President’s Report for October 2017

First of all, I would like to welcome everyone to our first digital version of Ultramag!

The members survey conducted earlier in the year overwhelmingly showed that our members were in favour of a move from the printed version of the magazine to an online presentation, and given the resources and costs involved with producing the hard copy publication, the AURA committee decided to make the change.

The funds saved by moving to a digital Ultramag has enabled the association to appoint Kate Dzienis as AURA’s marketing officer. Kate is a journalist and a runner, and has been reporting on the Australian ultra scene already with her magazine-style website. Kate will be working on a number of marketing fronts, with key initiatives to build the membership base and increase public awareness of our sport as well as the remarkable achievements of our members.

AURA would like to sincerely thank all of its Ultramag past editors, a publication that has a history of some 32 years. Luckily their efforts won’t be forgotten as all of the hardcopy magazines are being digitised and will be made available to members on the AURA website; now that will make some interesting reading.

The association has been busy on variety of other fronts with highlights of the last months including:

- I had the pleasure of joining the 24 Hour Team at the World Championships conducted in Belfast, Northern Ireland on 1 July, 2017. All team members ran their hearts out for their country, however ultra running can be a cruel sport, with two of the four women’s team members and three of the five men’s team members experiencing issues with injuries throughout the race. The women’s team finished 11th and the men’s team 12th.

- In August, the AURA Committee held a day long strategy development session in WA. From this work terms of reference were developed and subcommittees formed to develop parts of our Strategic Plan 2018-2021. Areas being addressed include:

Increase awareness, interest and participation in the sport of ultra running
Expanding the AURA membership base through addressing the membership value proposition
Assistance and support for event organisers to provide sustainable ultra running events
Provide leadership in terms of governance for the sport of ultra running and member wellbeing
Investigation of funding opportunities outside of current revenue streams
Provide initiatives and pathways to improve the performance of Australian athletes in sanctioned international competition
Ensure AURA provides equity to all members of our society that wishes to participate in the sport of ultra running

- A committee comprising Andy Hewat, Tom Landon-Smith, Billy Pearce, Greg Robinson and Peter Lugg was appointed to develop AURA’s safety standards for ultra running events. This is a critical initiative to assist making our sport safer for all our members.

As we move into the last quarter of the year there are still some key events to be run including one of my favourite events, the mega 240kms Coast to Kosciuszko race in December.

I’m back crewing this year, and hope to see many of our members there either running, crewing or volunteering.