Weekly News Report 24-1-2022

Kate Dzienis • January 24, 2022

Two Bays Trail Run, Vic
Hares & Hounds, Qld
Australia Day Ultra, WA
Upcoming Events

Two Bays Trail Run

The always-anticipated Two Bays Trail Run was held along the Mornington Peninsula in Vic on 16 January, 2022. On offer were two distances for runners – a 28km and the 56km ultra, and this year the event doubled as AURA’s Australian Short Course Championships (which is open to both AURA members and non-members alike) in the 56km, and 218 runners crossed the finishing line.

For 2022, 1^st Male winner at the 56km Two Bays Trail Run, AURA’s very own Matthew Whitaker of Richmond, Vic received the Championship title after his finish time of 4:09:38. It was Whitaker’s third year running the event, and he was thrilled with the relatively cool weather presented on the day. According to an online recap via a Two Bays Trail Run’s Facebook group, Whitaker said, “My favourite part of the race every year is kilometres 16-20, where we overlap with the 28km runners; the support is always amazing and those kilometres just fly by.

“Looking at my Strava segments today, I ran the 3km climb back up to Arthur’s Seat quicker than the previous two years, but it definitely didn’t feel like that; I knew at the top that I was going to have a rough last 25km on the course, and thoughts of a course record or PB went out the window.

“However, I also knew that if I could avoid a complete blow-up, I could hopefully hang on for the win.”

To round off the podium for the men, 2^nd Male went to Joseph Dorph (4:30:36) and 3^rd went to Nick Montgomery (4:32:14), both are non-AURA members but secured their spots respectively in the Championships.

For the women’s 56km event and Championship results, 1^st Female was won by Narelle Crozier (4:38:27) whilst 2^ndFemale was proudly taken out by AURA’s Simone Brick who hails from Beaumaris, Vic. She crossed the finish line in a speedy 4:44:10.

Third Female went to Christy Lambert (5:26:30).

Brick, also in an online recap of her event, said it was a brilliant day for her with the usual ups and downs of an ultra ‘chucked in’, and that ‘I got to spend the first half step-for-step chatting along with Crozier, feeling great and very thankful for her upbeat company.

“I was incredibly happy to get to the finish not having had the perfect day, but having a damn good one and having learned lots again. Third go at this ultra distance thing, and today was the best I have felt in all ways bar one for any race of this length in time or distance, so I am one happy runner.”

Congratulations to all our AURA members who took on the 56km event, including Thomas Dade (4:49:13), Marcus Cugino (5:12:01), Aaron Dower (5:18:18), Sarah Jayamaha (5:56:16), Stuart Hughes (5:56:30), Mak Sawa (6:05:39), Mathew Schubert (6:17:19), Simon Neale (6:17:29), Greg Wilson (6:20:35), Jonathan Cooper (6:47:18) and Jody Daff (7:52:31).

For a full list of results click here.

Hares & Hounds

Hosted by AAA Racing & Coaching, Hares & Hounds was held on 16 January in Beerburrum, Qld and is the first event of the year on the local calendar, known for bringing a hot introduction to the new year running calendar. There was, unfortunately, a last minute decrease in participation numbers due to COVID positives and close contacts, but the race did go ahead. The Hares event offered a 50km solo (start time 3am, with 32 runners crossing the finish line) whilst Hounds was a 50km team relay (if you are an AURA member and were part of a team, please email kate.dzienis@aura.asn.au as individuals’ names are not listed, therefore counter-checking entrants to AURA’s membership database is difficult to do). There was also a Lone Wolves event with a 50km solo (start time 430am) and then a 25km and 10km.

Podium finishers for the Hares men’s event were 1^st Male Thomas Brimelow (4:32:37), 2^nd Male Robert Egan (4:39:43) and 3^rd Male Michael Lindeback (4:59:35). For the women, we saw 1^st Female Nicole Jules (5:57:07), 2^nd Female Lauren Forcey (6:32:26) and 3^rd Female Rebecca Dalton (6:35:56).

Congratulations to all our AURA members who raced in the Hares event including Craig Dodd from Enoggera, Qld who finished in 6:48:28.

There were three runners in the Lone Wolves 50km, with top spots to AURA members Kevin Muller from Wodonga, Vic who took 1^st Male in 5:04:58 and Chris Murphy from Strathdickie, Qld who claimed 2^nd Male in 5:38:07. David Eadie got 3^rd Male (6:27:22).

For a full list of results, click here.

Australia Day Ultra

The annual Australia Day Ultra was held yesterday, 23 January, in Australind, WA in hot conditions following a week-long heatwave in the surrounding Perth regions. For ultra runners, there was a distance for everyone, including a 100km, 75km and 50km plus a 25km and 6km.

A lot of runners were hit by the heat this year, so we saw three runners (out of 14 starters) cross the finish line in the 100km – for the women, AURA’s Margaret Hadley from Henley Brook took 1^st Female after a tough battle in the sun, completing the distance in 9:52:47. Second female was Katie Seghini (10:47:49).

Michael Coughlan was the only male to complete the 100km, in 13:55:18. It was really trying out there, so kudos to our AURA members who gave it a red-hot crack – literally; Wayne Spies, Jason Kell, Mick Francis and Joshua Kuhn.

In the 75km the race had two finishers out of five starters, all male – 1^st Male to Stan Fiddyment (9:57:34) and 2^nd Male to Andrew Sollitt (10:22:27).

In the 50km, AURA’s very own Daniel Chidlow from Safety Bay, WA secured 1^st Male with a time of 3:55:13, whilst AURA member David Murphy from Floreat, WA came in just a few seconds short with an amazing 3:55:53 to take 3^rdmale. Craig Weller took 3^rd Male (4:07:19).

For the women, Casey Edlington took 1^st Female (4:34:09), Natasha Simpkins took 2^nd Female (6:05:31) and Ann Clarke took 3^rd (6:09:41).

Well done to all our AURA members in the 50km event, including Bob Colligan (5:11:33), Alexis Oosterhoff (5:57:37), Mark Caldwell (6:30:51), John Fisher (6:53:45) and Michael Gibbon (7:03:54).

Click here for a full list of results.

Upcoming Events

With the current pandemic still hitting states all across the country, it’s advised to keep an eye on events’ FB pages or websites if you have entered a race; alternatively, race directors will always communicate with their participants and volunteers on the next course of action.

The Sandman 50 is ready to be kicked off on 29 January from the Old Dunsborough Boat Ramp in WA and offers a 50km trail race.

The first weekend of February sees a trifecta of events with the Cradle Mountain Run due for 5 February in Cradle Mountain, Tas with an 80km race and the City Run in Bonython Park, SA with a 60km event is due to 6 February.

The Dorrigo Rainforest Run offers a beautiful race in the Dorrigo Mountain, NSW and is due to be held on 6 February.

For Our Members

We love making mention of AURA members when they achieve incredible results at other races across the country and around the world, so if you or someone you know is an AURA member and they’ve had an amazing event that isn’t AURA-listed, email kate.dzienis@aura.asn.au and keep us in the loop!

We also want your race reports and story ideas for our monthly Ultramag digital magazine. Without your tips and leads, there wouldn’t be an Ultramag, so please consider contributing at least once in the new year where you get a chance to share your ultra running experiences with other members! Send all stories and photos to ultramag@aura.asn.au to get in for the next edition.

Pictured: Two Bays Trail Run 56km podium finishers, who also each won the AURA Australian Short Course Championships. Photographs – Two Bays Trail Run/Supplied.

< Older Post

Newer Post >

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.