WEEKLY NEWS REPORT 15-3-2021

Kate Dzienis • March 15, 2021

Trail of Kings and Queens, WA
Six Foot Track Marathon, NSW
Upcoming Events

Trail of Kings and Queens
We are still awaiting results for Trail of Kings and Queens, which was held the weekend of 5-7 March (2021).

Six Foot Track Marathon
The Six Foot Track Marathon is a 45km trail stretching across the Blue Mountains from the Explorer’s Marked Tree near Katoomba to the Jenolan Caves, and what makes this event incredibly unique is that all profits are donated to the Blue Mountains Rural Fire Service who man the aid stations on race day – this year, it was on Saturday, 13 March (2021).

The Six Foot Track started in 1984, and this year a barrage of special awards were handed out to those who this year completed 30 Six Foots (a plate handed to Bob Fickel, only the 3rd person to have achieved this) and 18 Six Foots (a jacket).

There were 811 finishes out of 848 starters this year.

AURA’s very own Benjamin Duffus from Indooroopilly, Qld claimed victory in the 45km ultra marathon, crossing the finish line in a time of 3:20:56 to take 1st Male.

It was a stellar effort, considering the course record for the men is held by Stu Gibson (3:14:14) in 2015 whilst 2nd for the record is Ben Artup (3:15:25) in 2009. Duffus’ race means he has earnt himself 3rd Place in the course record books, taking over Barry Keem (3:23:13) in 2008.

Duffus said he had been wanting to run the Six Foot Track Marathon for a number of years and it was finally great to do it.

“It was a real privilege to run alongside such accomplished runners like Ben St Lawrence (2nd Male) and I feel like we brought the best out of each other on the day. The conditions weren’t favourable for fast times so we were able to just really focus on the raw spirit of competition.

“I was feeling quite strong the whole way, though the quick pace certainly took its toll on my legs and I was on the verge of cramping over the last several kilometres so I was really happy to hold it together, especially when I knew that any small error would see Ben pass me.”

Continuing in the weekend’s results, 2nd Male went to Ben St Lawrence (3:21:25) as mentioned whilst 3rd was claimed by Mike Lichtwark (3:34:55).

For the women’s placings, it was Joasia Zakrzewski (4:20:58) in 1st, Julie Quinn 2nd (4:26:37) and Amy Daniel 3rd(4:29:16).

Congratulations to all our AURA members who raced at Six Foot including Brendan Davies (3:37:31), Mike Carroll(3:41:10), Andrew Lee (3:58:41), Michael Daly (4:10:41), Michel Haenggi (4:16:48), Paul Hadfield (4:31:37), Anna Pillinger (4:32:47), Andrew Bainbridge (4:36:28), Jessica Schluter (4:43:20), Gill Fowler (4:48:05), Martin Fryer(4:52:07), Melissa Robertson (4:52:34), Maree Connor (5:04:12), Alan Wheat (5:09:27), Scott Heckmann (5:14:18), Masanori Chiba (5:16:22), Chris Murphy (5:18:08), Rosario Delis (5:20:07), Ben Berriman (5:21:08), Jeremy Rankin (5:25:02), Greg Wallace (5:25:55), Shiree Yap (5:27:41), Kristen Brace (5:29:54), Pam Muston (5:30:47), Amanda Spackman (5:31:53), David Campbell (5:34:32), Greg Thomson (5:40:58), Chloe Skewes-Weir (5:44:07), Adam Darwin (5:45:06), Simone Harvey (5:49:00), Lisa Krummer (5:49:28), Shaun Whitehouse (5:50:10), Lisa Sherman (5:52:09), Peter Fitzpatrick (5:53:13), Simon Ford (5:54:15), Isabella Basaglia (5:54:48), Jenny Morris(5:57:42), Barry Carter (5:57:44), Andrew Duffus (6:01:18), David Bennie (6:03:39), Lonneke Kefalas (6:05:45), Rob Lloyd (6:08:31), Akira Suzuki (6:09:45), Kelvin Marshall (6:15:02), Michael Thompson (6:15:40), Julie Steele(6:16:41), Faye Lehane (6:17:42), Tim Yendell (6:21:23), Nicole Kruse (6:22:57), Kevin Heaton (6:32:32) and Jane Trumper (7:05:15).

For a full list of results, click here.

Upcoming Events
This weekend will see the 2021 IAU 6hr Virtual Global Solidarity race (20-21 March). A great number of participants will be running, including 350 runners from 32 teams. Our Australian men’s team consists of Kay Bretz, Steve Robertson, Darren Linney, Anthony Boyle and Stephen Lomax whilst the women’s team stars Julia Mackay, Tash Fraser and Corrina Black.

Duncan’s Run will be held across that same weekend (20-21 March) at Tarra-Bulga National Park in South Gippsland, Vic. Participants are offered to enter ultra distances of 100km and 50km this year.

The Sri Chinmoy 48hr Track Festival will be held 26-28 March and doubles up as AURA’s 48hr Australian Track Championships. The event will see runners do laps of the Australian Institute of Sport track in Canberra racing in either a 48hr, 24hr, 12hr and 6hr event. Click here for a preview of the event.

The inaugural Herdy’s Frontyard Ultra in WA will see it continue the busy weekend in March (26-28), placing itself as a sister-event to Birdy’s Backyard later in the year. Held at Herdsman Lake, the race is a Last One Standing format where runners will tackle a 6.71km loop until only one man or woman is left.

To finish off the month, Trails and Tails is also an inaugural event this year, to be held at Charlie Watts Reserve and Cairncross State Forest in Telegraph Point, NSW. Offering a distance of 7km, 14km or 21km the course welcome your pet dog to run with you.

Reminder
A reminder for all AURA members we would love to have 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: Ben Duffus finishing in 1st Place at the 2021 Six Foot Track Marathon. Photograph – Maria Yiasemides.

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Australian Mountain and Trail Running Championships 2027

By Jin Kato • July 8, 2026

The world-class trails of Kunanyi/Mt Wellington will play centre-stage for one of the country’s fastest-growing sports, after the Kunanyi Mountain Run (KMR) was awarded the hosting rights for the first-ever combined Australian Mountain and Trail Running Championships (AMTRC). KMR was awarded the National Championships after a competitive bid process, overseen by the Australian Ultra and Trail Running Association (AUTRA) and Australian Athletics (AA). AUTRA President, John Claridge, said that KMR “offered everything we were looking for”. “World-class trails, proven event management and a passionate community. It provides the perfect stage for Australia's first combined National Trail Championships," he said. It’s expected that Australia’s elite mountain and trail running athletes, and support crew, will travel to Hobart, as they vie for a spot in the Australian team that competes at the 2027 World Mountain and Trail Running Championships. "This is a landmark moment for trail running in Australia,” Mr Claridge said. "We're excited about what this championship represents; not just next year, but for the future of trail running in Australia... helping grow the sport and inspire the next generation of trail runners." The 2027 AMTRC at KMR will be the first time that all championship distances have been held together, at the one festival. “It aligns us more closely with the way World Championships are presented, creating a stronger pathway for athletes and raising the profile of the sport,” Mr Claridge said. KMR, a 3-day trail running festival which has been held annually since 2022, expects to draw more than 1500 runners and hikers from across Tasmania, Australia and internationally next year. The AMTRC will be embedded within KMR’s existing event program, allowing elite athletes to compete for the national titles, while sharing the same spectacular trails and event-experience as recreational runners. “We’re honoured to have been selected as host,” KMR’s founder and director, Lincoln Quilliam said. “KMR continues to welcome runners, and hikers, of all abilities. From the elites who want to represent Australia on the world stage, the group of mates or work colleagues who run the team relay together, the mums returning to running after having a baby, as well as those who are trying trail running for the very first time,” Mr Quilliam said. Tasmanian runner, Jessica Collins, who has represented Australia, said it was exciting news for KMR, Tasmania and the sport. “This is such a great opportunity for Australian athletes. I’ve run many of the KMR events and know the courses and the terrain are on par with what we see at the World Champs,” she said. The City of Hobart has supported Kunanyi Mountain Run since its inception, and Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds said she was “thrilled” with the news. “Events like this not only showcase the natural beauty of our region but also reinforce Hobart’s reputation as a vibrant destination for world-class outdoor experiences.” The 2026 edition of KMR brought in $4 million to the Tasmanian economy, generating more than 8000 bed nights across the state, which Alex Heroys, Chief Executive of Destination Southern Tasmania, said was a “significant return for the visitor economy”. “Kunanyi / Mount Wellington is one of Tasmania’s great natural assets, and the Kunanyi Mountain Run shows exactly how powerful events can be in driving regional tourism,” he said. “We have an epic mountain right on Hobart’s doorstep, an airport less than 30 minutes away, and a city that is well set up to welcome thousands of visiting athletes, support crews and spectators.” “This event also reinforces Tasmania’s growing reputation as a world-class trail running destination. With steep, technical trails and real mountain terrain, Kunanyi offers conditions that are genuinely comparable to what athletes will experience at the World Championships, making it an ideal place to compete, train and visit.” For more information: Kunanyi Mountain Run Dates: 19-21 March 2027 Pic credit: David Nolan & Ryan Slater