AUSTRALIAN ULTRA & TRAIL RUNNERS ASSOCIATION - FOSTERING AND PROMOTING THE SPORT OF ULTRA & TRAIL RUNNING.
MEMBERS
AMAZING PERFORMANCES FOR AUSSIES IN IAU 6HR VIRTUAL SOLIDARITY RUN
By Kate Dzienis
Australia this year participated in the IAU’s 6hr Virtual Solidarity Run which was held across the weekend of 29-30 August, 2020 and AURA contributed a full team of 9 men and 9 women to participate.
Each participant could choose how they ran their 6 hours – meaning they could choose to run road, trail, treadmill or laps (due to any state restrictions from COVID-19) of a location.
AURA president Ewan Horsburgh put his hand up to be one of the team members, and started his virtual solidarity run at midnight with Kristen Brace in the Blue Mountains National Park. They managed to secure 50kms with about 1200m vert, finishing up with a well-deserved coffee.
Patrick O’Leary from Canadian, Vic had to get creative due to state exercising restrictions but managed a whopping 55.12km along a ‘figure 8’ road course in Ballarat.
“It was my first 6hr event,” he said.
“I ran 3:44 for the marathon (a 5min PB!), 4:53 for the 50k (a 49min PB!) and hiked 5km to cover 55.12km in the allotted 6hrs; my 20-year-old son paced me after 14km and then I let him finish off his 36km long run when I had to walk after about 45km.
“Because we are in Stage 3 restrictions in regional Vic, I couldn’t get anyone outside of my family to help so my wife ran the aid station and my daughter took pictures.”
Others who faced challenges in Vic included Donna Urquhart from Black Rock (with Stage 4 restrictions) who managed to run 400 x 100m loops of her house, which included 100m of driveway, 5 gates, 4 corners, 5 steps and a u-turn. She was thankful for 6 hours of photo and coffee donations as well as virtual walks-and-talks with family and friends.
Both Amelia Griffith from Watsonia and Karen Mickle from Newport were limited with just one maximum to get their runs in, so made the most out of their restrictions. Griffith completed 11.01km around Princes Park.
Also in Victoria was Greg Wilson who had not done an non-trail ultra since 1998 but managed a cracking comeback, securing 65.5km.
“Having not done an AURA event in 22 years, I put my hand up for the run and was pleasantly surprised to get a place for the team,” he recalled.
“I started and finished at Five Mile Creek Park in Woodend, three loops of a fairly flat 20.85km loop on bitumen and gravel roads in the Macedon Ranges; first lap was completed in 1:54:00 and my marathon of 3:47:00 was just 2 minutes slower than my effort of a month earlier and in much worse conditions.
“It was a very satisfying total for my 6 hours; not a PB, but very happy. A pleasure to have been part of it and thanks to all the runners and supporters involved – especially my pacers Christy and Anna.”
In WA it was AURA secretary Julia Mackay-Koelen from Stirling and Harmony Waite from The Vines who participated in the 6 hour. Mackay-Koelen ran her first 20km in a trail race by the Perth Trail Series in the hills of Perth and then kept running with her extra time, finishing with a total of 25.60km. Waite started her journey at the trail head of the Kep Track in Bellevue and kept moving east, finishing with a successful 51km effort.
Mackay-Koelen said she was humbled to be a part of the event.
“I felt very privileged to be taking part in this wonderful solidarity run and to run for AURA for the very first time,” she said.
“I knew it was going to be tough, and I was absolutely stuffed at the end of it all…I had to drive 45 minutes to get home and then couldn’t walk when I got out of the car as everything had seized up, but it was so very worth it to be part of such an incredible event with other runners Australia-wide.”
Waite just kept running on the track towards her eastern states comrades.
“I treated myself to a famous Bakers Hill steak and mushroom pie and iced coffee,” she revealed.
“I was happy with a relatively consistent pace throughout my long run, hoping all the other athletes around the world were having as a good a time as me.”
Four Queenslanders chose to run together enjoying all the sights the Brisbane River had to offer. Cassie Smith, AURA vice president Matthew Eckford, Dan Symonds and Barry Loveday joined as one to do their 6 hours.
Joseph Ward from Fairlight, NSW was happy with his average pace of 4:30min/km where he completed 79.67kms. Starting at 6:30am, he ran at the Narrabeen Academy of Sports Athletics Track in NSW, and while participating said he thoroughly enjoyed eating 8 bananas for energy.
“I am so happy with my average pace, and with the amazing support by my mate Chris Jackson and mates from the Manly Beach Running Club,” he said.
“So proud to be a member of this awesome Aussie team and what a fantastic event.”
Stephen Redfern from Engadine, NSW ran at the Barden Ridge Athletics Track where he achieved a measured distance of 74.113km and secured it as a PB.
“The race was great, and I have to say everything went to plan but it was still one tough event to do with hour 5 being quite difficult,” he recaps.
“What made this race so special for me was all the friends that came up to support me and make it real for me, having at one 8 others also running around the track too; special mention to mate Stuart Wallace, who stayed and ran the whole 6 hours with me, and my wife Penny who counted all my laps and looked after my nutrition.
“This was such a great idea by the IAU, and with over 400 runners from around the world taking part this was certainly one race I felt I really needed.”
Still in NSW, Heather Hawkins from Coogee and Jeremy Rankin from Normanhurst, ACT ran with a theme and both spelled out letters and words for their support of a great cause. Hawkins managed 56.6km with laps of Centennial Park and created the letter “O” in support of Ovarian Cancer, whilst Rankin went one further, producing some great Strava Art after achieving 60.7km with the full words of “Run Against Violence”.
Photograph – Supplied.
share this
IN OTHER NEWS
FOSTERING AND PROMOTING THE SPORT OF ULTRA RUNNING.
Site by Fruitful Creative