WEEKLY NEWS REPORT 22-07-2021

Kate Dzienis • July 22, 2021

Tassie Trail Fest, Tas
Upcoming Events

TASSIE TRAIL FEST

The glorious Tassie Trail Fest was held the weekend of 16-18 July, 2021 in beautiful and iconic Cataract Gorge in Launceston, Tasmania. Close enough to the airport and city to be accessible to everyone, the event’s course has some of the best views of Launceston and of course Cataract Gorge.

The Tassie Trail Fest is for runners of all backgrounds especially because of the relaxed cut-off times! So doing that 100 miler or 100km is definitely within reach.

In the Saturday 45km Women’s event, Megan Peters took 1st Female with 5:32:33; 2nd Female was won by Sirja Salminen (6:04:59); and 3rd went to Anita Gooley (7:21:25).

In the Saturday 45km Men’s event, Andrew Gaskell secured 1st Male (4:15:23); Joseph Nunn took 2nd Male with 4:55:16; and Nicholas Morgan took 3rd male (4:59:47).

Sunday there was another 45km course event.

In the 45km Women’s event, Jessie Whittle took 1st Female (5:31:53), Josie Riseley took 2nd Female (5:55:22) and Marie Heitz won 3rd (6:26:43).

For the 45km Men’s event, AURA’s very own David Bailey from Tolmans Hill, Tas held strong to claim 1st Male with an astonishing time of 4:19:03 – his lead was more than 39 minutes ahead of 2nd placer Peter Bovino (5:00:17). Andrew Wilson took 3rd Male with 5:08:21.

There were 6 starters in the 100km event (4 finishers), which saw Nick Mcelwee take 1st Male (13:12:29), Chris Monaghan 2nd Male (14:00:46) and Sam Fletcher 3rd Male (15:40:46).

In the 100 miles event, it was a great start with 10 participants and 4 finishers. Thibault Delacroix claimed 1st Male (24:52:34), John Cannell took 2nd Male (26:08:27) and Fergus Edwards took 3rd (28:52:26).

Well done to AURA members Ben Hirst and George Mihalakellis who gave it a red hot crack.

UPCOMING EVENTS

The Glasshouse Series – Flinders Tour hosted by AAA Racing is due for 24 July at the Glasshouse Mountains National Park in Qld and offers a 52km ultra distance. Please check your emails and/or the AAA Racing & Coaching Facebook page for an update on the event’s restrictions currently in place, including 2 changes to the course that involve the finish line for social distancing safety and the area around Tububudla (The Twins) due to environmental impact.

The first race for August on the AURA calendar of events is the Yaberoo Trail Ultra in Joondalup, WA held on August 1 on the trails of the Yaberoo Budjara and is hosted by Ultra Series WA.

Antsy for Anstey will be held on 8 August in Tea Tree Gully with a 62km ultra option whilst Birdy’s Backyard is due for 13-15 August in Moddiarrup in WA. The Berry Long Run will be held on 14 August along a 70km trail in Lerderderg State Park, Vic and on the same day the Track Ultra WA will be held, offering the state’s only ultra track event, in Bunbury with 3hr, 6hr, 12hr and 24hr options.

More events in late August include the Cairns Port Douglas Trail Ultra in Qld (21-22 August), Bottlebutt Bash Trail Run in NSW (22 August), Run Larapinta 2021 (26-29 August) in NT, Bright Running Festival in Vic (28 August) and doubling up as the 2021 AURA Short Course Trail Championships, the Great Trail Relay in WA (28 August) and the Wonderland Run in Vic (29 August).

*All events as of 22 July 2021 are still listed to go ahead. Please keep a watchful eye on any events you are entered closer to the dates to ensure no cancellations or postponements have occurred due to the current COVID situation.

Pictured: David Bailey takes 1st Male in Sunday’s 45km event at the Tassie Trail Fest. Photograph – Supplied/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.