THE O’NEILL CIRCLE OF UNCERTAINTY

Kate Dzienis • December 9, 2019

Contributed by Kelli O’Neill, AURA member

Reflecting on my first 50 miler and beyond.

My first 50 miler (85km) was the Feral Pig Ultra on 3 November, 2018. It was a massive challenge and massive day (and night) I will never forget. I ended up doing 90km in total and took 21hrs and 39mins, most of it solo. It’s a difficult, but stunning course on the Bibbulmun Track (aka ‘the Bib’) with lots of photo opportunities. Reflecting on it one year later, I’m still proud of my achievement and will be a race I will keep in my memory bank forever.

I’m not the best with navigation and on the day took several wrong turns, but each time managed to get myself back on track.

The first was at about 19km where I went 1.5km along the wrong road. When I hadn’t seen a Bib marker in a while, I got out my paper copy of the map (a piece of mandatory gear that well and truly saved me) and realised I should have gone across the river.

So I retraced my steps until I found a bib marker. I still made it to Brookton Hwy aid station by my goal time of 12pm. The 50km runners were about 10mins away from starting, so I wanted to get out of there quickly. It was getting hot and the wonderful volunteers helped me cool down and fuel up.

Then about 50km I was going down a hill and saw some logs over the track and a trail to the left. I knew that I shouldn’t step over logs on the Bib and didn’t see any markers in front of me so I went up and down the side trail several times looking for markers, saw none. I got out my emergency spare watch with the course on it and finally found my way, and should have stepped over the logs after all.

The worse was yet to come though.

I got very disorientated just after Ball Creek hut, about 3km from the finish. By this time it was 2am (or perhaps was it 1am? Perhaps 3am?). I just couldn’t find the right path, so I walked back and forth along the trail, always keeping the hut in sight. Then somehow ended up in the bush and completely off track, so I spent more time wandering around in circles. I was exhausted, frustrated and a bit scared. It was almost dawn, so as a last resort I figured I could sit under a tree and wait until daylight, but I was also worried that people were waiting for me at the end and there was no mobile service.

I then figured out I could use my watch to get back on course by moving in all directions until it said I was near the course. Eventually I took a chance on a path and soon after was so incredibly happy to see headlights behind me – it was participant Darlene Dale, her pacers and the sweeper.

Just after nightfall I knew my goal time of 18 hours was a bit out of reach. While I was very tired, I wasn’t sick or injured so I knew I would eventually make it to the end.
Back for more – WTF 50 miler

In September, 2019 I completed my second 50 miler, Waterous Trail on Foot (WTF) in WA. Navigationally, it was easier then Feral and a bit less elevation so I was hoping for an under 18hr finish – it took me 19hrs and 9mins. This race messed with my head though. I ended up hours and hours behind everyone and had many negative thoughts.

As it was based on two out-and-backs, I saw people on my outward lap that were on their way home, and while they all gave me encouragement it was also very hard as I knew I had such a long way to go. My feet were also again very painful. By the end I had blisters on my heels and the balls of my feet were very manky. Although I was disappointed with myself in my time, I finished and didn’t get lost.

Unfinished business on the Bib

I wanted to conquer the Feral course, so I signed up for the new 100km event (same as the 50 miler, with a bit extra added to the end). It was only six weeks after WTF, and after that I’d decided to drop down to the 50 miler. I tended to my feet, trying a few new things to help reduce the pain, and made some changes to my race plan.

I dropped all ideas of paces, did a night recce run and wrote cheat sheets on the places I got lost at in 2018. I also set a regular alert on my watch to remind me to think about the current moment.

As race day approached the temperatures kept rising, until it was predicted to be 40 degrees and very windy. In conjunction with authorities on Friday afternoon race organisers wisely decided to cancel Saturday’s events of 100mi, 100km, 50mi, and 50km and run only a 50km event (actually 53km) on the Sunday, which was the last section of the original 50mi course.

Early Sunday morning two busloads of excited runners (from the cancelled ultra distances) arrived at Brookton Highway to start the run. I was feeling fairly relaxed (but not too relaxed) and excited to get out on the track. I was just thinking to get from one aid station to another and not get lost, and also remember to eat more often. I started off slow and steady and didn’t get caught up in the excitement of a mass start.

This race was very different to WTF just six weeks prior. I was in a completely different mindset. I felt a lot better mentally and physically compared to WTF. Yes it was hard and it hurt, but my feet were much better compared to WTF.

I was still on my own for a lot of it, occasionally bumping into others, but was pretty happy throughout. This section felt very different to last year. There were some parts I didn’t even recognise and other bits I remembered, especially the sections that I was feeling low in 2018. I don’t know what the change was, maybe was all the race alterations and just having to go with the flow or it just could have been that it was that it was 30km and nine hours shorter!

It’s not a completely fair comparison, as I didn’t have six hours and 30km on my legs, but this section took about five hours less compared to in 2018.

Now to the title of my contribution, it has two meanings.

Talking with my older brother after the race he told me of his navigational experiences when in pilot flying school.

They learnt that, “The radius of the circle of uncertainty is 10% of the distance you’ve travelled since the last known location”.

But he was just as bad as me in navigation and his friends used to say that, “The radius of the O’Neill circle of uncertainty is 10% of the distance you may have travelled from when you might have been.”

So it’s not just me, it’s in my genes!

Secondly, I have many more running goals I want to achieve. Even if I’m a bit uncertain, with a circle of the running tribe around me and if I remain consistent I can achieve my dreams.

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AUTRA News Report 19-02-2025

By Kate Dzienis • February 19, 2025

The latest in race results, covering Cradle Mountain Run, City Run, Oscars 100 Hut 2 Hut and Yaberoo Trail Ultra.

Final 2024 Points Competition Results

By Alexis Oosterhoff • January 30, 2025

Results for the 2024 AUTRA Points Competition have been finalised, and are available on our Points Competition page. Full details of the top 10 (as shared on Facebook during January) are detailed below, and results for all participating AUTRA members can be found in the documents at the above link. It was a real battle throughout the year between our top two finishers, Phil Gore & Kevin "BK" Matthews, with both giving it their it their all at events, and through contributions to the community - volunteering at multiple events, and submitting articles to our monthly newsletter, Ultramag. They finished within 2km of total distance for the year (Phil on 1203.087km, and Kevin on 1205.510km), and it was only Phil's final volunteering effort on 6 Inch Trail Marathon in December that gave him the that very narrow victory. As you'd be aware from previous communications, this marks the end of the Points Competition. With trail running (of all distances) now incorporated into AU T RA's constitution, and after careful consideration of the costs of the competition payouts in it's current form, the committee felt it was time for it's retirement. This marks my seventh and final year of delivering the points competition to membership (2018-2024), after taking on the role from Cheryl Symons. It has brought me great joy in doing so, and I feel like I've had an opportunity to get to know so many of our members through seeing their race (and volunteering) performances over the years! I'm continuing in my role as the AUS/NZL statistician for DUV (from whom we shared the data for the points comp), and you can expect to continue to find your ultra-race result on their site. 1st Place - Phil Gore (WA) - 86 points Phil's achievements this year have included a massive 265.653km (and 2nd place) at the IAU 24h Asia & Oceania Championships, wins at the Red Dirt Backyard Ultra (33 laps), the Australian leg of Big Dog's Backyard World Team Championship (96 laps), and the Soochow/Taipei 24h Ultramarathon (270.826km). He also knocked out an easy (!) 72km at the Light Horse Ultra 24h in between supporting his amazing wife Gemma. Those two 24h wins netted Phil new Oceania 24h Open Male records, IAU Level 1 qualifiers, and pushed him to the top of Australia's 24h trophy board (with only the great Yiannis Kouros having run further). Phil topped-up his points by contributing one article to Ultramag, worked as an Event Director at Herdy's Frontyard Ultra, and volunteered at a further five events through the year. He finished on 86 points. 2nd Place - Kevin Matthews (WA) - 84 points Finishing in 2nd place in the AUTRA 2024 Points Competition is WA's Kevin Matthews. He monstered his way through the year with finishes at Australia Day Ultra 100km, Delirious WEST 200mi, 24 laps at Herdy's Frontyard Ultra, 190km at Light Horse Ultra 24h, 23 laps at Birdy's Backyard Ultra, and also completed Feral Pig 100 miler, Sandman 50km and Six Inch 47km. And to top things off, he contributed five articles to Ultramag, and volunteered at five events. BK ran 1205km in Ultramarathon races this year, all of them AUTRA-listed, and surpassed 100 marathon finishes (including 51 Ultramarathons!) Kevin finished the year on 84 points, a massive 34 points ahead of our 3rd place finisher Sue Robertson. 3rd Place - Sue Robertson (WA) - 50 points Finishing in 3rd place in the AUTRA 2024 Points Competition is WA's Sue Robertson. Sue completed the Ultra Series 100 miler trilogy of Delirious WEST, Irrational SOUTH and Unreasonable EAST, and rounded out her year with the Sandman 50km and Six Inch 47km races. She received 30 points from the racing at AUTRA-listed events, and was awarded a further 20 points by volunteering across eight events and contributing two articles to Ultramag, for a total of 50 points for the year. Thank you Sue! 4th Place - Margie Hadley (WA) - 47 points Finishing in 4th place in the AUTRA 2024 Points Competition is WA's Margie Hadley . She was the top-female finisher at both the No Time to Die Frontyard Ultra & Wild Dog Backyard Ultra, 2nd at Birdy's Backyard Ultra, ran 182km at the Australian 24h Track Invitational and placed 3rd at Coast to Kosci. Margie received 47 points in the competition 5th Place - Melissa Robertson (NSW) - 44 points Finishing in 5th place in the AUTRA 2024 Points Competition is NSW's Melissa Robertson. Melissa took out 1st place at Irrational SOUTH 200 miler, 2nd place at Lakes Trail Festival 100km, 1st place at Hume & Hovell 100 miler, 3rd place at Rumble in the Jungle and 6th place at Ultra-Trail Kosciuszko 100 miler! She also volunteered at the GNW 50km event, receiving 44 points in the competition! 6th Place - Aaron Young (WA) - 42 points Finishing in 6th place in the AUTRA 2024 Points Competition is WA's Aaron Young . Aaron finished in 1st place at each of the Ultra Series "Triple Crown" of 200 milers (Delirious WEST, Irrational SOUTH and Unreasonable EAST), 55 laps at Big Dog's Backyard World Team Championship, and rounded his year out with Feral Pig 100 miler. Aaron receives 42 points, just nudging ahead of Maree Connor (who also finished on 42 points) on a count-back 7th Place - Maree Connor (NSW) - 42 points Finishing in 7th place in the AUTRA 2024 Points Competition is NSW's Maree Connor. Maree had an outstanding year, achieving 2nd place with 221km (and an IAU Level 1 qualifier) at the IAU 24th Asian and Oceania Championships, 1st place at the Lakes Trail Festival 100km, 1st place with 67km at the Southern Sydney 6h race, and 1st place with 116km at the Narrabeen Allnighter 12h. Maree also competed at Spartathlon race this year (for which she contributed an article to the September Ultramag on her experience), receiving 42 points in the competition. 8th Place - Darren Linney (SA) - 41 points Finishing in 8th place in the AUTRA 2024 Points Competition is SA's Darren Linney . Darren completed 34 laps at No Time to Die BYU, 199km at the Adelaide 24h race, and 814km at the Australian 6 Day race, for a total of 1241km raced and 41 points . 9th Place - Tristan Cameron (WA) - 40 points Finishing in 9th place in the AUTRA 2024 Points Competition is WA's Tristan Cameron. Tristan completed the Ultra Series Triple Crown of 200 mile races (Delirious WEST, Irrational SOUTH and Unreasonable EAST), along with Feral Pig 100 miler, for a total of 1154km raced and 40 points. 10th Place - Jen Millum (WA) - 39 points Finishing in 10th place in the AUTRA 2024 Points Competition is WA's Jen Millum . Jen finished 1st at all three of the Ultra Series Trilogy of 100 milers (Delirious WEST, Irrational SOUTH and Unreasonable EAST), and was 2nd female with 35 laps at the Wild Dog Backyard Ultra. With a volunteer stint at the Yaberoo Trail Ultra, Jen finished the year with 39 points in the competition. To view the complete list of members who secured points in 2024 click here and then follow through to Points Summary under the 2024 tab. All winners have already been contacted, with cash prizes distributed for 1st - 7th places, and AUTRA Store vouchers sent for 8th, 9th & 10th.