WEEKLY NEWS BRIEF – 18/12/2018

6 Inch Trail Ultra, WA

The weekend saw the iconic and ever-growing 6 Inch Trail Marathon being held in WA, about 80kms south of Perth, on Sunday, December 16.

The 47km event saw more than 270 participants race in favourable conditions. What started out as a fairly chilly morning turned into the perfect day for an ultra along the Munda Biddi Track from North Dandalup to Dwellingup, WA.

Visiting runner Brendan Davies from Woodford, NSW kept entrants on their toes as he held on to a decent pace throughout the distance. Before the start button hit, Davies said he was raring to go and it was ‘just another day at the office’, his calm positivity truly showcasing what he’s made of.

Davies crossed the finish line in 3:34:53, claiming 2nd Male, and said jokingly while taking a rest he felt ‘pretty smashed’.

“It was a lot harder than I expected, despite having raced it before,” he said.

“I raced it better this year, and definitely finished stronger, but just didn’t have the legs today; from the very beginning, I just felt rotten, sluggish, but that’s to be expected. I haven’t really given myself too much of a taper for it, because I still want to keep my momentum building for a race I have in February.

“Overall though, despite that, I’m really happy with my effort, and that’s all I really wanted to do – be happy with my effort, and I totally was.”

Jacqueline Kellerman from Burns Beach took control of lead position for the AURA women, and took victory with 2nd Female in a time of 4:26:14.

Congratulations to all our AURA members who conquered 6 Inch including Kevin Matthews (3:46:10), Richard Avery (4:04:54), Mick Francis (4:31:12), Nick Swallow (4:35:08), Ben Treasure (4:41:26), Beck Hefferon (4:46:19), Jason Phillips (4:51:43), Barbara Fieberg (4:54:50), Matt Byles (5:06:39), Shane Holstein (5:14:03), Logan Vickers (5:15:06), Ian North (5:19:31), Darryl McKenzie (5:30:49), Alexis Oosterhoff (5:31:03), Kerriann Bresser (5:31:11), Jordan Grooby (5:38:11), Lee-Maree Gallo (5:52:29), Mark Caldwell (6:02:03), Ian Dougan (6:03:03), Kathryn Hookham (6:03:40), Cheryl Tatterton (6:11:02), Glen Smetherham (6:18:07), Gemma Hamilton (6:20:23), Shon Fry (6:25:46), Margie Hadley (6:29:40), Harmony Waite (6:39:20), Lucia Caravia (6:42:26), Bob Colligan (6:45:47), Tom Louden (6:53:48), Jo Dean (6:57:02), Sue Robertson (7:02:53), Mike Gibbon (7:10:49), and Louise Wallace (7:31:11).

AAA Racing Hill Climb was cancelled due to weather conditions in Qld but will be due for a rescheduling by the race director. The next race on the AURA calendar will be the Sandman 50 in Dunsborough, WA on Sunday, December 23.

Pictured: Brendan Davies just five minutes after crossing the finish line at 6 Inch, looking fresh and energetic. Photograph – Kate Dzienis.