WEEKLY NEWS REPORT 8-10-2020

Kate Dzienis • October 8, 2020

Butter 24 & 48, Qld
Brisbane Trail Ultra, Qld
Big Dog’s Backyard International News
More News and Events Coming Up

Butter 24 & 48, Qld
The Butter 24 & 48 event was held the weekend of 25-27 September, and the results are now official. Due to strong winds that knocked the timing equipment off, race directors were recording laps manually and had to process the uploading of data for each athlete which took a little bit of extra time.

There was a new W55 24hr Age Group Record set by experienced distance runner Tia Jones in the 24hr division (yet to be ratified), so read on for more information – and congratulations to Tia!

In the 6hr event (12 participants in total) for the women, it was Nicole Jukes who took 1st Female with 147 and 59.191km. In 2nd Place was AURA’s very own long standing member Jodie Oborne from Balmoral, Qld who secured 134 laps and 53.722km (2nd Overall). Jennie Cartwright took 3rd Female with 53.155km.

For the men, Ashley Knauth took 1st Male with 51.183km, Peter Dalby took 2nd with 47.638km whilst AURA vice president Matthew Eckford from Wights Mountain, Qld held on for 3rd Male after finishing with 106 laps to total 42.400km.

Well done to all those AURA members who ran in the 6hr including Susannah Harvey-Jamieson (12.400km).

In the Butter 12hr division where 9 runners participated, pole standings for the women went to Kathleen Judge (116.828km), Sandi Faddy (97.054km) and Shelley Coleman (80.026km). For the men it was Craig Bibby (116.032km), Trevor Lampard (111.997km) and Ben Dennien (108.804km).

AURA’s own Mick Thwaites from Banyo, Qld took 4th Male after completing 208 laps and finishing up with 83.200km.

Onto the 24hr where there were 11 participants and AURA’s Tia Jones from Ipswich, Qld took home 1st Female after 197.150km (492 laps) as well as a new W55 24hr Age Group Record (yet to be ratified). Her result secured her 1st Overall in the 24hrs.

Second Female went to AURA member Kathryn Austin from Greenbank, Qld who successfully claimed 434 laps and 173.793km. She was 2nd Overall. Amanda Pavey took 3rd Female (157.624km).

It was another top spot podium finish for the men too, with AURA’s Mark Vickers from Wooloowin, Qld claiming 1st Male after a successful 407 laps and 162.931km, claiming 3rd Overall.

2nd Male went to Lee Pratt (142.836km) whilst 3rd went to Andrew Gills (120.868km).

In the 48hr event, with 4 runners on the track (1 woman, 3 men), AURA member Kris Ryan from Pacific Pines, Qld secured top position for the women with 570 laps and a total of 228.071km.

Greg Ponych from Wishart, Qld and also an AURA member took 1st Male after a whopping total of 678 laps and a massive 271.520km. AURA’s Stephen Lewis from Stanthorpe, Qld held on for 2nd Male with 428 laps and 171.270km whilst AURA member Steven Houldsworth from Harristown, Qld claimed 3rd Male following his 209 laps and 83.600km.

Brisbane Trail Ultra, Qld
The Brisbane Trail Ultra was held last weekend on 3 October, it’s second time officially run after an inaugural event in 2019 – it offers distances of a 30km, 60km, 110km and 100mi where participants run through Brisbane’s subtropical rainforest hinterland.

Starting with the 60km distance, AURA’s Ben Duffus from Indooroopilly, Qld took out the title of 1st Male after completing the run in 5:21:18 setting a new Course Record by more than 20 minutes.

He said in an exclusive finishers interview to BTU race directors that it was a great day for a run on local trails and that the last 20km was just about getting it done.

“It was about survival, about just getting it done but by then it was on home ground,” he said.

“My strategy to manage the heat, I had crew with me so when I came to the checkpoints I got ice cold towels on me, dunking stuff in ice cold water, all of that stuff…and then on days like this, you have to remember to slow down a little bit.

“I know most of these trails that are in the BTU, but the Black Cockatoo Single Trail section of the course I’d never done before, so I was super happy to have experienced that one.”

Second Male went to Andrew Hill (6:48:54) and 3rd was claimed by Benjamin Foessel (7:01:26).

For the women it was Janet Smith 1st (7:41:24), Katie Mackenzie 2nd (7:52:24) and Rebecca Idiens 3rd (8:05:17).

Congratulations to all our AURA members who took on the BTU60 including Kelvin Marshall (10:26:04) and Sarah-Jane Marshall (10:44:18).

In the BTU110, 1st Male was claimed by Andrew Dey (12:02:42) and 2nd by Tom Brimelow (12:48:06). A great achievement by AURA’s Aaron Dower from Clunes, NSW who secured 3rd Male placing after completing the 110km in 14:12:06.

For the women, it was Hayley Teale 1st (14:42:28), Carol Robertson 2nd (17:06:24) and Jade Davis 3rd (17:23:54).

When it came to the BTU100mi, AURA’s very own Noelis Rheault from Carindale, Qld secured top spot with 1st Male, coming in across the finish line with a whopping time of 20:38:17 – a new Course Record. 2nd Male finisher was also an AURA member in Kieran O’Brien from Auchenflower, Qld who came in at 22:18:44 whilst 3rd Male went to Damian Espinase (24:39:44).

Just 1 female ran in the 100mi and that was Jacqui Bell (28:11:39).

What a stellar effort from everyone at the BTU for the event’s second ever running.

Big Dog’s Backyard International
As ultra runners, we’ve all heard of the infamous Lazarus Lake. This year, his Big Dog’s Backyard Ultra World Championship is being held on 17 October across the globe and he’s claimed that the event will feature the greatest array of talent ever assembled to compete in the backyard event. With all things COVID-19 this year, the format will be different – each nation competing will have its own satellite event running simultaneously, with each event a stand-alone race and the winner being the last man or woman standing.

With 15 runners minimum needed on the Australian team, we have some amazing AURA names on the list who will be running at the Oxley Creek Common (same venue as AAA Racing’s The Clint Eastwood event). In alphabetical order:

Kerrie Bremner from Nicholls, ACT (AURA)
Suzanne Chatterton
Ryan Crawford
Susannah Harvey-Jamieson from Bowen Hills, Qld (AURA)
Barry Loveday
Neil MacNeil
Cam Munro
Chris Murphy
Jodie Oborne from Balmoral, Qld (AURA)
John Pearson from Coolum Beach, Qld (AURA)
Greg Ponych from Wishart, Qld (AURA)
Kris Ryan from Pacific Pines, Qld (AURA)
Guy Schweitzer
Lisa Spink from Maroochydore, Qld (AURA)
Dan Symonds from Taringa, Qld (AURA)
Mark Taylor
Mick Thwaites from Banyo, Qld (AURA)

More News
Last week, Stephen Wright from Oxenford, Qld was running a six day solo run in his state on a 4km circuit around Damian Leeding Lake, starting 27 Sept and ending 3 Oct. He successfully completed a whopping 661km and found an immense amount of support both online on the socials and in-person.

The Irrational S.O.U.T.H 200 Miler was supposed to be held from today (7 October) from Murray Bridge to Clare Valley in SA, however with border closures and event postponements, the official event was cancelled. Event director Shaun Kaesler has said that 4 participants, all of whom were entered, are currently running their own Irrational S.O.U.T.H 200 Miler and that he would donate the equivalent of their entry fee to their nominated charity (plus an entrant rollover) if they were to go ahead.

If you’re an AURA member, or know someone who is and they are running an event, please email kate.dzienis@aura.asn.au so their achievements may be included in our weekly news reports.

Coming Up
The River Run 100 will be going ahead on 10-11 October in Auchenflower, Qld but has limited its entrant numbers to 500 due to COVID-19. Volunteers are still needed according to the event’s FB page so visit for more information. Distances for ultra runners include a 100km and 50k.

The Western Coastal Running Festival will go ahead on 11 October with a 60km option for ultra runners in Semaphore, SA.

The Margaret River Ultra Marathon will be held on 17 October in Margaret River, WA offering a full 80km course for solo runners and teams through the forests, trails, beaches and bluffs of the Cape to Cape coastline.

Victory Harbour in Waitpinga, SA will be run on 17 October. Known to be a challenging and technical course, participants will take trails through the Newland Head Recreation Park. A 60km option is offered for ultra runners.

Also held on 17 October is Big Dog’s Backyard International World Championships. Hosted by America’s Lazarus Lake, it is likely to be the only international team event due to COVID-19 restrictions across the globe. The event will be held at Oxley Creek Common, Rocklea, Qld and the team has already been selected with a large number of participants in the Aussie team being AURA members.

Unfortunately both Ultra Trail Australia (22 October) and the Ned Kelly Chase (24 October) have been cancelled for this year.

Pictured: Butter 24 & 48 competitors. Photograph – Jude Co/Facebook.

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Australian Mountain and Trail Running Championships 2027

By Jin Kato • July 8, 2026

The world-class trails of Kunanyi/Mt Wellington will play centre-stage for one of the country’s fastest-growing sports, after the Kunanyi Mountain Run (KMR) was awarded the hosting rights for the first-ever combined Australian Mountain and Trail Running Championships (AMTRC). KMR was awarded the National Championships after a competitive bid process, overseen by the Australian Ultra and Trail Running Association (AUTRA) and Australian Athletics (AA). AUTRA President, John Claridge, said that KMR “offered everything we were looking for”. “World-class trails, proven event management and a passionate community. It provides the perfect stage for Australia's first combined National Trail Championships," he said. It’s expected that Australia’s elite mountain and trail running athletes, and support crew, will travel to Hobart, as they vie for a spot in the Australian team that competes at the 2027 World Mountain and Trail Running Championships. "This is a landmark moment for trail running in Australia,” Mr Claridge said. "We're excited about what this championship represents; not just next year, but for the future of trail running in Australia... helping grow the sport and inspire the next generation of trail runners." The 2027 AMTRC at KMR will be the first time that all championship distances have been held together, at the one festival. “It aligns us more closely with the way World Championships are presented, creating a stronger pathway for athletes and raising the profile of the sport,” Mr Claridge said. KMR, a 3-day trail running festival which has been held annually since 2022, expects to draw more than 1500 runners and hikers from across Tasmania, Australia and internationally next year. The AMTRC will be embedded within KMR’s existing event program, allowing elite athletes to compete for the national titles, while sharing the same spectacular trails and event-experience as recreational runners. “We’re honoured to have been selected as host,” KMR’s founder and director, Lincoln Quilliam said. “KMR continues to welcome runners, and hikers, of all abilities. From the elites who want to represent Australia on the world stage, the group of mates or work colleagues who run the team relay together, the mums returning to running after having a baby, as well as those who are trying trail running for the very first time,” Mr Quilliam said. Tasmanian runner, Jessica Collins, who has represented Australia, said it was exciting news for KMR, Tasmania and the sport. “This is such a great opportunity for Australian athletes. I’ve run many of the KMR events and know the courses and the terrain are on par with what we see at the World Champs,” she said. The City of Hobart has supported Kunanyi Mountain Run since its inception, and Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds said she was “thrilled” with the news. “Events like this not only showcase the natural beauty of our region but also reinforce Hobart’s reputation as a vibrant destination for world-class outdoor experiences.” The 2026 edition of KMR brought in $4 million to the Tasmanian economy, generating more than 8000 bed nights across the state, which Alex Heroys, Chief Executive of Destination Southern Tasmania, said was a “significant return for the visitor economy”. “Kunanyi / Mount Wellington is one of Tasmania’s great natural assets, and the Kunanyi Mountain Run shows exactly how powerful events can be in driving regional tourism,” he said. “We have an epic mountain right on Hobart’s doorstep, an airport less than 30 minutes away, and a city that is well set up to welcome thousands of visiting athletes, support crews and spectators.” “This event also reinforces Tasmania’s growing reputation as a world-class trail running destination. With steep, technical trails and real mountain terrain, Kunanyi offers conditions that are genuinely comparable to what athletes will experience at the World Championships, making it an ideal place to compete, train and visit.” For more information: Kunanyi Mountain Run Dates: 19-21 March 2027 Pic credit: David Nolan & Ryan Slater