WEEKLY NEWS – 23/05/2018

Kate Dzienis • May 23, 2018

Great Ocean Road Running Festival, Vic
Ultra-Trail Australia, NSW

Two major races took place over the weekend, and we couldn’t be more proud of all our AURA members who participated in either one.

The Great Ocean Road Running Festival was held on Sunday, May 20 with the event’s 60kms ultra marathon start line from Lorne, Vic.

In a massive effort, and with a time of 4:18:50, AURA member Natasha Fraser from Ballarat, Vic was the overall winner, sweeping in and claiming the title of first place in a field of 84 runners. She truly showed what ultra running is about, all while making it seem so effortless as she crossed the line an entire 11 minutes ahead of the second place getter from Malaysia.

Congratulations also goes to Gregory Farrell (5:17:44) and Mike Pickavance (6:21:22) who completed the distance in great times!

Ultra-Trail Australia was another big event race held, in the glorious Blue Mountains. About 965 runners took to the 100kms event, and our AURA members did so well it’s hard to know where to begin!

Forty-one year old AURA member Brendan Davies from Woodford, NSW took home the title, claiming his second UTA 100kms with a time of 9:18:10 – crossing the finish line proudly with an Australian flag.

First female through the chute was Kellie Emmerson from Kilsyth in Vic, where she claimed victory in the 100kms with a time of 11:05:48. The 32-year-old led for the majority of the race, battling it out with runner Jessica Carroll throughout the distance, but came out on top with a nine minute difference.

A whopping congratulations to everyone who ran at UTA this year in the 100kms, including Ewan Horsburg (11:03:11), Gary Mullins (11:35:20), Howard Norton (11:50:43), Katherine McMillan (12:17:09), Malcolm Gamble (12:31:07), Simon Neale (12:55:48), Todd Paul (13:07:43), Sarah Ludowici (13:28:04), Ben Hirst (13:41:00), Ben Jozefiak (13:44:33), Mak Sawa (13:49:59), Chris Lewinski (13:53:22), Stuart Hughes (14:00:34), Joe Lewis (14:23:16), Ash Daniels (14:33:16), Wayne McMurtrie (14:55:00), David Campbell (15:20:27), Brad Malone (15:38:42), Piera Kohout (15:51:33), Alan Wheat (16:17:14), Roylene Stanley (16:50:54), Lauren Shay (17:35:17), Andrew Speakman (17:37:07), Darryl McKenzie (18:43:07), Stephen Wright (19:24:44), Mark Barger (20:02:04), Martin Thomas (20:56:38), Justin Parise (21:53:59), Eloise Simons (22:33:50) and Samantha Post (27:20:15).

About 1822 runners participated in the 50kms event, and if you’re an AURA member who participated, we’d love to hear from you! Send through a race report or story about your experience on the course to ultramag@aura.asn.au

Pictured: Natasha Fraser winning the Great Ocean Road Running Festival’s 60kms Ultra Marathon event. Photograph – Supplied.

Pictured Above: Brendan Davies at the finish line of UTA this weekend. Photograph – Supplied/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.