WEEKLY NEWS REPORT – 2/9/2019

Kate Dzienis • September 2, 2019

Bright Running Festival
IAU World 50k
Runners at UTMB
Six Days in the Dome

There’s no other word to describe the weekend but ‘exciting’! And whilst this week’s report may not necessarily focus just on AURA-listed events, we had a big number of AURA members running across both days, which makes for spectacular reporting.

Bright Running Festival

In order of appearance, the Bright Running Festival kicked off on Saturday, August 31 with a 50km trail event in Bright, Vic.

For the men’s event which saw 31 entrants, Matthew Crehan took top honours with 1st Male in 4:35:32 whilst Jonathan Fearn claimed 2nd in 4:41:06 and AURA’s very own Kevin Muller, who has had a successful 2019 in the ultra scene, held on for 3rd with a finish time of 5:04:05.

Ruby Greig-Hurtig claimed 1st for the women out of 11 participants with a time of 5:52:49, Naomi Ramsay took 2nd with 6:36:57, and Victoria Rebbeck held for 3rd with 6:48:36.

IAU 50k World Championships

The ever anticipated IAU 50k World Championships were held in Brasov, Romania on Sunday, September 1 and we had three AURA women compete in the race in a field of 67 women, doing Australia proud as they donned the green and gold.

Clare Palmer from Glenreagh, NSW secured 30th place after completing the 50k distance in 3:39:25 whilst Burwood (NSW) runner Larissa Tichon, who raced in last September’s IAU 100k World Championships in Croatia, took control of 42nd place with a finish time of 3:50:37. Karen Pienaar from Kidman Park, SA bowed out after 8 laps of the 11-lap course and ran it in 2:51:12.

The winner of the women’s event was (GBR) Alyson Dixon, who set a new Worlds Record time of 3:07:20 (read more here).

(GBR) Helen Davies took 2nd with 3:09:16 and (ESP) Alicia Perez held on to take 3rd with 3:15:09.

For the men the podium finish consisted of (ESP) Iraitz Arrospide in 1st with 2:47:42, (RSA) Lungile Gongqa in 2nd with 2:48:26, and (GBR) Daniel Nash in 3rd with 2:49:01.

Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc

Although not an AURA-listed event, a lot of eyes were on UTMB over the weekend with various live feeds and social posts from all over the country. Four AURA members took on the 171.62km challenge in Chamonix, France including Stephen Redfern from Engadine, NSW; Kellie Emmerson from Kilsyth, Vic; Piera Kohout from Cremorne, NSW; and Alan Wheat from Cammeray, NSW.

Emmerson crossed the finish line in 31:31:01 and finished 19th Female whilst Redfern was right on her heels, his time at 31:32:21 and ranking in at 157th.

Kohout finished her event with a time 40:57:29 and a ranking of 51st Female, whilst Wheat completed UTMB in 41:29:52 and an 804 ranking.

A stellar effort by these four Aussies!

Six Days in the Dome – The Redux

Meanwhile, the ever-enthusiastic ultra runner we’ve all come to know, Mick Thwaites, was racing in Six Days in the Dome – The Redux in Milwaukee, WI, USA; a race held at an ice rink from August 25 to September 1. AURA president Rob Donkersloot was also there to provide support, photos and updates on how Thwaites was travelling.

Thwaites held strong despite a previous stress fracture injury in the months leading up to the event, and finished in 10th Male after completing 1406 laps totalling a distance of 623.4980km and a time of 143:52:57.

According to a social post, Thwaites said despite a great start, there were some issues he had to take control of in the days following.

“To cut a long story short, I started off great on Day 1, had big stomach issues on Day 2, came good and pushed too hard on Day 3 which resulted in a shin/tendon injury for Day 4, took a big rest, and nearly sacked days 5 and 6,” he said.

“Running is my happy place and I decided to go back and complete the race in damage control mode.

“I’m so glad I did, because the medicine I gained from that was better than any prescription; there were so many fun experiences that were had, and memories made, this event will be engrained in my soul.”

Well done AURA members!

Our AURA members took on a few more races at the weekend, so the action didn’t stop with the above amazing events! The Wingello Trail Festival 50km was held on Saturday, August 31 between Sydney and Canberra and member Karen Hayward did a spectacular job, crossing the finish in 5:58:58 and coming in 10th Female.

The Surf Coast Wonderfalls 50km was also held on the same day but in Lorne, Vic. Congratulations to Tim Kacprzak who took 3rd Male with a time of 5:30:02, Alex Keys who finished with 5:55:17, and Mark Falls who completed the distance in 7:59:59.

If you’re an AURA member racing this weekend, please let us know! We would love to hear how you go – head to our Facebook page and write up a post, or email us at ultramag@aura.asn.au

Coming up

The next events on the AURA-listed calendar are Birdy’s Backyard Ultra in Toodyay, WA from Friday, September 6; the Great North Walk Ultras in Teralba, NSW on Saturday, September 14; Sri Chinmoy Canberra Trail Ultra in Acton, ACT on Saturday, September 14; and Run the Great Whitsunday Trail in Airlie Beach, Qld on Sunday, September 15.

Pictured: Clare Palmer, Larissa Tichon and Karen Pienaar who made up Team Australia at the IAU 50k World Championships. Photograph – Facebook.

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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.