WEEKLY NEWS REPORT 08-11-2021

Kate Dzienis • November 8, 2021

Heysen 105 Ultra Marathon, SA
Halloween Dusk 2 Dawn, NSW
Feral Pig Ultra, WA
Upcoming Events

HEYSEN 105 ULTRA MARATHON

The Heysen 105 in South Australia was run on the weekend of 23-24 October 2021 and everyone involved celebrated 10 years of the race – but this time, with a difference. The course was ‘flipped upside down’ with the finish for all distances in Victor Harbour at the Heysen Village along the Esplanade. On offer were three ultra distances on top of the 11km, 28km and the 37km with the longer 50km, 70km and 115km quenching everyone’s thirst.

Top podium finishers for the Women’s 50km were Danni Vanderheul (5:29:36), Anna Mitchell (5:32:53) and Sarah French (5:38:36). For the Men’s 50km it was Scott Olver (5:25:28), Rodney Angelo (5:31:27) and Mathew Gardiner (5:38:20).

Congratulations to our two AURA members who finished their 50km event, including Vicki Shaw (6:52:42) and Kath Morris (9:26:14).

In the Women’s 70km event winners were Katherine Marks (9:18:55), Helen Heaver (9:28:02) and Lauri Wild (9:39:14). For the Men’s 70km, winners included Daniel Muscat (7:18:25), Samuel Loy (7:20:39) and Isaac Fishlock (7:22:08).

Well done to Tim O’Brien from Brighton who completed his event in a time of 8:56:23 and Glynn Thomas from Frewville who finished in 12:48:08.

Onto the Women’s 115km, with top finishers including Sonja Jansen (12:12:28), Ally Gosling (12:23:55) and Jordan Hooper (12:52:06). In the Men’s 115km, top spots went to Jarrad Allan (10:51:20), Kieran Rooke (11:29:53) and Thomas Elfenbein (11:36:24).

A big congratulations to all our AURA members who ran in the Heysen 115km, including Jeff Gray from Fremantle in WA (13:48:05), Ronnette Davies from Adelaide (16:03:12), Peter Goss from Adelaide (19:00:19), Dawn Parks from Marden (19:36:38), Heath Watkins from Parmelia in WA (21:52:07), and Peta Moore from South Perth in WA (21:52:35),

You can find the full account of results here.

HALLOWEEN DUSK TO DAWN

Held on the spookiest weekend of the year, the Halloween Dusk 2 Dawn let out all the ghosts and ghouls to race along a 7km loop amongst cobwebs, the whispering of trees and voices in everyone’s heads.

On offer was a 7km, half marathon, marathon and a 12hr event.

In the ultra 12hr event, top runners for the men were Jason Williamson, Tyson Chapman and Matt Bell. For the women, winners were Emma-Leigh Heighway, Michelle Northfield, and Ashlee Ray.

A full list of results can be found here.

FERAL PIG ULTRA

The annual Feral Pig Ultra was held last weekend (6-7 November, 2021) in the hills of Perth, and offered participants a range of distances to choose from including the 23km Pork Chop, the 50km Sow, the 50 miler Boar, the 100km Wild Swine, and the 100 mile Feral Pig.

Known to be quite technical, and generally held on Perth’s hottest days of the century through no fault of the race directors, this year saw a wide array of runners take on the trails.

Kicking off with the Women’s 100 mile Feral Pig, AURA’s very own Jutta Kober from East Victoria Park took the lead and claimed 1st Female in a total time of 29:48:58. Second Female went to Ruby Kwong (32:32:53) and 3rd was won by Darlene Dale (33:32:25).

In the Men’s 100 mile Feral Pig, 1st Male went to Phillip Fowler (21:20:08), 2nd Male to Milan Kucera (23:23:42) and 3rd Male to Matthew Salinovich (23:36:06).

Congratulations to all AURA members who completed their Feral Pig 100 miler, including Sergio Gustinetti (25:34:52), Glenn Monaghan (27:04:50), Shaun Kaesler (28:45:41), Bryan Wright (30:33:50), James Sawyer (31:15:06), Doug Bartlett (32:53:28), Nicola Walters (34:59:11) and John Cooke (37:32:30).

In the Women’s 100km Wild Swine, Claire O’Brien-Smith took 1st Female (12:43:01), Cherie Pettit took 2nd Female (14:41:32) and Shaye Pett took 3rd Female (15:19:26).

For the Men’s 100km Wild Swine, AURA member Joshua Kuhn from South Bunbury took hold of his race and went straight to finish in a steady 12:21:17. Tim Pullin took 2nd Male (12:34:52) and Patrick Millington 3rd Male (14:39:29).

Well done to all our AURA members in the 100km, including John Herzfeld (15:54:54) and Greg Benn (25:31:56).

Onto the Women’s 50 miler Boar, top on the podium was 1st Female Martina Tairea (10:31:37), 2nd Female Lindsay Showers (12:07:02) and AURA’s very own Mel Chamberlain from Mount Tarcoola who secured a 3rd Female podium finish with a time of 12:48:26.

For the Men’s 50 miler Boar, AURA member Nathan Fawkes from Waikiki didn’t disappoint with his 1st Male win, crossing the finish line in a time of 8:58:28.

Second Male went to Nick Trebilcock (9:56:32) and 3rd went to Allan Scott (10:17:10).
Congratulations to our AURA members for their efforts in the 50 miler, including Chetan Sadhana (11:13:19) and Louise Wallace (18:21:57).

In the Women’s 50km Sow, first to finish was Melissa Gildenhuys (6:21:47), followed by Nicola Hibbert (6:33:45) and Tracy Ebsary (6:38:05).

In the Men’s 50km Sow, it was AURA’s very own Mitchell Crook from Jandakot who took 1st Male, covering the distance in a time of 5:00:19. Second Male went to David Murphy (5:40:14) and 3rd went to Jefferson Silva (6:08:39).

Congratulations to our AURA members, including Julia Mackay (10:42:38) and Frank Chauveau (10:18:54).

Results for Feral Pig are interim results as of date of publication, and can be found here.

UPCOMING EVENTS

With the current pandemic still hitting states all across the country, it’s advised to keep an eye on events’ FB pages or websites if you have entered a race; alternatively, race directors will always communicate with their participants and volunteers on the next course of action.

The Great Southern Endurance Run will be held this weekend, from 12-14 November in Harrietville, Vic followed by the Hysterical Carnage Backyard Ultra from 19-21 November in Loxton, SA.

The Great North Walk kicks off 20-21 November, whilst the Coast to Kosciuszko starts 26-28 November in NSW. That same weekend will be the Fisiocrem GC50 Run Festival in Qld.

NEWS

We love making mention of AURA members when they achieve incredible results at other races across the country and around the world, so if you or someone you know is an AURA member and they’ve had an amazing event that isn’t AURA-listed, email kate.dzienis@aura.asn.au and keep us in the loop!

Pictured: Capturing the end of the weekend’s Feral Pig Ultra. Photograph – Supplied/Facebook.

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AUTRA Race Report 23-3-2026

By Kate Dzienis • March 23, 2026

Herdy's Frontyard Ultra, WA Gold Coast Backyard Ultra, Qld I'm Still Standing Sydney, NSW Trail Run Australia - Tathra, NSW Sri Chinmoy 48hr Track Ultra (Australian 48hr Track Championships, ACT Washpool World Heritage Trails, NSW Tamworth Trailblazer, NSW Upcoming Events WEEKLY NEWS REPORT FOR 23-3-2026 As always, we're continuously on the hunt for your stories and reports, so get those race reports and photographs in to ultramag@autra.asn.au with the following information: Word document, single spaced Include the name of the event, the date and the location anywhere in the report (just a bullet point at the top is great) Please attach photographs to the email – do not put images in the body of your Word doc. You’ll just get me emailing you back asking for the photos sent in the correct way! As many photos as possible. With our new website, it’s now easier than ever to include a nice gallery in each race report No PDFs please And remember, it doesn’t have to be about an AUTRA-listed event specifically! You just have to be an AUTRA member for the 2026 year. Also too, if you’ve run in a non-AUTRA listed event anywhere on home soil or internationally, we’d love to include your race results and experience in our Member Updates, so please do reach out to us via email to kate.dzienis@autra.asn.au If any corrections need to be made in any of the results listed below, please alert me via email.

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.