WEEKLY NEWS REPORT 25-11-2021

Kate Dzienis • November 25, 2021

Great Southern Endurance Run, Vic
Hysterical Carnage Backyard Ultra, SA
Great North Walk Ultras, NSW
Upcoming Events

GREAT SOUTHERN ENDURANCE RUN

Always an event runners in Victoria look forward to, the Great Southern Endurance Run was held earlier in the month from 12-14 November, 2021 and offered participants a 100 mile, 50 mile and 28km option.

Kicking off with the men’s 100 mile, AURA’s very own Thomas Dade from Mount Martha, Vic completed the course and took home 1st Male with a finish time of 28:05:22. Second Male was taken out by Joel Read (30:38:57) whilst 2ndwent to Ross McPhee (31:49:34).

In the women’s 100 mile there was 1 finisher according to the event’s race results and it was Elizabeth Woodgate with a total time of 44:15:03.

Congratulations to all our AURA members who raced in the Great Southern Endurance Run, including Simon Neale(41:19:49) and Jonathan Ennis-King (44:50:39).

The men’s 50 mile also saw an AURA podium top spot finish, with member Justin Hiatt from Weston Creek, ACT taking 1st Male in a speedy time of 11:07:46. Second Male went to George Morton-Ramwell (11:42:51) and 3rd to Marcus Brownlie (12:03:55).

Not to be outdone, the women’s 50 mile was another event to see an AURA member complete the course and claim the title of winner. Gill Fowler from Rozelle, NSW took complete control of the women’s division and took a massive lead over 2nd Female Claire Healy (12:50:12) after crossing the finish line in 12:28:49. The 3rd Female win had two equal finishers, claimed by Leeah Cooper (13:59:36) and Leah Alexander (13:59:36).

Well done to all our AURA members in the 50 mile who gave it a go, including Andrew Bainbridge (13:28:57), Isabella Basaglia, Geoff Markley, and Jody Daff.

HYSTERICAL CARNAGE BACKYARD ULTRA

Gaining in popularity, another backyard ultra was held the weekend of 19-21 November, with a repeat of the battle of last one standing at Herdy’s Frontyard Ultra earlier in the year. The Hysterical Carnage Backyard Ultra saw participants from varying states arrive in Loxton, SA to take on the format, and it was an edge-of-your-seat weekend for everyone – from volunteers and participants, to those watching on the socials.

West Aussie and AURA member Phil Gore from Darling Downs, who won the 2021 Herdy’s, was the last one standing (and 1st Male) at Hysterical Carnage after a total of 38 laps (254.98km). Kevin Matthews, who took the Assist at Herdy’s, kept Gore on his toes as they went hell for leather, and ended up pulling out at 37 laps (248.27km).

Nancy Williams was given the title of 1st Female following a successful 25 laps (167.75km).

Congratulations to every AURA member who ran a lap, or two, or perhaps even a few more, at Hysterical Carnage, including West Aussie Chetan Sadhana (3rd Male, 36 laps or 241.56km), Tasmanian Ben Hirst (34 laps or 228.14km), the NT’s Simon Duke (27 laps or 181.17km) and South Aussie Tim O’Brien (10 laps or 67.10km).

GREAT NORTH WALK ULTRAS

The Great North Walk Ultras was held last weekend from 20-21 November, 2021 in Patonga, NSW and offered participants a variety of distances to choose from, including a 100 miler, 100km, 50 miler, 50km and the newly introduced 25km.

The course is known to be almost entirely single track and along fire trail, and is a favourite amongst NSW runners.

Starting with the results from the men’s 100 miler, the lead was taken by Zac O’Neil who took 1st Male (24:41:52) whilst 2nd Male went to Mark Firth (25:05:16). AURA member Damian Smith from Nowra, NSW held on to claim 3rd Male with a successful race campaign, finishing the course in 25:12:18.

In the women’s 100 miler, 1st Female went to Monika Georgieva (30:48:53) and 2nd went to Tatiana Nicholson (32:33:21).

Congratulations to all our AURA members who ran in the 100 miler and gave it their all, including Jeremy Rankin(29:35:10), Bernhard Freisler (34:33:11) and Akira Suzuki.

Onto the men’s 100km, and 1st male was won by Grant Brisbin (11:43:17) whilst 2nd was claimed by Tommy Morton (12:57:35). AURA’s very own David Campbell from Sydney, NSW took 3rd Male when he crossed the finish line in 14:23:55.

In the women’s 100km, Emma Brown took 1st Female (19:21:29), Sophie Shawdon claimed 2nd (20:32:55) whilst AURA member Diana Williams from East Lindfield, NSW finished her race in 22:41:30.

In the men’s 50 miler, top spots went to Michael Lough (9:08:43), Ryan O’Mara (9:26:22) and Ryan Degan (10:08:20) whilst in the women’s 50 miler AURA’s very own Stephanie Auston from Merimbula, NSW made a sensational run, claiming 1st Female in a time of 10:43:20 just ahead of AURA’s Melissa Robertson from Long Jetty, NSW who claimed 2nd right behind her in 10:54:07. Third Female went to Ursula Adams (11:17:55).

Well done to all AURA members who dug in deep for the 50 miler, including Tim Yendell (12:57:52).

In the men’s 50km, top spots were won by Josef McGrath (4:46:25), Zac Bissett (4:57:29) and Craig Simpson (5:13:26) while in the women’s 50km it was Monika Ludriks (5:59:11), Georgina Beech (6:28:48) and Alexandra Miller (6:29:30).

Congratulations to all who raced in the 50km, including Hayden Pohio (7:13:17), Scott Marden (7:28:28) and Taras Mencinsky.

UPCOMING EVENTS

The Coast to Kosciuszko kicks off tomorrow (26-28 November, 2021) and will see participants traverse 240km from Boydtown Beach in Eden, NSW to Charlotte Pass, NSW. We have a number of AURA members entered to cover the distance as well as crewing and assisting.

Also this weekend, the Fisiocrem GC50 Run Festival will take runners 50km along the Gold Coast (27-28 November). The first race in the last month of the year will be the Bruny Island 64km Ultra due to be held 4 December in Bruny Island, Tas followed by the Narrabeen Allnighter in Narrabeen, NSW from 11-12 December, GoodRunnings 6/12 in Glenelg North, SA on 12 December and the last event for the year the 6 Inch Trail Marathon on 19 December in North Dandalup, WA.

KEEP US UPDATED

We love making mention of AURA members when they achieve incredible results at other races across the country and around the world, so if you or someone you know is an AURA member and they’ve had an amazing event that isn’t AURA-listed, email kate.dzienis@aura.asn.au and keep us in the loop!

Don’t forget that we are gearing up for our biggest Ultramag yet – our end-of-year bumper edition, but we can’t do it without you. We need your stories, your photos, your articles and your story ideas. Don’t be shy, send us what you’d love to share! Email us at ultramag@aura.asn.au

Pictured: West Aussie Phil Gore taking on the tough conditions at Hysterical Carnage Backyard Ultra in SA. Photograph – Ian Lilburn.

< Older Post

Newer Post >

AUTRA Race Report 23-3-2026

By Kate Dzienis • March 23, 2026

Herdy's Frontyard Ultra, WA Gold Coast Backyard Ultra, Qld I'm Still Standing Sydney, NSW Trail Run Australia - Tathra, NSW Sri Chinmoy 48hr Track Ultra (Australian 48hr Track Championships, ACT Washpool World Heritage Trails, NSW Tamworth Trailblazer, NSW Upcoming Events WEEKLY NEWS REPORT FOR 23-3-2026 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 2026 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.

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.