Weekly News Report 10-01-2022

Kate Dzienis • January 10, 2022

OMFG Trail Running Festival, WA
Sun Run, SA
Upcoming Events & News

OMFG Trail Running Festival

What an incredible way to kick off the year for the 2022 ultra running season on the AURA listed calendar of events! The OMFG Trail Running Festival kicked off bright and early on Saturday, 8 January offering participants a number of distances to choose from including a 6km, 10km, 16km and 25km*.

Held along the Eagle View and Heritage Trails in John Forrest National Park, WA one of the highlights of the festival is running through the Swan View Railway Tunnel, which was originally opened in 1896. Remaining a train tunnel until 1966, it’s now one of the finest preserved trail running tunnels in the state.

In the women’s 25km, podium finishes went to Rachel Nathan who took 1^st Female in 2:32:21 and AURA member Jessica Smith from Perth who secured 2^nd Female in a speedy 2:41:51. Amy Ross took 3^rd Female in 2:46:06.

For the men’s 25km event, 1^st Male was won by Tony Pfaff (2:18:57), 2^nd Male went to Volker Gartz (2:19:10) and 3^rdMale was claimed by Richard Chilcott (2:20:53).

Congratulations to all our AURA members who raced in the 25km division, including David Murphy (2:29:34), Michael Hooker (2:38:03), Geoff Quinton (3:38:50) and Diane Breant (3:54:06).

Podium spots for the women’s and men’s 16km event were Nicola Hibbert in 1^st Female (1:38:11), Sharon Beattie in 2^ndFemale (1:46:18) and Rachel Clifton-Simms in 3^rd Female (1:48:16); Graeme Bamber in 1^st Male (1:17:12, Isaac Neretlis in 2^nd Male (1:25:46) and Justin Wakefield in 3^rd Male (1:32:49).

A full list of results can be viewed here.

Sun Run

GoodRunning’s Sun Run, the first event in a 2-event summer series, was held on Sunday, 9 January along the River Torrens Linear Pathway in Felixstowe, SA. On offer was a 60km ultra distance, which saw 4 runners participate, and 3 finish.

In the preliminary results, 1^st Male went to Dylan Claridge (6:05:17), 2^nd Male went to Andy Savage (6:49:32) and 3^rdMale went to AURA member David Billett who completed the course in 6:58:52.

A full list of results can be viewed 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.

Hares and Hounds, hosted by AAA Racing, was scheduled to be held in Beerburrum, Qld last weekend however it’s been postponed to this weekend Saturday, 15 January to ensure safer conditions for all involved following horrific weather systems in the region.

Two Bays Trail Run is due to be held on Sunday, 16 January in Dromana, Vic and offers a 56km ultra distance. The event is also doubled up to be AURA’s Australian Short Trail Championships.

The 2022 Australia Day Ultra is scheduled for 22 January, providing up to 100km for ultra runners in the WA south west town of Australind, whilst the Sandman 50 will be held the last weekend of January, on the 29^th, offering a 50km trail run from the Old Dunsborough Boat Ramp in WA.

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!

We also want your race reports and story ideas for our monthly Ultramag digital magazine. Without your tips and leads, there wouldn’t be an Ultramag, so please consider contributing at least once in the new year where you get a chance to share your ultra running experiences with other members! Send all stories and photos to ultramag@aura.asn.au to get in for the next edition.

*Although no ultra distance was on offer at the OMFG Trail Running Festival, the event is partnered with AURA to encourage participants to get on the trails and be involved in an all-inclusive race where there is a possible likelihood ultra distances could be on offer in the future; also, if a race director of the said event has other events listed with AURA, they are welcome to list and partner with us.

Any discrepancies in results, or if you have found yourself missing from our report, please email kate.dzienis@aura.asn.au for any and all corrections.

Pictured: Jessica Smith with her 1^st Female trophy in the OMGF Trail Running Festival’s 25km event. 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.