COMMITTEE UPDATE

Alexis Oosterhoff • May 28, 2018

It’s been a busy couple of months for AURA and its membership.

WORLD TRAIL CHAMPIONSHIP

In May, Lou Clifton (12:09:23), Robyn Bruins (12:09:39), Gill Fowler (12:13:49), David Turnbull (12:25:13) and Jessica Schluter (12:36:08) represented Australia at the 2018 World Trail Championships in Penyagolosa, Spain and did our nation proud. A huge congratulations to them all for finishing strongly and within 30min of each other.

I spoke on Tuesday night with David (team captain) about the event, and he had nothing but good things to say about the event organisation and the very tough course: at 88kms with 5000m of ascent, it didn’t look on paper like a tough one, but in his words, it was “brutal” and “technical as … !”

In the lead-up to the event, in addition to the event briefings, each national team received an individual briefing on drug testing, and was advised that the top male and female ranked runners would be tested (in our case, that was Lou and David). They were both required to give blood samples. David stated he was grateful to have undertaken the ASADA online training before attending the event because it gave him a solid understanding of both his and the tester’s responsibilities, and also resulted in him being a lot more informed about the risks inherent in using off-the-shelf supplements when it comes to drug testing. I would encourage all members to have a read of our announcement published back in February (2018) about anti-doping, and strongly recommend that everyone does the ASADA Level 1 & 2 courses, you’ll learn a lot.

AUSTRALIAN RUNNING FESTIVAL

You may have read our notice posted following the Australian Running Festival 50km event held in Canberra on 15 April (2018). As the AURA National Championship 50km race, AURA was asked for advice on how to manage results when a large number of participants were unfortunately directed the wrong way early in the race. While the three lead men went the right way, the lead female group and a large contingent of runners behind them ran up to an additional 6km. This not only impacted the outcome of the female championship results, but also meant that many other participants chasing qualification times for events such as Comrades were affected.

The outcome of the results and the reasoning is discussed in the notice. We fielded numerous calls and emails from participants expressing their disappointment at the race organisation. ARF organisers were extremely open in their communication with us both during and after the race, and sent us a very detailed response about what happened on the day including addressing a number of the concerns that we raised. They have committed to making a number of changes for future championship events, including:

Providing a bike for both the lead male and lead female groups, rather than just the one lead bike.
Better briefings provided to volunteers, including a full walk-through of the course with key volunteers the week before the event.

In terms of the outcome of the AURA Championship, 1st place was jointly awarded to Larissa Tichon and Rachel Glasson, and third place to Alena Scurrah. A second 1st place trophy is being manufactured for Rachel. ARF agreed to award both Larissa and Rachel the 1st place prize money.

As to whether this event will be awarded the AURA Championships in future years, we will take everything that happened this year into consideration when making that decision.

CHANGE OF DATE FOR 2019 WORLD 24H CHAMPIONSHIP

The date for the 2019 World 24h Championship has been moved forward to May of that year, and will be held in Austria. As a result, applications for the team will now open on 17 December (2018), and close on 13 January (2019).

Also, a reminder the selections for the 2018 World 100km Championships to be held on 8 September in Sveti Martin na Muri Croatia are currently open and will close on 11 June, the day after the Australian 100km Championships on the Gold Coast. The team will be announced on 18 June.

2018 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS

I’d like to acknowledge the results of the three AURA National Championship events held this to date year:

2018 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS (FEMALE)

Title	Event	1st	2nd	3rd
Trail (short)	Two Bays 14/1/18	Natasha Fraser 4:49:14	Amelia Griffith 5:10:15	Bronwyn Young 5:29:56
48 Hour	Canberra 48h 16/3/17	Kerrie Williamson 322.011 km	Cheryl Symons 304.246 km	Annabel Hepworth 276.824 km
50km	Canberra Ultra Marathon 15/4/18	Jointly awared to: Larissa Tichon 4:00:11 and Rachel Glasson 4:09:09		Alena Scurrah 4:28:52
100km	Gold Coast 100 10/6/18	Emilie Tan 8:33:17	Barbara Fieberg 8:51:39	Anya Mullin 10:17:07
24 Hour	Adelaide 24h 14/7/18	Heather Hawkins 171.615 km	Tia Jones 134.200 km	Cherie Rothery 103.400 km
Trail (long)	Blackall 100 20/10/17	Carmen Atkinson 12:35:14	Alena Scurrah 12:50:31	Chrissy Redwood 12:54:05

2018 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS (MALE)

Title	Event	1st	2nd	3rd
Trail (short)	Two Bays 14/1/18	Majell Backhausen 4:15:56	Ashley Bennett 4:30:27	Kay Bretz 4:36:55
48 Hour	Canberra 48h 16/3/17	Kevin Muller 340.002 km	Luke Mulley 310.456 km	David Billett 284.475 km
50km	Canberra Ultra Marathon 15/4/18	Vladimir Shatrov 3:05:12	Brendan Davies 3:08:42	Barry Keem 3:11:38
100km	Gold Coast 100 10/6/18	Darryl Hill 7:18:12	Andrew Heyden 7:37:42	Kevin Muller 7:53:45
24 Hour	Adelaide 24h 14/7/18	John Yoon 245.603 km	Brendan Davies 224.814 km	Darren Linney 214.665 km
Trail (long)	Blackall 100 20/10/17	Daniel Williams 10:25:34	Luke Pryor 11:58:39	Michael Bray 11:59:15

And don’t forget the upcoming additional National Championship events:

100km @ Gold Coast 100 on 10 June.
24 Hour @ Adelaide 24h on 14 July.
Trail (long course) @ Blackall 100 on 20 October.

VOLUNTEER UPDATE

Many thanks to Dan Symonds for taking on the merchandise role. Shirts/Singlets/Buffs & Caps are now with Dan (located in Brisbane). You can purchase any of these items through the AURA shop.

Alexis Oosterhoff
Vice President, AURA

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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