WEEKLY NEWS REPORT 8-1-2021

Reindeer Run, SA
6 Inch Trail Ultra, WA
Coming Up

The new year is upon us, and after a whirlwind holiday season break races are slowly starting to creep back onto the AURA-listed calendar of events. Here is a recap of some of the end-of-year events!

Reindeer Run
GoodRunnings’ Reindeer Run was held on December 13, 2020 and offered participants a variety of distances including a 2.5km, 5km, 10km, 15km, half marathon, full marathon and six-hour. The course followed a 2.5km loop along the river near the bustle of Glenelg, and was GoodRunnings’ first foray into timed ultras.

Five runners hit the start line for the 6hr with 2 men and 3 women participating.

In the women’s podium finishes went to Erika MacDonald who completed 48.028km, Julie Reid with 37.662km and Rie Cooper with 12.875km.

For the men it was Hazem Kutieleh in 1st place (55.359km) and Benjamin Anchor 2nd (33.475km).

6 Inch Trail Ultra
The last event on our calendar for 2020 was held in WA’s regional south on Sunday, December 20, the 6 Inch Trail Ultra, a race very much anticipated by Western Australian runners. The full distance for participants is a 47.5km trail, whilst the half option provides 23.4km and is done on the second half of the full distance.

For the men in the full, 1st place went to Hamish Mcelwee (3:17:40), 2nd was won by Josh Tighe (3:18:56) whilst 3rd was earned by Dale Zabiela (3:23:13).

For the women, Ariarn Huston took 1st pole position (4:05:02), Marlene Lootz claimed 2nd (4:05:27) and 3rd was claimed by Kate Bevilaqua (4:07:51).

Congratulations to all our AURA members who ran in the full including Michael Carroll (3:53:39), Tony Stahl (4:16:16), Paul Hopwood (4:26:27), James Brook (4:26:35), Adam Loughnan (4:40:19), Ian North (4:52:16), Beck Hefferon (4:52:25), Chris Kirkwood (4:54:47), Timothy Bond (4:58:39), Harmony Waite (5:20:51), Darren Jenkins (5:22:42), Barbara Fieberg (5:37:22), Karen Mickle (5:40:07), Rebecca Kirkwood (6:01:02), Jason Kell (6:03:04), Vincent Naylor (6:25:10), Alexis Oosterhoff (6:34:30), Mark Caldwell (6:35:31), Margaret Hadley (6:47:55), Lucia Caravia (7:01:44), John Fisher (7:11:38), Rosa Haywood (7:33:20), Louise Wallace (7:37:41), Emma Luscombe (7:40:52) and Georgia Snowball (7:41:10).

Coming Up
The Sun Run hosted by GoodRunnings was originally meant to be held on January 3 however due to COVID-19 related concerns, the date has been changed to January 16. All participants have been contacted with further information sent through to their emails.

Participants are being offered two early start times now to cater for social distancing – a 5am start and a 6am start, and can enter a number of distances including a 1km, 2.5km, 5km, 7.5km, 10km, 15km, a half marathon, 30km, a full marathon, 50km and a 60km.

Run to Wynn, another GoodRunnings event, is due to take place on January 10 – this weekend. Held in Tea Tree Gully, the course consists of a 10km out-and-back loop along the Dry Creek corridor from Wynn Vale Dam onwards. Participants can race in a 1km Kids Dash, 3km, 5km, 7.5km, 10km, 15km, half marathon, 30km, 42.195km and a 50km.

The annual Two Bays Trail Run is only just over a week away, ready for racers on January 17. A multi-faceted course between Dromana on the Port Phillip Bay side and Cape Schanck on the Bass Strait side, the event is a 28km crossing (or 56km double crossing) of the Mornington Peninsula. Two Bays is usually capped at 1500 runners, however due to COVID-19 restrictions, this year the event will see only 500 participants. Stay updated on their Facebook page for more information if they will allow for more entries.

The Australia Day Ultra is being offered again in WA, and the ultra community usually makes its way down south to Australind, about 190km south of Perth, for this memorable event. A fast and flat course, many PBs have been made throughout the years and in 2021 will be held the weekend of January 23. Distances available include 100km, 75km, 50km, 25km and a kids 6km.

The last event for the first month of the year will be the Sandman 50, also in WA but further south of Perth, in Dunsborough. The event is a 50km race from Old Dunsborough boat ramp to the state-famous Busselton Jetty and back, and is on the beach with the nominal race line within 3 metres of the water’s edge.

Pictured: AURA member Jutta Kober, who raced in WA’s 6 Inch Trail Ultra’s half marathon distance. Photograph – Ron Mcglinn.