WEEKLY NEWS REPORT 1-3-2021

Kate Dzienis • March 1, 2021

RunningWorks Lark Hill Dusk to Dawn, WA
IAU 6hr Virtual Global Solidarity Run, Worldwide
Award Presentation
In The News

RunningWorks Lark Hill Dusk to Dawn, WA
The RunningWorks Lark Hill Dusk to Dawn Ultra was held at the weekend (Sat, 27 Feb) at the Lark Hill Sports Complex in Port Kennedy, WA.

The event offers a variety of distances for participants, including a night time 100km (34 laps), 50km (17km) , 25km (8 laps) and kids 45min race. All distances are run on a 3km limestone track loop which sees some sandy bits and a small hill to get to the finish/start.

In the lead for the 100km was AURA member Sergio Gustinetti from Tuart Hill who claimed 1st Male in a time of 10:48:40 (the 6th fastest time by a male since 2012). Second Male was won by Michael Coughlan (12:41:00) whilst 3rdwent to Nick O’Neill (12:55:56).

For the women in the 100km the top spot went to Michelle Lane (12:18:25) whilst 2nd Female was claimed by AURA’s Pamela Williams from Esperance who crossed the finish line in 12:42:00. Nicola Humpris, also an AURA member from Broome took 3rd Female after a completing 50km in the event in a time of 7:41:13.

Congratulations to Jimmy Brook from Parmelia who finished 50km also in the event in 7:41:15.

In the 50km division, AURA’s Nathan Fawkes from Waikiki held on to take 1st Male with a fast time of 3:49:08, the 5thfastest time by a male in the event since 2012. Second Male went to Justin Kelly (3:55:57) and 3rd was claimed by Trevor Bosveld (4:13:19).

In the women’s event the podium spots went to Martina Tairea (4:54:04), Casey Edlington (5:15:42) and Bron Larner (5:44:08).

Well done to all our AURA members who ran in the 50km including Adam Loughnan (4:24:17), Giovanni De Vita(4:45:15), Mick Francis (5:02:50), Jeff Gray (5:08:20), Geoff Quinton (6:43:12) and Diane Breant (7:17:48).

IAU 6hr Virtual Global Solidarity Run Team Announced
The Australian team for the 2021 IAU 6hr Virtual Global Solidarity Run has been announced, with the men’s team consisting of Kay Bretz, Steve Robertson, Darren Linney, Anthony Boyle and Stephen Lomax. The women’s team stars Julia Mackay, Tash Fraser and Corrina Black.

Athletes are expected to run in a continuous 6-hour block across the weekend of 20-21 March in their own time zone and then share their recorded performance.

Award Presentation
On February 27 (2021) AURA’s Dion Finocchiaro from Chelsea, Vic was presented with a trophy by Karen Mickle for his 2020 efforts in breaking a record. The Australian 50km record was originally set in Canberra back on 13 April, 2008 by Mark Tucker (2:53:47) however more than 12 years later on 29 November, 2020 Finocchiaro cracked that record with a speedy 2:50:49 on the track in Melbourne.

“It’s a great feeling to get my hands on the record officially and hopefully build on to it from here,” he said.

In The News
Henley Brook AURA member Margie Hadley was last week featured in her local Echo Newspaper both online and in hardcopy where she was interviewed about her Australian Female Ultra Runner of the Year Award. Check out the digital article here.

Coming Up
Trails of Kings and Queens will be run from 5-7 March in Southampton, WA and will see runners participate in 3 days of racing, camping, games, socialising and camaraderie.

The Six Foot Track will be held on 13 March on a 45km trail stretching across the Blue Mountains from the Explorer’s Marked Tree to the Jenolan Caves in NSW.

Reminder
A reminder for all AURA members that with the new year already upon us, we would love to have even more race reports contributed to our digital Ultramag magazine. It doesn’t matter what event you ran in, it can be AURA-listed or not, we love reading your reports and sharing them with the AURA community. Email your reports in a Word document (single spaced and include your name, event name and dates you ran) along with high resolution photographs (not in the Word document but attached to the email) to ultramag@aura.asn.au

Pictured: Karen Mickle presenting Dion Finocchiaro with his trophy and certificate for his 50km Australian Record on Saturday. Photograph – Tia Jones.

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Location : Bangkok, Thailand Dates : November 21 - 24 2025 Role Type : Volunteer Position Time Commitment : Pre event planning + Travel Application Deadline : 7th September 2025 Thank you for your interest in supporting the Australian team for the 2025 IAU Asian 100k Championships. This role goes far beyond logistics. It’s about leadership, inclusion, and creating a positive, empowering environment for athletes competing on the world stage. AUTRA is committed to opening doors for those outside traditional pathways. We strongly encourage applications from coaches, former athletes, club leaders, volunteers, and passionate community members. You don’t need to have served on a board or managed a team before as we’re looking for people who genuinely care, are highly organised, and can proudly represent our athletes and country. Role Overview As Team Manager, you’ll work closely with AUTRA President Gary Mullins and Vice President Geoff Russell to prepare and support the national team before and during the championship. Pre-Departure Australia Act as the main contact for selected athletes and crew Assist with final entry forms and travel planning Prepare a Championships Agenda in alliance with the Team Managers Agreement Document Coordinate flights, uniforms, and team communications Help identify and organise crew support Attend online team planning meetings On the Ground in Thailand Be present and ready as athletes arrive Ensure all athlete needs are met so they can focus fully on their race Attend all technical meetings and represent the team professionally Coordinate team attendance at the opening and closing ceremonies Ensure the team and crew are prepared, organised, and calm Address any issues that arise with efficiency and discretion Provide hands on leadership and moral support throughout the 24 hour race Support Provided Accommodation in Bangkok for 3 - 4 nights will be provided by AUTRA An official team uniform will be supplied A volunteer allowance of $1500 will be provided to acknowledge your time and service during the championship period What You’ll Need Excellent communication and interpersonal skills Strong organisational ability under pressure A calm, inclusive, and athlete first mindset Commitment to AUTRA’s Code of Conduct Member of AUTRA Applying To apply for the role of Team Manager please CLICK HERE and fill out the Application Form. Applications Close on the 3rd September 2025 Selection Process Following the application deadline, the AUTRA Committee will review all submissions and select the most suitable candidate. All applicants will be contacted by Gary Mullins within 7 days of applications closing. Gary Mullins AUTRA President