WEEKLY NEWS REPORT 03-08-2023

Kate Dzienis • August 3, 2023

Karratha Trail Adventures, WA
Yaberoo Trail Twilight Ultra, WA
Kuranda to Port Douglas Ultra Trail Race, Qld
Insider Updates
Upcoming Events

We are always on the hunt for your stories and reports, so with us getting started on the August edition of Ultramag, send in your incredible tales to ultramag@aura.asn.au And remember, it doesn’t have to be about an AURA-listed event specifically!

If any corrections need to be made in any of the results listed below, please alert our editor via email by contacting Kate Dzienis at kate.dzienis@aura.asn.au

KARRATHA TRAIL ADVENTURES

The Karratha Trail Adventures, hosted by Pilbara Trailblazers, was held on Saturday 22 July in the regional town of Karratha in the north of WA. Allowing runners to traverse through a network of trails in the hills to the south of town, participants could race in a 21km, 14km and 7km option (plus a kids 1km dash).

Podium finishers in the Men’s Big Bungarra 21km were Dean Menzies, Jesse Lyons and Nicholas Parker, whilst the Women’s Big Bungarra 21km winners were named Kim Scott, Celina Mayer and Heather Cattani.

YABEROO TRAIL TWILIGHT ULTRA

The Yaberoo Trail Twilight Ultra was held across the weekend from Saturday 22 July in Neerabup, WA with race distances of 50km for endurance runners as well as a 25km, 15km, 10km and 5km.

In the Men’s 50km, AURA’s Phil Gore from Darling Downs, WA secured the top spot with a time of 3:56:34 – averaging a pace of 4:43. In 2nd and 3rd places were Andrew Walker (4:12:54) and Jack Lee (4:23:17) respectively.

In the Women’s 50km, podium finishes were awarded to Petra Jerejian (4:19:25), Vicki Hodcroft (5:09:11) and Tara Taylor (5:13:33).

Congratulations to all AURA members who raced in the Yaberoo 50km event, including David White (4:46:01), Phoebe Hurliman (5:17:06), Jagpawan Singh Dhillon (5:37:24), Simon Johnson (6:27:01) and Mark Sewell (8:24:34).

For the full list of results, including the 25km, 15km, 10km and 5km, click here.

KURANDA TO PORT DOUGLAS ULTRA TRAIL RACE

The Kuranda to Port Douglas Ultra Trail Race was held on Sunday, 30 July in Kuranda, Qld offering a 60km ultra distance in both solo and team events. The point to point race started off Kennedy Highway in Kuranda and followed Black Mountain Road and the Bump Track to Port Douglas, with runners having the experience to go through native rainforest, open eucalypt forest, pine plantations and picturesque creeks.

In the Men’s 60km Solo, the top spot went to AURA’s Joshua Duff from Bentley Park, Qld who not only finished the distance in 4:56:15, but set a new course record. Second and 3rd Male positions were won by Joe Buck (5:08:16) and Murray Macpherson (5:13:07) respectively.

In the Women’s 60km Solo, winners were named Akane Goode (6:26:16), Sonya Alba-Miller (6:26:17) and Peta Travers-Jones (6:26:18).

The full list of results can be viewed here.

INSIDER UPDATES

Race Directors: AURA are currently seeking applications from race directors who wish to apply to host National Championship events in 2024. Applications are now open and will close on 11 August 2023, with an announcement on the successful events on 18 August 2023. Events open for applications include:

50km Road
100km Road
24 Hour Track
48 Hour Track
Short Course Trail (40-60km)
Long Course Trail (80-100km)
100 Mile Trail

IAU 100km Asian/Oceania Championships: Last weekend on 30 July, 2023 saw the running of the International Association of Ultrarunners’ 100km Asian/Oceania Championships in Bangalore, India.

Australia sent over a team of 5 runners (3 women, 2 men).

Reports acme in that conditions were quite tough on the day with hot weather providing a humid environment, but the Aussies gave it their all and saw fantastic results.

The women brought home 2nd Place with Team Silver to Australia, their collective time being 27:48:03.

Women:

Jacqueline Kelly – 4th Female with 8:39:51
Anna Pillinger – 5th Female with 8:51:05
Corrina Black – 10th Female with 10:17:07

Men:

Clay Dawson – 9th Male with 8:04:31
Grant Schmidlechner – retired at 65km

Big thanks to AURA president Simone Hayes who went over with the team to not be their team manager but crew each runner.

UPCOMING EVENTS

August sees Birdy’s Backyard Ultra from 4-6 August in Moodiarrup, WA and the kunanyi Trail Series – Tolosa Half & Tolosa Quarter in Glenorchy, Tas on 6 August. Also on 6 August is Rumble in the Jungle in Ulong, NSW whilst on 12 August the Berry Long Run will be held in Blackwood, Vic.

The Unreasonable EAST kicks off 22-27 August from Cairns, Qld and the long awaited Run Larapinta covers four days from 24-27 August in Alice Springs, NT.

Featured: Team Australia for the IAU 100km Asian/Oceania Championships. Photograph – Supplied.

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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.