Weekly News Report 16-10-2023

Kate Dzienis • October 16, 2023

Hume & Hovell Ultra, NSW
Australian 6 Day, SA
BRuTUS, ACT
Lonely Mountain Ultra, NSW
Member Updates
Upcoming Events

We are always on the hunt for your stories and reports, so with us getting started on the next edition of Ultramag, send in your incredible tales to ultramag@aura.asn.au And remember, it doesn’t have to be about an AURA-listed event specifically! You just have to be an AURA member for the 2023 year.

If any corrections need to be made in any of the results listed below, please alert our editor via email by contacting Kate Dzienis at kate.dzienis@aura.asn.au

Also, don’t forget to give us a follow on Instagram! Our handle is @australian_ultra so feel free to tag us in your posts and stories!

HUME & HOVELL ULTRA

The highly anticipated Hume & Hovell Ultra was held on the weekend of 7-8 October along parts of the Hume & Hovell Walking Track in Tumbarumba, NSW. This particular event is an ultra runner’s dream, with offerings of a 100mi (with a total of 6 participants), 100km (which saw 19 finishers) and 50km.

In the Women’s 100mi, 1^st Female was awarded to AURA’s very own Melissa Robertson from Long Jetty, NSW who secured her position with a brilliant time of 1D:02:45:58, whilst AURA member Lindsay Hamilton from Forde, ACT walked away with a fantastic time of 1D:04:52:26 to take home 2^nd Female. Third female went to Lauren Rakose (1D:07:58:40).

In the Men’s 100mi, podium positions were won by Alex Hull (23:00:42), Anthony Metcalfe (1D:07:22:52) and Sean Robertson (1D:07:39:23).

In the Women’s 100km, Annabelle Swainston took 1^st Female (14:01:54) and Bianca Pietrass-Wong won 2^ndFemale (15:52:07). AURA’s own Lisa Sherman from Hillsdale, NSW secured herself 3^rd Female following a finish time of 16:36:35, well done!

In the Men’s 100km, top spots were awarded to Andrew Kennedy (12:24:11), Liew Gartrell (12:45:08) and David Pearce (12:51:38).

Congratulations to our two AURA members who raced in the 100km at Hume & Hovell Ultra – David Campbell from Sydney who finished in 14:43:42, and Julie Steele from Bulli, NSW who crossed the finish line in 19:44:01.

Forty-three participants crossed the finish line of the 50km event with top spots in the Men’s 50km being awarded to Daniel Cox (5:04:16), Glenn Hangan (5:37:49) and Daniel Wallace (6:01:38), whilst for the Women’s 50km it was Gemma Jenkins (5:07:11), Sarah Burger (5:44:58) and Sasha Lee (5:50:21) respectively.

A big congratulations to our AURA members who ran in the 50km, including Lisa Krummer from Helensburgh, NSW who finished in 5:52:59 and took 4^th Female, and Catherine Froome from Berrima, NSW who secured her race with 8:01:18.

To view the full list of results, click here.

AUSTRALIAN 6 DAY

It was a big week in early October, with the Australian 6 Day Ultra Marathon Festival held from 1-7 October at Thorndon Park east of Adelaide in SA. The event has a long standing history having originated in Colac, Vic and many AURA members, past and presented, have raced in it and created long lasting, fond memories.

On offer this year was the 6 Day as well as 72hr, 48hr and 24hr events. Many records were attained, and in the 6 Day itself there were 39 participants.

Kicking off results with the Men’s 6 Day, AURA’s Darren Linney from Paradise, SA secured himself the top spot after finishing the week with a whopping 735.631km whilst AURA Secretary Stephen Redfern from Engadine, NSW claimed 2^nd Male following his finish of the 6 Day event with 638.724km. AURA member Greg Ponych from Wishart, Qld rounded off the podium to take home 3^rd Male following a total of 602.989km.

In the Women’s 6 Day, AURA’s Annabel Hepworth from Castlecrag, NSW took 1^st Female with an incredible 708.573km whilst NZ’s Kerryn Bell claimed 2^nd Female (658.152km). AURA member Sabina Hamaty from Cambewarra, NSW pushed herself to get 3^rd Female after securing a fantastic 537.513km.

A true testament to the distances ultra runners achieve, congratulations to every single AURA member who ran in the 6 Day event, including David Billett (553.318km), Phil Ryan (540.270km), Paola Flury (521.403km), Colin Brooks (506.059km), Tamas Lorincz (491.897km), Sandi Faddy (440.214km), Bill Bardsley (431.497km), Kelly Conroy (427.686km), Tamyka Bell (411.975km), Robert Flury (410.197km), Marie Boyd (364.503km), Cassie Smith (314.671km), Benjamin Anchor (314.606km) and Richard Crane (286.531km).

Two runners entered the 72hr, both women, so in the Women’s 72hr the top spot was awarded to Emily Breakwell (165.458km) whilst AURA’s Sandra Howorth from Horseshoe Bay, Qld took 2^nd Female with a total distance of 114.049km.

There was one participant in the Men’s 48hr – congratulations to AURA member Geoffrey Langhans from Happy Valley, SA who finished the event with a total of 206.772km and title of 1^st Male.

It was the same for the Women’s 48hr, with one runner; Michelle Salerno who finished with 128.296km whilst in the 24hr event there was just one participant. Lib Smith completed the 24hr with a total of 122.817km.

BRUTUS 60KM

The BRuTUS 60km (Brindabella Ranges ultimate Trail Ultra Spectacular) was held Sunday, 8 October in the mountain ranges west of Canberra, ACT and hosted by the Ultra Mediocre runners.

For ultra runners, a 60km was on offer with top spots in the Men’s 60km awarded to Rowan Lewis (5:23:06), Jack Brand (5:42:45) and Joseph Hughes (5:42:47). In the Women’s 60km, podium finishes went to Jordan Anderton (7:30:01), Marnie Shaw (7:46:21) and Nicole Siddon (7:51:33).

LONELY MOUNTAIN ULTRA

The Lonely Mountain Ultra was held the weekend of 14-15 October in Orange, NSW and offered a wide variety of distances for runners, including a 104km (solo/relay), 50mi, 50km, 32km, 22km, 11km, and for the kids a 2km and 4km.

In the Women’s 104km Solo event, AURA’s Anna Pillinger from Fairlight, NSW took top honours with a 1^stFemale finish, crossing the finish line in a whopping 12:05:06 – well over four hours ahead of 2^nd Female finisher Jodie Bailey (16:08:48) and 3^rd Female Kate Fitzpatrick (16:35:05).

In the Men’s 104km Solo, podium finishes were awarded to Gerald Macpherson (10:54:01), Ghale Diwakar (12:42:48) and Kieran Van Bunnik (13:28:47).

In the 104km Solo and Teams event combined, there were 39 finishers. Congratulations to AURA’s Darren Cox from Beacon Hill, NSW who finished 2^nd in his age category with 14:33:40.

Twenty-one participants raced in the 50mi event. AURA’s very own Louise Clifton from Mount Victoria, NSW took 1^st Female in the Women’s 50mi with a total time of 9:12:00. Second and 3^rd Female were awarded to Hannah Mcrae (9:38:25) and Penny Kee (11:20:09) respectively.

In the Men’s 50mi, winners were named Ryan Tomkins (9:00:35), Bern Ward (11:17:11) and Alex Mcdonnell (11:56:33).

Heading into the Women’s 50km, AURA’s Hayley Teale from Tamborine, Qld took 1^st Female after finishing the event in 5:07:26 whilst AURA member Gill Fowler from Rozelle, NSW claimed 2^nd Female following a completed time of 5:15:54. Third female was awarded to Beatriz Ogilvie (5:56:53).

In the Men’s 50km, AURA’s Matthew Crehan from Northcote, Vic took home the gong with 1^st Male in a time of 4:21:53. Second and 3^rd positions were won by Nicholas Spanner (4:46:40) and Andrew Lennon (4:47:10) respectively.

One-hundred-thirty-one runners finished the 50km. Congratulations to all our AURA members, including Piera Kohout (6:12:10), Luke Ferry (6:16:10), Faye Lehane (6:18:20), Rene Collins (6:32:13), Kayden Penhall (6:55:33) and Rob Stoneham (6:59:50).

For a full list of results, including the 30km, 22km, 11km and kids races, click here.

MEMBER UPDATES

Congratulations to AURA’s Greg Wilson, who raced at the 2023 Chicago Marathon earlier this month on 8 October where approx. 49,000 people raced. Greg, spotted racing in his green and gold Australia singlet, secured his fastest time since 2016 with 3:32:43.

Also in member updates, AURA’s Phil Gore has landed in the US with his family ahead of Big Dog’s Backyard Ultra (in Tennessee), due to kick off on 21 October. We wish Phil all the best for his first international performance in the backyard format.

UPCOMING EVENTS

This weekend: the kunanyi Trail Series – Cascade Slide will be on 21 October in South Hobart, Tas as well as the Heysen 105 Ultra in Victor Harbour, SA; and Old Mates Backyard Ultra from 27-30 October in Upper Barron, Qld.

Bondi to Manly Ultra will be held on 28 October in Bondi, NSW and the Great North Walk Ultras in Patonga, NSW will be from 28-29 October.

Looking ahead, November will also be a busy month with the Feral Pig Ultra from 4-5 November) in Mundaring, WA; the Great Southern Stage Run from 16-18 November in WA; Hysterical Carnage Backyard Ultra from 17-19 November in Loxton, SA; GSER from 17-19 November in Harrietville, Vic; and the Stromlo Running Festival from 18-19 November in Stromlo, ACT.

Pictured: Anna Pillinger atop the podium following her 1^st Female finish at the 2023 Lonely Mountain Ultra 104km.

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AUTRA News Report 11-09-2025

By Kate Dzienis • September 11, 2025

Run The River Half, Qld Murphys Creek Challenge, Qld Lighthorse Ultra, WA Kunanyi Trail Series, Rialannah, Tas Upcoming Events WEEKLY NEWS REPORT FOR 12-09-2025 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 2025 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.

Team Manager 2025 IAU Asian and Oceania 100K Championships

By Gary Mullins • September 8, 2025

Location : Bangkok, Thailand Dates : November 21 - 24 2025 Role Type : Volunteer Position Time Commitment : Pre event planning + Travel Application Deadline : 17th 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 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 at 5pm 17th 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