WEEKLY NEWS REPORT – 29/10/19

Kate Dzienis • October 29, 2019

24hr World Championships, France
Heysen 105, SA
Mico RunningWorks 50k, WA
Ned Kelly Chase, Vic
International performances

This past weekend on the AURA calendar saw yet again a block of amazing races and performances by ultra runners from our astounding community.

IAU 24hr World Championships

The IAU 24hr World Championships were held on Saturday (October 26) in Albi, France and the Australian team did extremely well on the track. As AURA president Rob Donkersloot said earlier this week on the socials, “AURA cannot be more pleased; every runner gave it 150% and represented our country and Association superbly. Thank you from all our members and the Australian running community as a whole.”

Men’s team results:
1. 797.994km – USA
2. 780.102km – Hungary
3. 777.120km – France
5. 747.300km – Australia

Kay Bretz 259.670km 11th
Kevin Muller 246.293km 21st
Ewan Horsburgh 241.813km 27th
Stephen Redfern 221.771km 50th
John Yoon 215.787km 58th
Matthew Eckford 194.007km 104th

Women’s team results
1. 746.132km – USA
2. 721.124km – Poland
3. 696.846km – Germany
11. 612.770km – Australia

Donna Urquhart 206.861km 37th
Nicole Barker 204.444km 40th
Simone Hayes 201.463km 48th
Nikki Wynd 181.544km 77th
Tia Jones 128.329km 121st

Team coach Martin Fryer said to the team shortly after the race “That is a very creditable set of results for us and you all should be proud, despite things not always going to plan. We batted way above our average and I know we left an extremely positive, indelible imprint on the event and the people that we met and interacted with.

“Unbelievably superb camaraderie was shown by all of the Emus and their super crew. I am humbled by the courage and sportsmanship shown by the runners and the incredible, limitless energy and enthusiasm displayed by the crew.

“Thank you all for an experience that I will never forget, but also for the timeless imprint you left on this event and town as fine ambassadors for Australia.”

Heysen 105

Kicking it off for our national events was Ultra Runners SA’s Heysen 105 which started on Saturday (October 26) and offered three distances for participants – 105k, 60k and 37k. This year, the course had a change that saw the original 57k turn into a 60k and the 35k into a 37k.

The 105k allows runners to travel along a section of the 1200km Heysen Trail in SA with views of rolling farmlands, sandy forests, rocky hills and more.

In the 105k, podium finishes for the men went to Andrew Hough in 1st (9:43:43), Damian Espinase in 2nd (10:25:57) and Marcus Staker in 3rd (10:52:00).

For the women it was Ally Gosling 1st (12:13:49), Sonja Jansen 2nd (13:02:18) and Jennifer Ritossa 3rd (13:03:16).

Well done to our AURA members who took on the 105km and finished successfully including Cherie Rothery (18:46:52), Chris Glacken (19:17:38) and Justin Parise (19:35:39).

On to the 60k event at Heysen, and we saw top spots for the men were won by Howard Norton 1st (5:01:08), Glen Koopman 2nd (5:04:41) and Jarrad Browne 3rd (5:25:57).

In the ladies event we saw Lauren Rooke claim 1st in 5:51:05, Helen Durand take 2nd in 6:02:54, and Danni Vanderheul hold for 3rd (6:12:29).

Well done to all our AURA members who raced in the 60km including Dej Jamieson (6:02:54) and Merle Carter (12:28:45).

Mico RunningWorks 50

Steaming hot conditions took over the course at Sunday’s Mico RunningWorks 50 at The Spectacles, WA with temperatures soaring to about 37 degrees by midday. On offer to runners were a number of distances, including the 50k ultra as well as a half marathon (generating to about 24km) and an 8km.

In the 50k event for the men, AURA’s Jon Pendse from Kingsley, WA took top honours with a fast 3:30:16 on the fast course. Second was extremely close, right behind Pendse – AURA member Tony Smith from Tapping, WA took the podium finish with 3:32:20, while Nathan Fawkes took 3rd with 3:35:46.

For the women it was Casey-Anne Marais 1st with 5:30:23, Rachel Russell 2nd with 6:42:34 and AURA’s own Fee Salmons from Greenfields, WA taking 3rd after a successful finish of 7:20:05.

A big congratulations also to AURA member Andrew McLeish who finished his 50k race with 5:18:53.

Ned Kelly Chase

The 100km and 50km events at the Ned Kelly Chase held on Sunday also doubled as the AURA 100km National Championships, and always is a bit of fun as the pushbikes chase runners.

In the results for the AURA championships for the women, congratulations goes to Rhiannon Snipe from Blackburn, Vic who placed 1st with a time of 8:09:58. Second went to Michelle McAdam from Naremburn, NSW after a finish of 8:15:15, whilst 3rd was successfully taken by interstate traveller Henley Brook, WA’s Margie Hadley after securing a time of 8:43:59.

In the men’s AURA championships results, Clay Dawson from Karalee, Qld took 1st place with 6:54:03 and claiming 6thbest ever by an Australian male.

Dion Finocchiaro from Chelsea, Vic held on for 2nd with 7:03:30 and Kyle Weise took 3rd with 7:53:04 (a new M20-24 Australian age group record).

Congratulations to all our AURA members who raced in the 100km including Amy Glen (10:34:10), Mak Sawa (10:54:34), Nicole Vaughan (10:54:34) and Andrew Ross.

In the 50km event, podium finishes for the women went to top spot placing for AURA member Amelia Griffith from Moonee Ponds, Vic with a finish time of 4:12:36. In second place was Ella Copping (4:37:23) and 3rd went to Zoe Ravenscroft (5:14:21).

For the men’s standings it was Jai Edmonds 1st (3:11:12), Julian Sinke 2nd (3:33:19) and Nick Creek 3rd (3:49:31).

Well done to all our AURA members in the 50km including Stuart Munro (5:07:31), Tim Erickson (5:56:07), Max Carson (6:31:32) and Albin Hess (6:54:00).

Race director Justin Scholz said the Ned Kelly Chase was simply outstanding this year.

“Clay Dawson’s 100km time appears to be the 6th best ever by an Australian Male, 3rd best in Australia and the best time in Australia for more than 20 years,” he said.

“Amazing frankly to see that 2nd place this year was a 7:03 from Dion Finocchiaro (now 8th best by an Aussie) and even 3rd would usually have won just about any other 100km race in the country at 7:53.

“The women’s times also fill some spots in the top 10 best ever and we have a total of three performances here which have hit the top level international qualifications set by the IAU.”

International performances

AURA’s own Lou Clifton from Mount Victoria, NSW known for her international ultra races, ran spectacularly on October 20 at the Cappadocia Ultra-Trail 199km (CUT) in Central Anatolia, Turkey claiming 1st Female and crossing the finish line in a whopping 12:41:32.

Second female, Teresa Nimes Perez was about 44 minutes behind Clifton, completing her race n 13:25:13 whilst 3rd place getter Giulia Vinco came in at 14:18:17.

Congratulations to Clifton on a fantastic performance.

Coming up on the calendar

Coming up on the AURA-listed calendar of events is the Feral Pig Ultra on November 9 in the hills of Perth, offering a 100mi, 100km, 50mi and 50km.

Pictured: The Australian team at the IAU 24hr World Championships in Albi, France. Photograph – Supplied/Facebook.

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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.