (there are many as we are all a bit challenged in this area!) cannot be measured and we thank him from the bottom of our hearts. I also wish to thank our records officer Tia Jones who has been working tirelessly going through records to either ratify them or make sure all records are going to the correct people – this really is no small task and she does it for the athletes, so thank you.

So that’s a wrap – there is so much more I could write here but going to save something for next month!

Simone Hayes
AURA President

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.
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
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IN OTHER NEWS

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.
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
August 29, 2025
David Martin heads out with Kevin Matthews on WA's unofficial Choo Choo Run.
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