WALKING IN THE RAIN AT COBURG

Kate Dzienis • August 21, 2023

Contributed by Bruce Watt, AURA member (Capel Sound, Vic)COBRUG 24 HOUR FESTIVAL, COBURG (VIC), 15-16 April 2023

After 31 marathon races in my younger days and two spinal fusions, my back and knees prevent me from running. Due to lots of golf and dog-walking I have remained reasonably fit and my competitive streak has never left me. A few years ago I heard about parkrun, a 5km event held at 8am every Saturday all over the world and entered the Rosebud event. Then I bought a treadmill.

Then I entered a 10km racewalk and did a time that ranked no. 6 in the world but according to the strict rules my technique was illegal. What else could I do? I entered the 30km Walk With Women (but it measured 26km according to Strava) from Safety Beach to Sorrento. No problem. Then I entered the 32.5km Cystic Fibrosis walk. Took me 5 1/2 hours but again no trouble.

So the next challenge was to enter the Coburg 24 Hour Festival on 15 April this year. My first and so far only ultramarathon – at age 83. This is held from 12pm Saturday to 12pm Sunday on a 400m athletics track. Events include Marathon and 6hr, 12hr and 24hr walks and runs. I entered the 12hr walk. Around 134 total entries with me being the oldest, but only four in my event. I organised my Burundian friend and athlete Adronis Karabegaga as my support person.

My event went from 6pm to 6am. It rained heavily from 8pm to around 4am. My hope was to achieve 60km. I was very cold, very, very wet, and Adronis slept the whole night and was of little help. I drank too little fluid and got badly dehydrated. Over the last hour I sat in a chair every few laps for a rest. However I ended up winning the event and achieving 73.5km just missing out on the M80 Australian record (by only about 500m, I had no idea) but the second best all-time. The next day my left knee was the size of a football and five toenails were black but the euphoria from the race erased most of the pain.

< Older Post

Newer Post >

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.