Weekly News Report 31-05-2023

Kate Dzienis • May 30, 2023

AGM Outcome
Great Ocean Road Running Festival, Vic
Run narawntapu, Tas
Upcoming Events

We are always on the hunt for your stories and reports, so with June Ultramag coming out next month, send in your incredible tales to ultramag@aura.asn.au And remember, it doesn’t have to be about an AURA-listed event specifically!

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

AGM OUTCOME

AURA’s AGM was held on Wednesday, 24 May and unfortunately we saw president Ewan Horsburgh step down from the role after a successful three years in the position. We wish Ewan all the best; thanking him for all the time he’s given the association in growing it to what it is today.

As we say goodbye to Ewan though, we welcome on board Simone Hayes, who moves from the Treasurer role into President – AURA’s first ever female to do so. Simone has an incredible background of ultra running behind her and is extremely passionate and dedicated to the sport. You can read her President’s Letter here, which has been released as a part of the May edition of Ultramag.

The AGM also saw a new array of State Representatives into the fold. Every year, AURA asks its members to put their hands up and become representatives of the association, thus representing the sport of ultra running, in their home state. To see our amazing collection of State Reps for the 2023-24 year, you can click here!

GREAT OCEAN ROAD RUNNING FESTIVAL, VIC

It was a record breaking Great Ocean Road Running Festival on 21 May, where participants could opt to enter anything from 6km to a 60km ultra, both road and trail. The event saw a record 9,350 registered participants compete across all nine events, and it was a sell-out event for the ultra – of which there were 161 finishers.

An incredible result in the Men’s 60km, with AURA’s Dion Finocchiaro from Brighton, Vic taking home 1^st Male with an astonishing time of 3:50:15 – a decent 20 minute lead ahead of 2^nd Male getter Theo Langlois (4:10:04). Ben Harris held on for 3^rd Male (4:18:03).

In the Women’s 60km, we also so an AURA top spot claimed, with AURA member Alice Hall from Scarborough, WA claim 1^st Female following a stellar finish of 4:58:54. Tara Carson took 2^nd Female (5:00:25) whilst AURA’s very own Kathleen Judge from Tugun, Qld walked away with a fantastic 3^rd Female, crossing the finish line in 5:06:40.

Congratulations to all our AURA members who ran in the 60km including Phil Ryan (5:31:22) and Dmitry Pupkov(5:35:44).

For the full list of results, including the marathon and half marathon, click here.

RUN NARAWNTAPU, TAS

Held on 28 May at narawntapu National Park in Greens Beach, Tas the Run narawntapu offered a scenic, stunning and culturally rich environment for endurance runners of all levels – athletes were given the option to enter the 52km, 25km or 12km with a cap of 200 runners in total on the day.

In the Men’s 52km, podium finishes were awarded to Jamis Turner (4:08:32), Grant Houniet (4:09:54) and Gareth Hinds (4:10:48). In the Women’s 52km, winners were Suzi Stiso (4:48:43), Laura Fitzgerald (5:30:06) and Jacqueline Goudy (5:59:05).

Congratulations to AURA member David Campbell who finished the race in 5:24:48, a job well done!

To see the full results, including the 25km and 12km, click here.

UPCOMING EVENTS

June sees the BUTTER 24/48 in Southport, Qld from 2-4 June, the Red Dirt Backyard Ultra in Karratha, WA from 10-11 June, the Southern Sydney 24hr Ultra in Leumeah, NSW from 10-12 June, and the Adelaide 24hr Festival in Glen Davis, NSW from 10-11 June.

The Glow Worm Tunnel Marathon Weekend will be held from 16-17 June in Glen Davis, NSW and the Kennards Hire BVRT100s – which is doubling up as the 100 Mile Australian Championships – will be held in Ipswich, Qld from 17-19 June.

Antsy for Anstey is due on 17 June in Tea Tree Gully, SA whilst the Australian Backyard Masters kicks off another year in Runnymede, Qld from 17-20 June. Transcend will be held on 25 June at Walyunga National Park, WA.

Pictured: The Top 2 of the Great Ocean Road Running Festival’s 60km Men’s event: (L) 2^nd Male Theo Langlois and AURA’s Dion Finocchiaro with his 1^st Male win.

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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.