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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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