WEEKLY NEWS – 11/4/2018

Kate Dzienis • April 11, 2018

Down Under 135mi

Down Under 135mi was held last Friday (April 6) and across the weekend as participants challenged themselves to get through the 217km single stage non-stop race. Held along the trails of the Lerderderg and Wombat state forests in Vic, you could be forgiven for thinking you were in another world despite being just 40kms west of Melbourne CBD.

It’s rumoured to be one of the toughest trail races in Australia, and it’s a fair call…Down Under 135mi has had a finishing rate of just 23% in the last two years.

This year it was a mammoth effort by two AURA members who just took the event by storm.

David Giles from Willetton, WA took control with 1st overall and made it well under 54-hour cut off, crossing the finish line in 49:05:20 while fellow AURA runner Ben Hirst from Kingston, Tas hit the ground running to score 3rd overall not far behind with a time of 51:13:20.

To give a bit of perspective, there were 26 starters this year with only five finishers (19% finishing rate for 2018), and the dates for next year’s event have already been announced (April 12-14, 2019).

A big congratulations to both David and Ben who conquered a big race.

Pictured: The five finishers of the 2018 Down Under 135mi. Photograph – Facebook.

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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.