Weekly News Report 16-10-2023

Kate Dzienis • October 16, 2023

Hume & Hovell Ultra, NSW
Australian 6 Day, SA
BRuTUS, ACT
Lonely Mountain Ultra, NSW
Member Updates
Upcoming Events

We are always on the hunt for your stories and reports, so with us getting started on the next edition of Ultramag, send in your incredible tales to ultramag@aura.asn.au And remember, it doesn’t have to be about an AURA-listed event specifically! You just have to be an AURA member for the 2023 year.

If any corrections need to be made in any of the results listed below, please alert our editor via email by contacting Kate Dzienis at kate.dzienis@aura.asn.au

Also, don’t forget to give us a follow on Instagram! Our handle is @australian_ultra so feel free to tag us in your posts and stories!

HUME & HOVELL ULTRA

The highly anticipated Hume & Hovell Ultra was held on the weekend of 7-8 October along parts of the Hume & Hovell Walking Track in Tumbarumba, NSW. This particular event is an ultra runner’s dream, with offerings of a 100mi (with a total of 6 participants), 100km (which saw 19 finishers) and 50km.

In the Women’s 100mi, 1^st Female was awarded to AURA’s very own Melissa Robertson from Long Jetty, NSW who secured her position with a brilliant time of 1D:02:45:58, whilst AURA member Lindsay Hamilton from Forde, ACT walked away with a fantastic time of 1D:04:52:26 to take home 2^nd Female. Third female went to Lauren Rakose (1D:07:58:40).

In the Men’s 100mi, podium positions were won by Alex Hull (23:00:42), Anthony Metcalfe (1D:07:22:52) and Sean Robertson (1D:07:39:23).

In the Women’s 100km, Annabelle Swainston took 1^st Female (14:01:54) and Bianca Pietrass-Wong won 2^ndFemale (15:52:07). AURA’s own Lisa Sherman from Hillsdale, NSW secured herself 3^rd Female following a finish time of 16:36:35, well done!

In the Men’s 100km, top spots were awarded to Andrew Kennedy (12:24:11), Liew Gartrell (12:45:08) and David Pearce (12:51:38).

Congratulations to our two AURA members who raced in the 100km at Hume & Hovell Ultra – David Campbell from Sydney who finished in 14:43:42, and Julie Steele from Bulli, NSW who crossed the finish line in 19:44:01.

Forty-three participants crossed the finish line of the 50km event with top spots in the Men’s 50km being awarded to Daniel Cox (5:04:16), Glenn Hangan (5:37:49) and Daniel Wallace (6:01:38), whilst for the Women’s 50km it was Gemma Jenkins (5:07:11), Sarah Burger (5:44:58) and Sasha Lee (5:50:21) respectively.

A big congratulations to our AURA members who ran in the 50km, including Lisa Krummer from Helensburgh, NSW who finished in 5:52:59 and took 4^th Female, and Catherine Froome from Berrima, NSW who secured her race with 8:01:18.

To view the full list of results, click here.

AUSTRALIAN 6 DAY

It was a big week in early October, with the Australian 6 Day Ultra Marathon Festival held from 1-7 October at Thorndon Park east of Adelaide in SA. The event has a long standing history having originated in Colac, Vic and many AURA members, past and presented, have raced in it and created long lasting, fond memories.

On offer this year was the 6 Day as well as 72hr, 48hr and 24hr events. Many records were attained, and in the 6 Day itself there were 39 participants.

Kicking off results with the Men’s 6 Day, AURA’s Darren Linney from Paradise, SA secured himself the top spot after finishing the week with a whopping 735.631km whilst AURA Secretary Stephen Redfern from Engadine, NSW claimed 2^nd Male following his finish of the 6 Day event with 638.724km. AURA member Greg Ponych from Wishart, Qld rounded off the podium to take home 3^rd Male following a total of 602.989km.

In the Women’s 6 Day, AURA’s Annabel Hepworth from Castlecrag, NSW took 1^st Female with an incredible 708.573km whilst NZ’s Kerryn Bell claimed 2^nd Female (658.152km). AURA member Sabina Hamaty from Cambewarra, NSW pushed herself to get 3^rd Female after securing a fantastic 537.513km.

A true testament to the distances ultra runners achieve, congratulations to every single AURA member who ran in the 6 Day event, including David Billett (553.318km), Phil Ryan (540.270km), Paola Flury (521.403km), Colin Brooks (506.059km), Tamas Lorincz (491.897km), Sandi Faddy (440.214km), Bill Bardsley (431.497km), Kelly Conroy (427.686km), Tamyka Bell (411.975km), Robert Flury (410.197km), Marie Boyd (364.503km), Cassie Smith (314.671km), Benjamin Anchor (314.606km) and Richard Crane (286.531km).

Two runners entered the 72hr, both women, so in the Women’s 72hr the top spot was awarded to Emily Breakwell (165.458km) whilst AURA’s Sandra Howorth from Horseshoe Bay, Qld took 2^nd Female with a total distance of 114.049km.

There was one participant in the Men’s 48hr – congratulations to AURA member Geoffrey Langhans from Happy Valley, SA who finished the event with a total of 206.772km and title of 1^st Male.

It was the same for the Women’s 48hr, with one runner; Michelle Salerno who finished with 128.296km whilst in the 24hr event there was just one participant. Lib Smith completed the 24hr with a total of 122.817km.

BRUTUS 60KM

The BRuTUS 60km (Brindabella Ranges ultimate Trail Ultra Spectacular) was held Sunday, 8 October in the mountain ranges west of Canberra, ACT and hosted by the Ultra Mediocre runners.

For ultra runners, a 60km was on offer with top spots in the Men’s 60km awarded to Rowan Lewis (5:23:06), Jack Brand (5:42:45) and Joseph Hughes (5:42:47). In the Women’s 60km, podium finishes went to Jordan Anderton (7:30:01), Marnie Shaw (7:46:21) and Nicole Siddon (7:51:33).

LONELY MOUNTAIN ULTRA

The Lonely Mountain Ultra was held the weekend of 14-15 October in Orange, NSW and offered a wide variety of distances for runners, including a 104km (solo/relay), 50mi, 50km, 32km, 22km, 11km, and for the kids a 2km and 4km.

In the Women’s 104km Solo event, AURA’s Anna Pillinger from Fairlight, NSW took top honours with a 1^stFemale finish, crossing the finish line in a whopping 12:05:06 – well over four hours ahead of 2^nd Female finisher Jodie Bailey (16:08:48) and 3^rd Female Kate Fitzpatrick (16:35:05).

In the Men’s 104km Solo, podium finishes were awarded to Gerald Macpherson (10:54:01), Ghale Diwakar (12:42:48) and Kieran Van Bunnik (13:28:47).

In the 104km Solo and Teams event combined, there were 39 finishers. Congratulations to AURA’s Darren Cox from Beacon Hill, NSW who finished 2^nd in his age category with 14:33:40.

Twenty-one participants raced in the 50mi event. AURA’s very own Louise Clifton from Mount Victoria, NSW took 1^st Female in the Women’s 50mi with a total time of 9:12:00. Second and 3^rd Female were awarded to Hannah Mcrae (9:38:25) and Penny Kee (11:20:09) respectively.

In the Men’s 50mi, winners were named Ryan Tomkins (9:00:35), Bern Ward (11:17:11) and Alex Mcdonnell (11:56:33).

Heading into the Women’s 50km, AURA’s Hayley Teale from Tamborine, Qld took 1^st Female after finishing the event in 5:07:26 whilst AURA member Gill Fowler from Rozelle, NSW claimed 2^nd Female following a completed time of 5:15:54. Third female was awarded to Beatriz Ogilvie (5:56:53).

In the Men’s 50km, AURA’s Matthew Crehan from Northcote, Vic took home the gong with 1^st Male in a time of 4:21:53. Second and 3^rd positions were won by Nicholas Spanner (4:46:40) and Andrew Lennon (4:47:10) respectively.

One-hundred-thirty-one runners finished the 50km. Congratulations to all our AURA members, including Piera Kohout (6:12:10), Luke Ferry (6:16:10), Faye Lehane (6:18:20), Rene Collins (6:32:13), Kayden Penhall (6:55:33) and Rob Stoneham (6:59:50).

For a full list of results, including the 30km, 22km, 11km and kids races, click here.

MEMBER UPDATES

Congratulations to AURA’s Greg Wilson, who raced at the 2023 Chicago Marathon earlier this month on 8 October where approx. 49,000 people raced. Greg, spotted racing in his green and gold Australia singlet, secured his fastest time since 2016 with 3:32:43.

Also in member updates, AURA’s Phil Gore has landed in the US with his family ahead of Big Dog’s Backyard Ultra (in Tennessee), due to kick off on 21 October. We wish Phil all the best for his first international performance in the backyard format.

UPCOMING EVENTS

This weekend: the kunanyi Trail Series – Cascade Slide will be on 21 October in South Hobart, Tas as well as the Heysen 105 Ultra in Victor Harbour, SA; and Old Mates Backyard Ultra from 27-30 October in Upper Barron, Qld.

Bondi to Manly Ultra will be held on 28 October in Bondi, NSW and the Great North Walk Ultras in Patonga, NSW will be from 28-29 October.

Looking ahead, November will also be a busy month with the Feral Pig Ultra from 4-5 November) in Mundaring, WA; the Great Southern Stage Run from 16-18 November in WA; Hysterical Carnage Backyard Ultra from 17-19 November in Loxton, SA; GSER from 17-19 November in Harrietville, Vic; and the Stromlo Running Festival from 18-19 November in Stromlo, ACT.

Pictured: Anna Pillinger atop the podium following her 1^st Female finish at the 2023 Lonely Mountain Ultra 104km.

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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.