WEEKLY NEWS REPORT 05-07-2023

Kate Dzienis • July 6, 2023

Transcend Ultra, WA
Australian 24 Hour Track Invitational, ACT
Lakes Trail Festival, NSW
Upcoming Events

We are always on the hunt for your stories and reports, so with June Ultramag coming out in the next few weeks, 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 do so via email by contacting Kate Dzienis at kate.dzienis@aura.asn.au

TRANSCEND ULTRA, WA

The Transcend Ultra in WA was held on Sunday, 25 June with runners entered in either a 65km (solo or relay), 40km or 6km. The ultra distance saw participants race from Walyunga National Park to Cobbler Pool, with a fair amount of the course on private land.

In the Men’s 65km, top spots were awarded to Justin Hill (6:53:22), Alan Biletic (7:04:07) and Olly Morell (7:06:18).

In the Women’s 65km, 1st Female was won by Helen Morgan (7:56:55) whilst AURA’s Jessica Smith from Perth took 2nd Female with a fantastic time of 8:10:44. Georgina Beech took 3rd Female (8:23:31).

Congratulations to all our AURA members who ran in the 65km at Transcend, including David White (7:50:32), Colin Moulden (7:52:46), Yevhen Kovalyshen (8:14:36), Mitchell Crook (8:43:03), Claudia Seke (8:50:58), Robert Parsons(9:27:07), Andy Thompson (10:27:22), Jacinta Homann (11:32:23), Kate Ashfaq (11:53:03) and Harmony Waite(11:53:06).

For the full list of results, including the 40km and 6km, click here.

AUSTRALIAN 24 HOUR TRACK INVITATIONAL, ACT

There were incredible performances at last weekend’s Australian 24 Hour Track Invitational, held at the AIS in the ACT from 1-2 July. As an elite level event targeted at supporting record setting and PBs, the Invitational was strategically created to provide runners with the most ideal conditions.

Additional to the Invitational is an Open 24 Hour event run at the same time but in a different lane; ideal for no qualifying standards.

All runners in the Invitational were AURA members and some records were set.

In the Men’s 24 Hour Invitational, Michael Hooker from East Perth, WA held on to the lead and finished with a total of 260.401km, a fantastic effort! Joe Ward from Manly, NSW secured 2nd Male after finishing with 240.803km and Luke Thompson from Crace, ACT took home 3rd Male with a total of 234.432km.

In the Women’s 24 Hour Invitational, top spot was won by Allicia Heron from Theodore, ACT who completed her race with a grand total of 225.428km. Second Female was secured by Louise Clifton from Mt Victoria who finished with 221.202km, and 3rd Female was taken by Sharene Blake from Busselton, WA who completed 218.228km.

RECORDS (YET TO BE RATIFIED): Heron set two new W35 records – W35 200km 21:00:27 and W35 100mi 16:24:01; Clifton set a new W50 record – W50 200km 21:02:54

Big congrats also to Karen Mickle (191.331km), Ewan Horsburgh (66.000km) and Daragh O’Loughlin (24.400km).

The Open saw 5 runners (4 men, 1 woman) compete, one of whom was an AURA member.

In the Men’s 24 Hour Open, AURA’s Greg Wilson from Kyneton, Vic claimed 1st Male with a total distance of 175.034km and also claimed a new M70 record (yet to be ratified) – M70 100mile record of 21:47:42,

Ayden Boxsell took 2nd male (164.690km) and Jacob Garlick took 3rd Male (94.980km).

In the Women’s 24 Hour Open, 1st Female was won by Susan Marshall (161.528km).

LAKES TRAIL FESTIVAL, NSW

The Lakes Trail Festival in NSW was also held last weekend (1-2 July) and provided a variety of distance options for runners – 100km, 75km, 50km, 30km, 12km and 5km. The event allows participants to traverse the Great Lakes region of the NSW north coast, with the startline located at Hawks Nest.

In the Men’s 100km, AURA’s very own Richard Wales from Tumbi Umbi, NSW took home the top gong, coming in 1stMale with a brilliant time of 10:34:21. Second and 3rd Male positions were claimed by Jamis Turner (10:57:12) and Jacob Heggs (11:38:33).

In the Women’s 100km, all winning spots were won by AURA members. Congratulations to Melissa Robertson from Long Jetty NSW who took 1st Female with 12:22:07, Pam Muston from Wamboin, NSW who won 2nd Female in a time of 12:56:38, and Debbie Maher also from Wamboin, NSW who claimed 3rd Female with 13:38:04.

Well done to all AURA members who ran in the Lakes Trail Festival 100km, including David Campbell from Sydney who finished in a time of 12:05:52.

In the Men’s 75km, top spots were awarded to Ian Burke (10:09:36), Jason Weatherby (10:30:23) and Liam Stodart (10:34:25). In the Women’s 75km, winners were Georgia Guthrey (9:40:19), Kathleen Dalladay (11:57:00) and Mhairi Elder (12:33:08).

Onto the 50km event, where winners in the Men’s 50km were named Ryan Degan (4:51:29), Darren Cotterill (5:10:42) and Brendan Dedal (5:11:23). For the Women’s 50km, it was Camilla Clarke (5:34:58), Ashley Kearney (5:37:26) and Sarah Grealy (5:37:26).

For the full list of results, including the 30km, 12km and 5km, click here.

UPCOMING EVENTS

The highly anticipated 3 Marathons in 3 Days starts 7 July also in Kuranda, Qld, and Ultra Adelaide by ioMerino in Adelaide, SA kicks off 8 July.

The Elephant Trail Race, always a spectacular event to be a part of, will see runners start on 14 July in Pembrooke, NSW whilst WA’s Yaberoo Trail Ultra in Neerabup begins on 23 July.

Kuranda to Port Douglas Ultra on 30 July in Kuranda, Qld kicks off 30 July, the last AURA listed event on the AURA calendar for the month.

Pictured: WA AURA member Sharene Blake at the 2023 Australian 24 Hour Track Invitational.

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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.