FROM THE VP (JULY 2019)
Alexis Oosterhoff • July 31, 2019
NEW RECORDS
With thanks to our records officer, Jodie Oborne, we congratulate Bernadette Benson for setting a new Australian Women’s OPEN record in the 100 mile distance at the Sri Chinmoy 24 Hour Races in Campbelltown NSW and Marie Boyd for setting several new W70 age group records at the Across the Years 6 Day event in Glendale, USA
There is also an update to the Women’s open & age group records documents that can be found on our Records page.
The table below shows all Australian records awarded this year:
| Date | Athlete | Distance/Time | Record Type | Venue | New Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30-Dec-18 | Marie Boyd | 48 hour | Australian W70 | Glendale USA | 151.760 km |
| 31-Dec-18 | Marie Boyd | 200 km | Australian W70 | Glendale USA | 2D:15:22:23 |
| 3-Jan-19 | Marie Boyd | 6 days | Australian W70 | Glendale USA | 360.851 km |
| 17-Mar-19 | Nikki Wynd | 48 hour | Australian W45 | Bruce ACT | 317.894 km |
| 17-Mar-19 | Gemma Worland | 48 hour | Australian W25 | Bruce ACT | 146.063 km |
| 17-Mar-19 | Dan Symonds | 48 hour | Australian M25 | Bruce ACT | 362.213 km |
| 14-Apr-19 | Jeff Grey | 50 km | Australian M55 | Canberra ACT | 3:35:36 |
| 16-Jun-19 | Bernadette Benson | 100 miles | Australian W OPEN Australian W50 | Campbelltown NSW | 15:24:44 |
AUSTRALIAN 24H TEAM SELECTION
Congratulations to the following athletes who have been selected to represent Australian at the IAU World Championships in Albi France on 26 & 27 October. This is without doubt our largest and potentially one of the most competitive teams ever.
MEN
- Matthew Eckford
- Kevin Muller
- John Yoon
- Stephen Redfern
- Ewan Horsburgh
- Kay Bretz
- John Pearson
- Barry Loveday
- Dan Symonds
WOMEN
- Nicole Barker
- Tia Jones
- Nikki Wynd
- Donna Urquhart
- Simone Hayes
CLUB RANKINGS
With thanks to David Billett, the AURA Club Rankings documents have been updated and can be found on our Rankings page (under All Time Rankings / Club Rankings). The Club Rankings list Australian runners who have achieved certain distances (100mi, 200km, 250km & 300km), sorted chronologically according to date of entry into the club.
HALL OF FAME
A huge thanks to Ian Cornelius for contributing a fantastic article this month docmenting the running career of Ron Grant. The article can be read here, and is also linked from our Hall of Fame page, where you can read about many other great Australian ultra runners.
CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS
Back in April I wrote that Rob Donkersloot and myself are standing down from our roles in AURA at the end of the current term (i.e. April 2020). We’d very much like to start handing over a number of the jobs required to keep AURA running, which include (but are not limited) the following. Now is an especially good time to start doing so, as several of these roles are most active over the next two to three months.
If you’ve the time and an interest in any of these roles, please contact myself or Rob — we’ll give you plenty of support in learning the job:
- Awards & Trophies – order trophies for National Championships and Annual Awards each year, and distribute to NC events and recipients
- Certificates – prepare, print and send certificates for Australian Open and Age Group records as they are ratified
- Website Management – maintain the AURA (WordPress) website, performing regular software updates, monitoring backups etc
- Website Publishing – update the AURA listed event pages
- Membership Management – maintain the database of members
- Insurance Coordinator – liaise with insurer to manage insurance for AURA listed events
NEW AURA MERCHANDISE
We’ve had new shirts & singlets designed by local a pair of talented WA ultra runners (Shannon & Justin at OC Clothing), and are really pleased with the outcome. They’re now in stock and available to order at the AURA Shop. Some sizes have sold out already – a new shipment arrived this Tuesday and we’ll have the shop updated with stock levels by end of the week.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS
An update to our National Championship Results for 2019, with Cleland 50 (Short-Course Trail Championships) held in June.
| Title | Event | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 48 Hour | Canberra 48h 15/3/19 | Nikki Wynd 317.89 km | Kerrie Williamson 305.284 km | Cheryl Symonds 284.520 km |
| 24 Hour | Coburg 24h 13/4/19 | Cheryl Symons 186.311 km | Karen Mickle 174.642 km | Kris Ryan 168.177 km |
| 50km | Canberra Ultra Marathon 14/4/19 | Corrina Black 4:03:16 | Alena Scurrah 4:14:48 | Katherine Booy 4:31:04 |
| Trail (short) | Cleland 50 9/6/19 | Hannah McRae 5:27:10 | Ina Schapiro 5:39:53 | Vicky Rounding 5:57:29 |
| Trail (long) | Hume & Hovell 12/10/19 | Karen Mickle 4:24:33 | Jodie Oborne 14:44:53 | Leah Weeden 19:29:07 |
| 100km | Ned Kelly Chase 100 26/10/19 | Rhiannon Snipe 8:09:58 | Michelle McAdam 8:15:15 | Margie Hadley 8:43:59 |
2019 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS (MALE)
| Title | Event | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 48 Hour | Canberra 48h 15/3/19 | Mick Thwaites 389.041 km | Dan Symonds 362.213 km | David Billet 275.673 km |
| 24 Hour | Coburg 24h 13/4/19 | Kevin Muller 251.605 km | John Yoon 219.245 km | Daragh O’Loughlin 208.705 km |
| 50km | Canberra Ultra Marathon 14/4/19 | Ash Watson 2:59:40 | Brendan Davies 3:08:28 | Barry Keem 3:10:17 |
| Trail (short) | Cleland 50 9/6/19 | John Csongei 4:53:38 | Graham Tottey 6:32:05 | |
| Trail (long) | Hume & Hovell 12/10/19 | Andrew McConnell 10:11:28 | Scott Richmond 10:43:01 | Richard Storrier 10:47:14 |
| 100km | Ned Kelly Chase 100 26/10/19 | Clay Dawson 6:54:03 | Dion Finocchiaro 8:03:30 | Kyle Weise 7:53:04 |
Herdy's Frontyard Ultra, WA Gold Coast Backyard Ultra, Qld I'm Still Standing Sydney, NSW Trail Run Australia - Tathra, NSW Sri Chinmoy 48hr Track Ultra (Australian 48hr Track Championships, ACT Washpool World Heritage Trails, NSW Tamworth Trailblazer, NSW Upcoming Events WEEKLY NEWS REPORT FOR 23-3-2026 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 2026 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.
AUTRA’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held on Wednesday 15 April 2026
AUTRA has been in direct contact with the organisers of the Snowies Trail Run Festival, In2Adventure, regarding a recent situation involving an athlete and the event’s in‑person safety briefing requirements. In2Adventure has confirmed that the situation was discussed directly with the athlete at the time. From In2Adventure’s account, and for the purpose of clarifying the public record, AUTRA notes the following points: At no stage was the athlete prevented from breastfeeding at the event. The organiser states that the following options were offered to enable the athlete to participate while still meeting safety requirements: a quiet and private space where she could breastfeed while still being present at the briefing; the option to receive the required briefing at the 30 km start line after the start; and the option to change her registration to the 21 km event, where the briefing is conducted on the start line. At no stage prior to event registration on Saturday night did the athlete contact the organiser to advise of her situation or request alternative arrangements, which limited what could be put in place at the time. Face‑to‑face safety briefings have always been a requirement for In2Adventure events due to the remote and higher‑risk nature of the trails. AUTRA was aware that in‑person briefings were used and had not raised concerns about that general approach. The organiser has indicated that this requirement is driven by safety, duty‑of‑care and insurance obligations, and follows previous experience where remote or online briefings resulted in athletes starting events without critical safety information. The organiser maintains that the event was not conducted in a manner that was intended to be non‑inclusive, inflexible or discriminatory, and that decisions made on the day were based solely on safety requirements that apply equally to all participants. AUTRA’s aim in issuing this statement is solely to clarify the context and ensure that the public record reflects the information provided to us by the organiser.
Results for 2026 Lark Hill Party Ultra, Belair Marathon, Mirrim Wurnit Back Paddock Ultra, and Coombabah Trail Run.
Carrying that mandatory gear
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IN OTHER NEWS
Herdy's Frontyard Ultra, WA Gold Coast Backyard Ultra, Qld I'm Still Standing Sydney, NSW Trail Run Australia - Tathra, NSW Sri Chinmoy 48hr Track Ultra (Australian 48hr Track Championships, ACT Washpool World Heritage Trails, NSW Tamworth Trailblazer, NSW Upcoming Events WEEKLY NEWS REPORT FOR 23-3-2026 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 2026 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.
AUTRA’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held on Wednesday 15 April 2026
AUTRA has been in direct contact with the organisers of the Snowies Trail Run Festival, In2Adventure, regarding a recent situation involving an athlete and the event’s in‑person safety briefing requirements. In2Adventure has confirmed that the situation was discussed directly with the athlete at the time. From In2Adventure’s account, and for the purpose of clarifying the public record, AUTRA notes the following points: At no stage was the athlete prevented from breastfeeding at the event. The organiser states that the following options were offered to enable the athlete to participate while still meeting safety requirements: a quiet and private space where she could breastfeed while still being present at the briefing; the option to receive the required briefing at the 30 km start line after the start; and the option to change her registration to the 21 km event, where the briefing is conducted on the start line. At no stage prior to event registration on Saturday night did the athlete contact the organiser to advise of her situation or request alternative arrangements, which limited what could be put in place at the time. Face‑to‑face safety briefings have always been a requirement for In2Adventure events due to the remote and higher‑risk nature of the trails. AUTRA was aware that in‑person briefings were used and had not raised concerns about that general approach. The organiser has indicated that this requirement is driven by safety, duty‑of‑care and insurance obligations, and follows previous experience where remote or online briefings resulted in athletes starting events without critical safety information. The organiser maintains that the event was not conducted in a manner that was intended to be non‑inclusive, inflexible or discriminatory, and that decisions made on the day were based solely on safety requirements that apply equally to all participants. AUTRA’s aim in issuing this statement is solely to clarify the context and ensure that the public record reflects the information provided to us by the organiser.
