ULTRA’S ‘WA GODMOTHER’ TALKS ADU 100K

Kate Dzienis • January 28, 2018

Contributed by Bernadette Benson, ‘Godmother of Ultra Running’, ADU 100kms Women’s Winner

I like variety. I’ll run road, track, and trail. I’ll run in circles for 24 hours. I’ll run over mountain passes at 3,000-metres, day or night. Last year I converted myself into a ‘sled dog’ to solo expedition across the sub-Arctic in winter.

All that variety means I’m often trying to get this 48-year-old body adapted to the demands of my event. My last adventure before the Australia Day Ultra (January 20) was an attempt at the Emu 48-hour. That was the end of September, 2017. It didn’t go well, so that did at least mean I was into recovery a little sooner.

At the end of October, 2017 I was back up to 100kms+ training weeks. Not that there’s any magic in 100kms. As my body has adapted, so has my training volume. And as my ‘easy’ speed has gotten faster, it means I can cover more distance for the same amount of time. I’m writing this to remind us all that he who focuses too hard on numbers might just be the first to the physio. My mates call me Mama Bear for a reason…I tend to try to look out for everyone, and my caring might come across as a bit over‘bear’ing at times.

On December 9, I set out to do a 5kms time trial – my first speed work in months, and with that result in hand, I registered for ADU. It was a slightly rushed lead up though. I could have used a few more weeks, but that was the only race that captured my motivation. I told myself I’d aim for an 8hr 30min finish – the A grade qualifying standard for women to go to the IAU World 100kms Championships. I’d run 8:32 three years ago at ADU, so if the weather was kind and all my ducks lined up, maybe I could break the 8:22:17 Australian W45 record, too.

I wrote my race plan, and then my partner showed me the detailed forecast – 71 to 77% humidity, wind starting at 26kph with a potential increase to 30kph at 3am. “That’s not record breaking weather!” I groaned.

The midnight start for the 100kms didn’t bother me at all. My internal clock is a bit ‘Euro’ anyway, I certainly don’t have the Perth clock. It’s 9pm as I write this and I’m just getting started! I enjoyed the feeling of serenity that darkness provides. It made the race start feel much more relaxed for me. I liked that it made me feel a bit more invisible. I’m always pretty quiet before a race. Introverts have to guard their energy carefully.

Thirty seconds in, Richard Avery shot out into the darkness and I was running beside Kevin Matthews and Jon Pendse. Kev had an ambitious goal, but appeared relaxed and was cracking jokes about our 4.22 pace. Yeah, we reeled that in in a hurry, but the boys were soon off in the distance as we all settled into our target paces.

The wind was forecast to be ESE and we were running an NS out-and-back that was 6.25kms one way.

I suddenly wondered if the Bibbulmun Track (WA) was closer than I thought, because it always had lessons for me, and I was being served my first ‘acceptance’ lesson. The gusty cross wind often had me feeling like I was running into a headwind both directions. It was so humidly hot I was pouring water on myself from 1.15am.

From 1.30am to 3am I mentally quit. I quit a hundred times. Silently, I ranted, I whinged, I spat the dummy and I chucked the toys out of the pram. I retired from racing. For sure this time. Really. At 2hr30 I was less than a minute off the plan. Not much, but I knew where it was headed, and then the wind picked up. The next 6.25kms section and I was nearly another 30 seconds behind. I was headed in for a headlamp swap when I was suddenly thrust into total darkness at a 4.45 pace. Not enough charge left to run the battery on full brightness, so I had another whinge. There’s no room for errors and faffing about in any record-breaking plan I write.

Luckily, I had really crappy accommodation. Every time I pictured going up to my partner (the silent, steadfast sentinel crewing me all night) to tell him I quit, I imagined driving back to our crappy cabin aka donga, and laying there all night in a worn out bed with a too-high pillow, amped up on Fully Charged and caffeine, whilst everyone else ran. I had no idea at the time, but now I know how strategic it can be to make quitting really off-putting!

Finally, at 3am, it hit me. I was fixated so hard on the 8:22:17 AUS record time that I just wasn’t accepting the conditions. I widened my lens and remembered my mantra written on my toes: BESTDAYEVER. I held on to the aspiration of the 8:22, but shifted my mindset to fulfilling my mantra. What would it mean to have the best day ever? Run as solidly as possible for the conditions. Don’t stuff up nutrition or hydration. Run efficiently. Don’t back off and slack off, but don’t get into a heart rate zone that will destroy me. Finish strong. Smile.

The birds sang and the sun came up, so headlamps and high-vis vests could be dropped, and I could finally see the other runners clearly. By now, the 50kms racers had joined us (they started at 3am), and the 25kms entrants appeared at 6am. There was still plenty of space on a long course like that to run on my own, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Loads of smiles were shared with passing runners. The camaraderie and other good mojo were outstanding. I mean, the mountain-ultra-trail community is known for that, but in this race it really shone through. Maybe it had something to do with the 19 stuffed kookaburras that were hidden in the trees for racers to find and bring back for points. Nothing like seeing someone running at you with a big white stuffed animal to make you smile.

Our community has grown. In May 2008, when I moved to Perth from Canada, I had one connection: David Kennedy. He took me on my first trail run. He told me about his wild dreams and schemes for ultra events. I then met Rob Donkersloot, and we became regular weekend running mates for probably a couple years. You could count all the ultra runners in WA on your two hands in 2008 and 2009. Comrades was pretty much the only ultra anyone in WA had heard of, and funnily enough, it was the only one I hadn’t heard of!

I went trail hunting by looking for green bits on Google maps. I went to the topo store to get maps and dove into the bush armed with a GPS with breadcrumb functions, a pencil and paper for drawing mud maps on the go, a useless flip phone, and boatloads of water. My circle of running mates widened. Though most didn’t stick at first, when they found this trail running gig involved one-kms splits that didn’t start with a 4, 5, or even a 6. We all found our niches – road, flat double-track trail, hilly single track….but we still all knew each other. David Kennedy’s dreams of multiple ultras in WA couldn’t be realised until we had more mountain-ultra-trail runners, and so I birthed the Perth Trail Series, in large part to introduce people to trails and to create a way for people to get into the sport without having to do a 46kms race as their first event.

At ADU this year, I was reminded just how much our sport has grown in WA. I don’t recognise everyone anymore. I probably can’t even recognise 10% of our local ultra runners. I don’t know your history or your stories. That has bothered me, but I’ve had to reconcile with it. Many of you know me, or at least know of me. Shaun Kaesler, ADU assistant RD, introduced me by saying I am ‘pretty much the godmother of ultra running in WA’ (though I felt like a grandmother, perhaps, hobbling after my 8:27:39 run). It was a comment that I felt really honoured by. It’s one I worked harder for, in some ways, than any record-breaking title. I believe very much in the power of mountain-ultra-trail running for self-exploration, mental and physical health, and community building. Ultra running is a privilege, not a right. We earn it through dedication to training, strengthening, and recovering, and in our dedication to each other and the goodness we can bring to the fold. Thank you all for your goodness.

Featured Image: Bernadette Benson tackles the 100kms out-and-back course at this years Australia Day Ultra, held on January 20. Photograph – Rolf Schatzmann.

Image Above: One of the kookaburras runners had to spot and grab along the course of ADU. Photograph – Supplied.

Ultramag contributor Bernadette Benson is a Canadian-born ultra runner living in Perth, WA who has competed in numerous road, track, and trail events around the world. Benson has broken numerous records, including the Canadian W40 100k record in April 2011 at the Coburg 24-hr track race in Vic, and the FKT (fastest known time) record for the 1000k Bibbulmun Track in November 2011, completing it in 15 days 9 hrs 48 mins.

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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.