Committee News Update

Kate Dzienis • October 23, 2017

Below you’ll find the latest news and updates from the AURA Committee, including the call out for a new webmaster, changes to the AURA site, online race results and rankings, and merchandise news.

AURA Website Volunteer Role

For the past two years, WA member Jeff Gray has been looking after the website and during his tenure, he performed a major site refresh (early 2016) and was responsible for regular updates ever since. Sadly for AURA, Jeff has advised that he no longer has the time to continue in this role. On behalf of the AURA committee, we extend our thanks for all the time and skill that he brought to the role.

We’re looking for someone new to take on the role of ‘AURA Webmaster’ with responsibility for maintaining and managing AURA’s website. Ideally you’ll have experience with maintaining a Wordpress site, but if you don’t have that, it’s no matter – we can teach you: an enthusiasm for ultra running and keeping our members informed is the key! You’ll need to devote 2 to 3 hours per week, and will work side-by-side on keeping content up-to-date with our Marketing Coordinator Kate Dzienis.

AURA Website Changes

On the weekend of October 13, the AURA website was given a major overhaul. This included a new look and feel to prepare for the online magazine launch, with the site now being much more mobile-device friendly. The event calendar has also been given a major overhaul with new search capabilities including an interactive map feature.

You may have already noticed that since the appointment of our Marketing Coordinator, news and feature articles are already being published to the website on a more regular basis. With the launch of this online magazine, we will be restricting a lot of our content to ‘members only’, which will require a login – if you’ve forgotten your login details, follow the prompts to retrieve your password (and use your membership number as the login).

Online Race Results & Rankings

AURA Treasurer Alexis Oosterhoff has entered into an agreement with the German Ultra Marathon Association (DUV) to act as the Australian representative to DUV and will be responsible for the entry of Australian ultra marathon event results into the DUV Ultra Marathon Statistics database.

The DUV database was first established in 2004 and stores results for more than 4,000 international events every year with more than 700,000 individual runner profiles. As part of this collaboration, the DUV team has provided AURA with direct access to its database, which AURA will use for automating the national ranking and points comp details.

This data-entry service will be provided to all ultra marathon events in Australia, regardless of their affiliation with AURA. Over the next few months, you can expect to see improved integration between DUV and the AURA website along with more regular updates to national rankings. We will also be looking at adding extensively to DUV’s database, using our own records that go back as far as the 1980s. As of writing, we have more than 1700 event results online! To access these results visit https://www.aura.asn.au/event-results/

As part of this initiative interim 2017 rankings can now be generated on-demand at the AURA Rankings Page https://www.aura.asn.au/records/rankings/. Note: rankings will be reviewed at the end of each calendar year.

Merchandise

Bling! It’s coming soon! For the past two years or so we’ve had a large stock of AURA-branded merchandise sitting in boxes just waiting to be sold. AURA Treasurer Alexis Oosterhoff has put his hand up to manage the merchandise for the time being. All the existing stock is on its way to WA where Alexis will conduct an inventory what we have and then make it available through an online store. The number of sales and interest from members will determine whether we replenish stocks and continue to offer merchandise in the future.

Rankings

Recent rankings were updated on 18 October and are accessible on the page here.

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AUTRA News Report 11-09-2025

By Kate Dzienis • September 11, 2025

Run The River Half, Qld Murphys Creek Challenge, Qld Lighthorse Ultra, WA Kunanyi Trail Series, Rialannah, Tas Upcoming Events WEEKLY NEWS REPORT FOR 12-09-2025 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 2025 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.

Team Manager 2025 IAU Asian and Oceania 100K Championships

By Gary Mullins • September 8, 2025

Location : Bangkok, Thailand Dates : November 21 - 24 2025 Role Type : Volunteer Position Time Commitment : Pre event planning + Travel Application Deadline : 17th September 2025 Thank you for your interest in supporting the Australian team for the 2025 IAU Asian 100k Championships. This role goes far beyond logistics. It’s about leadership, inclusion, and creating a positive, empowering environment for athletes competing on the world stage. AUTRA is committed to opening doors for those outside traditional pathways. We strongly encourage applications from coaches, former athletes, club leaders, volunteers, and passionate community members. You don’t need to have served on a board or managed a team before as we’re looking for people who genuinely care, are highly organised, and can proudly represent our athletes and country. Role Overview As Team Manager, you’ll work closely with AUTRA President Gary Mullins and Vice President Geoff Russell to prepare and support the national team before and during the championship. Pre-Departure Australia Act as the main contact for selected athletes and crew Assist with final entry forms and travel planning Prepare a Championships Agenda in alliance with the Team Managers Agreement Document Coordinate flights, uniforms, and team communications Help identify and organise crew support Attend online team planning meetings On the Ground in Thailand Be present and ready as athletes arrive Ensure all athlete needs are met so they can focus fully on their race Attend all technical meetings and represent the team professionally Coordinate team attendance at the opening and closing ceremonies Ensure the team and crew are prepared, organised, and calm Address any issues that arise with efficiency and discretion Provide hands on leadership and moral support throughout the race Support Provided Accommodation in Bangkok for 3 - 4 nights will be provided by AUTRA An official team uniform will be supplied A volunteer allowance of $1500 will be provided to acknowledge your time and service during the championship period. What You’ll Need Excellent communication and interpersonal skills Strong organisational ability under pressure A calm, inclusive, and athlete first mindset Commitment to AUTRA’s Code of Conduct Member of AUTRA Applying To apply for the role of Team Manager please CLICK HERE and fill out the Application Form. Applications Close at 5pm 17th September 2025. Selection Process Following the application deadline, the AUTRA Committee will review all submissions and select the most suitable candidate. All applicants will be contacted by Gary Mullins within 7 days of applications closing. Gary Mullins AUTRA President