WEEKLY NEWS REPORT 07-08-2023

Kate Dzienis • August 7, 2023

Birdy’s Backyard, WA
kunanyi Trail Series, Tas
Rumble In The Jungle, NSW
Insider Updates
Upcoming Events

BIRDY’S BACKYARD

Birdy’s Backyard kicked off last week on Friday, 4 August at Lake Towerinning, WA (about 245km south east of Perth) with the Last One Standing Format. As always, every participant DNFs except for one.

This year, the title was earned and won by AURA member Margie Hadley from Henley Brook, WA who finished a total of 46 laps. What a stellar effort from Margie, congratulations on your win.

AURA’s very own Rob Parsons from Somerville, WA walked away with the Assist – an incredible performance.

On a side note, all runners experienced not only seriously freezing temperatures, but the shakes of a Magnitude 5 earthquake that was recorded near Gnowangerup (140 east of Lake Towerinning) at 5:34am on Sunday, 6 August.

Well done to all our AURA members who ran in Birdy’s Backyard, including Glen Smetherham, Tim Bond, Heath Watkins, Andy Thompson, Jessica Smith, Gabe Alves, Jagpawan Dhillon, Del Thompson, Nancy Williams, Rob Parsons, Brad Halls, Shaun Kaesler, Mark Lawrence, Frank Chauveau, Geoffrey Langhans, Tristan Cameron, Anya Mullin, David Patterson, Dave Romanin and Phoebe Hurliman.

KUNANYI TRAIL SERIES – TOLOSA HALF & QUARTER

The kunanyi Trail Series Tolosa Half (Enduro) and Tolosa Quarter (Sport) event was held on Sunday, 6 August in beautiful Glenorchy, Tas.

In the Men’s Half, 1st Male was won by David Bailey whilst 2nd Male was taken by AURA’s very own Andrew Gaskell from Lindisfarne, Tas. Third was won by Connor Ryan.

In the Women’s Half, top spots were awarded to Annabel De Jong, Bree Hunter and Anna Goodwin.

For more info, check out the kunanyi Trail Series Facebook page.

RUMBLE IN THE JUNGLE

Rumble In The Jungle was held on Sunday, 6 August in Ulong, NSW and was hosted by Coffs Trail Runners. On offer was a 50km event for endurance runners, along with a 30km, 21km and 8km.

In the Women’s 50km, AURA’s Clare Palmer from Glenreagh, NSW took 1st Female with a time of 5:14:04. Kylie Salm took 2nd (5:37:09) whilst AURA member Melissa Robertson from Long Jetty, NSW claimed 3rdFemale when she crossed the finish line in 5:57:10.

In the Men’s 50km, top spots were won by Daniel Stein (4:23:00), Nathan Roberts (4:52:11) and Aaron Dower (4:53:20).

Congratulations goes out also to AURA’s Simon Turnbull, who finished his 50km in 8:59:32.

For the full list of results, click 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

24hr Team Announced: AURA has announced the 24 Hour Team for the 2023 IAU 24 Hour World Championships which are due to be held in Chinese Taipei on 2-3 December. This year, the selection committee had an incredibly difficult time with one of the highest scoring list of qualifying applicants ever. Congratulations to the following AURA members who are announced as team members:

Men: Kevin Muller (Captain), Michael Hooker, Matthew Griggs, Grant Brisbin, John Yoon, Joe Ward

Women: Allicia Heron (Captain), Sharene Blake, Cassie Cohen, Maree Connor, Jenny White, Chrissy Redwood

New Merchandise: All merchandise has been restocked, and we are now selling brand new women’s racer back singlets. Head over to our online shop at store.aura.asn.au to check out how best you can represent in the green and gold.

UPCOMING EVENTS

The Berry Long Run will be held in Blackwood, Vic this Saturday, 12 August.

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. The Bright Running Festival finishes the month of August with its weekend of events held from 25-27 August.

Pictured: Margie Hadley becoming the Last One Standing at the 2023 Birdy’s Backyard. Photograph – Astrid Volzke.

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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.