WEEKLY NEWS REPORT – 24/9/2019

Kate Dzienis • September 24, 2019

Surf Coast Century, Vic
Yurrebilla Trail, SA

Surf Coast Century, Vic

Surf Coast Century was held on Saturday (Sept 21) in Anglesea, Vic with a 100km and 50km trail option and AURA’s Ash Watson from Nerrina, Vic held on to his 100km 1st Male title (2018 winner with 8:16:50) with yet another claim to the throne, as well as beating last year’s personal time and finishing the race in 7:57:09.

As well as his own PB, Watson set a new course record for the men. He was miles ahead of the pack with 2nd Male Ross Hopkins coming in at 9:03:51 and 3rd Male Ryan Czwarno at 9:18:14.

AURA member Sarah Ludowici from Sydney, NSW took 1st Female after crossing the finish line in 10:08:05 for the 100km. Sarah Hedger held on to 2nd Female (10:35:40) and Hayley Teale was 3rd Female (10:41:29).

Congratulations to our AURA members who tackled the 100km including Simon Duke (9:57:59), Stuart Hughes (10:47:22), Adrian Polidano (10:53:23), Mak Sawa (11:17:38), Adam Waites (11:26:53), Simon Neale (11:26:53), Sarah Niven (13:06:40), Bill Bardsley (13:43:15), Regan Doyle (13:53:16), Gayle Cowling (14:33:35), Justin Parise (14:37:51) and Adam Darwin (15:33:48).

In the 50km men’s event it was Damien Angus 1st with 4:16:07, Campbell Craig 2nd (4:35:35) and Simon Angus 3rd(4:52:22). In the women’s race top spots went to Belinda Ralph in 1st (4:38:11), Kelli Hoffman 2nd (5:22:27) and Rebecca Beumer 3rd (5:29:11).

Well done to AURA member Isobel Ross (5:56:35) who finished her 50km race.

For a full list of results click here.

Yurrebilla Trail Ultra

The Yurrebilla Trail 56km Ultra was held on Sunday (Sept 22) through the Adelaide Hills in SA and featured climbs of 1865m and descents of 2060m. Whilst a great race for those want to race hard, it’s also a great event for people new to ultras who are keen to see if they can push themselves past the limits.

With a large field of 338 finishers, AURA member Kieran Rooke from Coromandel Valley, SA claimed the title of 1st Male as he crossed the finish line for the 56km in 5:06:46. Close behind him were Shaun Koopman in 2nd with 5:09:14 and James Duffy in 3rd with 5:11:17.

In the women’s division podium finishes went to Tracy Morrison (5:59:18), Natasha-Jade Michalczyk (6:00:56) and Lauren Rooke (6:04:30).

Congratulations to all AURA members who finished their event at Yurebilla including Dej Jamieson (6:38:02), Graham Tottey (7:20:10) and Douglas Kewley (9:41:04).

For a full list of results click here.

Coming Up

It’s a big weekend of races, with the Ultra Trail Gold Coast kicking off mid-week on Tuesday (Sept 24), WTF 100mi and 50m i in WA on Sept 28, the Butter24 track event in Qld on Sept 28, the Kuranda to Port Douglas Ultra in Qld on Sept 29 and the Adelaide 6 Day kicking off on Sept 29 in SA.

Please send your race reports for the next edition of Ultramag to ultramag@aura.asn.au

Pictured: Ash Watson at the 2019 Surf Coast Century. Photograph – Matt Hull Photography/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.