President's Report: December 2024

We have reached the end of 2024, and what a year it has been for AUTRA and its members.

We have seen a year of growth, a year of change, and of course an amazing year of events and racing that have produced some mind-blowing results. Our members have pushed their limits over road track and trail events over all distances, our race directors have spent many hours ensuring that these events are safe and fun and run smoothly for all to enjoy. Our volunteers have come in droves to assist each race, and these events don’t happen without you. Let’s not forget the families and supporters that have cheered us along the way – each and every one of you mentioned above form the community that we all love and thrive in.

The last 18 months for me as President have been very rewarding as I have seen so much positive change via the work of our committee and our volunteers. We have achieved some great results, reached milestones, and achieved objectives that we set out to achieve that we can be proud of.

Some of these that stand out are:

• Our membership has increased year on year since 2022 and the value proposition has improved with the reduction in fees and making the membership fee a 12-month membership rather than calendar year. We are currently at the highest membership number in the history of AUTRA.
• We updated our payment system to offer recurring memberships so you never forget to renew!
• We started our Member Benefits scheme so that our members receive great discounts through our Partners via our new website. We continue to build on these Partnerships with businesses in our industry to bring members more value. This supports not only our members, but both large and small businesses in the running industry.
• We have worked more closely with our State Reps and they have developed a great community rapport within their respective states. The introduction of AUTRA State Facebook pages has also been a great conduit to more member and community engagement in the various states.
• We introduced the AUTRA Endorsed Coaches Program in 2023 which gave our members easy access to qualified coaches, and through our Ultramag, provided more content and articles each month so we can continue to educate members and share information. Each year we will add to our coaches list.
• We have increased the number of events on the AUTRA calendar, which means offering more race discounts to members.
• We formally changed our name from AURA to AUTRA so as to officially recognise that we encompass trail running. Since then, we have undergone a rebrand and have a new and modern logo and image that represents who we are, where we have come from and where we are going.
• We built a brand new user-friendly and more modern website that provides better functionality over all aspects of the site and more content for members. This has greatly increased our member offerings and also the awareness of AUTRA.
• We added in a new committee role in the form of the Director of Events which has been amazing, as there is now a better collaboration process with RDs and AUTRA to allow a more seamless event listing and insurance process. This also allows us to better coordinate event promotions through social media offerings and help boost event awareness.
• We have worked hard to improve our policies to ensure our sport is governed professionally and consistently as the sport grows. We must remain in line with Athletics Australia, World Athletics, IAU and iTRA. We will continue to streamline and adjust these as needed to ensure that we can represent at the highest level, whilst ensuring the integrity and ethical values of the sport.
• Over the past 18 months we have sent six teams to represent Australia internationally. Next year we will continue to do so and also assist Athletics Australia in the selection of the World Mountain Trail Running Championships to be held in Canfranc, Spain.
• We have worked hard to build better relationships with Athletics Australia, the IAU, and iTRA, so that together we can all continue to grow the sport of ultra and trail running through alliances and shared goals. This is ongoing.
• A big highlight - we hosted our first ever international championship on Australian soil!
• We brought in a new Trail Subcommittee to further help our transition from ultra to ultra and trail, and continue to collaborate and brain storm to help guide our strategic plan that is being developed for 2025 and beyond.
• This year we introduced a scaled reduced fee structure for RDs that hold more than one event annually.
• In the past two years we have increased the promotional offerings per event via social media and e-magazines.
• In the past two years we have introduced AUTRA flags and increased State Rep attendance at events where possible.
• We have introduced a new Junior Membership so that our young and upcoming runners can also take advantage of our member benefits. This will also allow us to scout for new and emerging talent.
• We have changed our Annual Points Competition to a Monthly Members Prize Draw that is a fairer system for all members.

And what are our plans for 2025 and beyond?

• We are currently in the process of putting together a member survey for which the results will help us develop our strategic plan for the next 5 years.
• Increase membership!
• Increase the number of events we list on our calendar – we plan to be the go-to calendar for running in Australia!
• We would like to hold bi-annual Race Directors conferences to find out what AUTRA can do to help race directors build on the sport and improve their deliverance of events. Together we can all help each other to showcase Australian events to the highest standard.
• We are also developing a survey for Race Directors to also help with the above.
• We plan to provide more promotion around the national championships to highlight their importance and attract a strong field of athletes and to assist with selections of international teams through local events.
• Improve our insurance fees – we are in constant discussions with our insurance broker so that we can deliver the best product to our members.
• We are in the process of working with Sports Integrity Australia with the aim to adopt their National Integrity Framework and Australian National Anti-Doping Policy
• We would like to offer AUTRA training camps that are hosted by our Endorsed Coaches throughout the year for all levels of runners in all states.
• We plan to have runner webinars hosted by our experienced team of coaches on the panel to cover various topics of interest, such as running as you age, menopause and running, the junior athlete, the long run, and more.
• We are assisting in the push to bring trail running to the Olympics in Brisbane 2032
• We are developing a national suppliers list that can be shared with all Race Directors to assist them in sourcing equipment and gear such as timing companies, gazebos, bibs, merchandise, nutrition, caterers, coffee vans, a traffic management, a risk assessment template, and many more resources that can be acquired nationally.

That’s a long list of accomplishments and also a long wish list showing where we have been, and where we want to go, but it’s only the start. It can only happen with the work of a strong and passionate committee and body of volunteers that strive to make AUTRA the best it can be for the sport. These roles are ‘love jobs’ – we don’t do it for financial reward or accolades, we do it for the sport and community that we love.

I have had the privilege of being on the AUTRA committee for 5 years and have seen it grow and prosper to where it is today. I am extremely proud of the work that my committee has done over this time and for the passion and integrity they have shown whilst performing their roles. I feel we have achieved some amazing things in this time and built on legacies that have been left by previous committees, and now I feel we have made our own legacies for future committees to build on.

With this in mind I have decided to stand down as President of AUTRA at the next AGM as it's time to give back to my family and my business after 5 years on the committee.

I thank all of our members that have supported myself and the committee over this time and I look forward to continuing in some form of volunteer role in the future, whether it be an official role or just handing out drinks to thirsty runners. Either way, this sport is my life and I will continue to be a part of it for many years to come.

I wish you and your families a very safe and happy Christmas and I will see you in the New Year as my job here is not over, I still have a long list of things I’d like to achieve before stepping down!

Happy running!

Simone Hayes, President