The Sri Chinmoy 24 Hour Race was held at the Athletics Centre, at QE2 Stadium, Nathan, Brisbane, commencing at 9am on Saturday June 18th and finishing at 9am on Sunday June 19th. The event also included a twelve hour and a six hour race.

The wonderful facilities of the new venue coupled with the perfectly mild Brisbane winter weather provided the perfect setting for the event. It was marvelous to see 32 competitors toeing the start line across the three races. Athletes and helpers alike journeyed from across the nation to take part.

The event was magnificent. Its grandeur and scope are exceedingly difficult to capture in a few paragraphs for an ultra event is perhaps something best experienced rather than described. It is difficult to grasp the enormity of the distances covered and the magnitude of the heroic determination; these are often conveyed more convincingly through the starkly poignant trackside realities; the blisters, cramps, nausea, exhaustion, the elation, joy and jubilation, and above all the intrepid determination that carries each runner through the long hours of the night towards a remarkable goal.

The first placed male in the 24 hour event was Trevor Allen who, with characteristic cheerfulness and easy-going disposition, broke the magical 200km barrier with a final distance of 200.405km. Not far behind was Mike Canty with 193.568km. We stand in awe of their superb efforts.

Sharon Scholz was the first placed female athlete with a distance of 163.156 km. An impressive distance, but more so when you consider that, due to a niggling injury from the World Championships only five weeks earlier, she stopped running at around the 16 hour mark. Sharon is a wonder to behold on the track; metronomic cadence, indomitable will power, ultra-efficient gait and unfailing humility and sincerity. During the course of the event she added two records to her already impressive collection, breaking the previous marks for Australian female open for 100 miles (15:57.37) and 12 hours (131.31km). We salute her heroic efforts.

The first placed male in the twelve hour race was John Pearson who covered a whopping 128.379 km. First placed female was Carol Sullivan who covered 92.232km, not bad considering she completed the Comrades Ultra Marathon only a few weeks earlier. In the six hour race Gregory Truloff covered 67.798km to claim first male and first overall, whilst Kerrie Bremner was not far behind with an impressive 63.645km, enough to claim first placed female and second place overall.

Individual heroics aside, the event was characterised by a wonderful feeling of oneness and self-transcendence. The efforts of each and every individual were applauded and appreciated in a unifying proclamation of the tremendous spirit of the ultra running community. All through the long hours of the day and night the feeling both on the track and in the lap counting tent was tremendously inspiring. The suffering of the athletes was at times clear to see, yet amidst their trials and tribulations they were still able to muster a smile for the lap counters and gentle words of encouragement for their fellow competitors.

We salute and congratulate each athlete who participated in the event. You are true hero-warriors of the running world. May we all draw upon your examples of dedication and perseverance to become not only better runners, but also better human beings. We also offer our most heartfelt thanks to all the helpers and supporters, many of whom were kind enough to lend a hand in the lap counting tent. I think it is fair to say that the event was a great success for all involved. See you next year!

Results (PDF Download)

Sri Chinmoy 48 Hour Track Race, Friday 21 – Sunday 23 March 2025, full results by category 264.2 KB

Sri Chinmoy 48 Hour Track Race, Friday 21 – Sunday 23 March 2025, full results overall 260.39 KB

Sri Chinmoy 24 Hour Track Race, Friday 21 – Saturday 22 March 2025, full results by category 224.37 KB

Sri Chinmoy 24 Hour Track Race, Friday 21 – Saturday 22 March 2025, full results overall 221.56 KB

Sri Chinmoy 24 Hour Track Race, Friday 21 – Saturday 22 March 2025, AUTRA National Championships podium placings 214.11 KB

Sri Chinmoy 12 Hour Track Race, Saturday 22 March 2025, full results by category 223.69 KB

Sri Chinmoy 12 Hour Track Race, Saturday 22 March 2025, full results overall 220.85 KB

Sri Chinmoy 6 Hour Track Race, Saturday 22 March 2025, full results by category 223.91 KB

Sri Chinmoy 6 Hour Track Race, Saturday 22 March 2025, full results overall 220.57 KB

Sri Chinmoy Midnight Marathon, Sunday 23 March 2025, full results overall 218.58 KB

Race Photos

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Mightiest congratulations, untold admiration and gratitude to all participants in the Sri Chinmoy 48 Hour Track Festival, 2025 edition. You are the trailblazers, the torchbearers, harbingers of peace and progress. You are the ones improving our world, bringing hope, inspiration, and the promise of a brighter future for humanity.

Sri Chinmoy 24 Hour Race
AUTRA 2025 National Championships

The Sri Chinmoy 24 Hour race is the longest-running ultra event in Australia, first staged in Adelaide in 1982. In that time, the race has seen numerous super-human performances and multiple records.

Yet none have astonished more than today’s offering from Holly Ranson. Holly came to this race – the 2025 AUTRA National 24 Hour Championship – as the clear favourite, already holding the National record set last year on this track, 238km. Right from the early laps, it was clear Holly’s race was not against the field of assembled runners, but against the very boundaries of human potential, her only real rival, the concept of “the possible”. Beholding Holly’s adamantine, ironclad determination was at once a privilege and a celebration, an exhilarating affirmation of the power of the human spirit to grasp and embody the wondrous. Holly’s race was a virtuoso recital, mixed with equal parts elegance, power, grace and sheer resolute will, poured out onto the track in a sublimely masterful performance.

The facts never tell the story, but these facts are gobsmackingly impressive. To break a national record by even a hundred metres tells of a superb effort: to surpass it by a full 25 kilometres is simply super-stellar. In recording a final distance of 263.548km (163.761 miles), Holly notched the 3rd highest distance ever achieved by any woman in human history. And she ran effectively a solo race – no question of being ‘paced’ by the men’s field, barely visible in her rearview mirror.

Holly, we can only stand aside, applaud and offer our gratitude for the deluge of inspiration and volcano of aspiration which you invoked, embodied, revealed and showered all around you during these magical 24 hours…

Jenny White ran an amazing race for 2nd place female. While much of the attention was understandably focussed on Holly, Jenny’s return of 225.797km marked a personal triumph of focus, courage and resilience – which would have won her this race almost any other year. Samantha Hornby took the 3rd podium place in the AUTRA National Championship with her excellent 165.172km; while not far behind, Julie Savage topped the 100 miles-(stone) in winning the F50-59 category with a wholehearted 161.817km.

Joe Ward is a true champion. Happy to run “under the radar” while Holly was blazing her trail of glory, Joe ran a beautifully-paced race, starting conservatively and working through the gears through the night and morning in a masterclass of controlled running, gradually overtaking all the men’s field and finishing full of flowing ebullience with a superb 246.56 km. Barry Kreem took the 2nd placed AUTRA Championship award, completing a fine run of 236.715km.

John Bayne came from New Zealand with a focus to tackle the NZ 60+ 24 hour record, and he gave it a red-hot shot. The only one to (almost) keep up with Holly at any stage of the race, the veteran eclipsed the NZ 60+ 6 hour record, but having aimed for the summit, found the body not quite willing to accompany his lofty goals – yet nevertheless finished with a more than creditable 217.287km for his efforts.

3rd placed in the AUTRA Australian Championship was Adam Meredith, with a gutsy 204.269km. Adam was the first among a group of 5 who all topped the prized 200km mark in close proximity, whether by accident or design – close after Adam came Ben Foessel (202.136km), Josh Luck (201.406km), Tom Allen (201.131km), and Dale Paul (201.066km).

Aaron Francey took out the M50-59 category with 187.301km; while evergreen Peter Badowski impressed in the M70+ with 121.103km.

Sri Chinmoy 48 Hour Race

Comets draw all our attention, wonder and amazement. They grab the headlines. They have more 'star-power' than most actual stars. Yet they could not exist without context – the night sky of myriad galaxies and cosmic phenomena. So it is with these races. The winners and record-breakers naturally command our awe and commentary. Yet it is all the participants, the literal “also-rans” (and also-walked) whose often selfless, invariably heroic efforts provide the context, the canvass upon which the chronicles of the race are portrayed.

Usually we would start our race report for the whole Festival with the 48 Hour, but this time the race itself, true to its self-effacing nature, ceded top billing to the 24 Hour, in deference to its National Championship status. Indeed, perhaps the one quality which most exemplified and unified the participants of this year’s 48 Hour race, was humility. Humility carries a sheen far sweeter and more alluring than the trumpeting of ego. There was no sense that anyone had come with the intention of dominating the race, but rather all were here to offer their very best and to accept and hopefully enjoy, whatever the race might offer in return. This pervading selfless humility flowed like an underground river, nourishing the spirit of the race and the track itself, connecting each participant with each other in a mystical yet palpable bond of affection and concern. Through this 48 hours, lifelong friendships were formed, refreshed and deepened. While the “faster” races surged around the wider arc of lanes 3 and 4, the 48 hour runners formed a tighter ‘inner circle’ in lane 1, literally and metaphorically.

This was a race in which excellence shone brightest at both ends of the age spectrum. Rarely indeed is a race won outright from the Female 50-59 category! Today was Cheryl Symons’ day, her 324.776km victory a crowning highlight of an ultra-marathon career exemplifying the priceless principles of inner beauty, integrity, self-discipline and a simple love of running.

1st placed Female Under 50, Alicia Heron, the reigning National record holder for 48 hours, had aspired to an even greater tally from this race. Yet it was not to be. As we all know, there are things we can control and unseen forces we cannot. One of the highlights of this event, was witnessing Alicia’s journey of struggle, then acceptance of her fate, that on this occasion, she had been assigned the role of second fiddle. “Second fiddle” may be considered an unfortunate or less valuable contribution – yet it takes as much if not more strength of character, commitment and largeness of heart to play a perfect second fiddle, than many a first violin part. Alicia exhibited a rare adaptability to the circumstances, and played her role to the final curtain with exceptional grace, poise and goodwill, finishing with 293.196km.

If Alicia played second fiddle, then Phil Ryan played the consummate viola part in winning the men’s race from the Male 50-59 category, with a finely measured 283.619 km. Phil’s calm optimism and resilience infused and uplifted the whole group. You felt that if the group were stranded in some inhospitable place and had to elect a leader to navigate our way back to safety, Phil might be a natural choice for the role.

Maryanto Sardjimin was next with 276.829km, winning the Male 60-69 category and, coming from Indonesia, the only runner who found the temperatures overall “a little too cool”! Consistently cheery and colourful, Maryanto was a warmly welcomed presence around the track, who we hope will return another year.

Next in distance was the event’s only walker, and what a walk it was! Write down the name, Sabina Hamity. Patience, poise and persistence personified, an innocuous dowdy floppy hat concealed an engine of relentless will that powered Sabina to 275.957km – not only an age group, but a new Australian Open Women’s record for 48 hours. Huge congratulations, Sabina!!

Last time this race was held in 2023, David Billett phenomenally walked the entire 48 hours, and this year demonstrated his versatility by actually running most of his tally of 257.128km, for 2nd place in the M50-59.

Not many would have heard of Maia Nagy before today. Having just run a 100km race a month ago, 20-year-old Maia noticed there was a vacancy in the Australian National 48 Hour records for the age group F20-24, so decided: why do I need experience? Knowing that any distance attained in this IAU-labelled race would have qualified her for a National Record, Maia nevertheless showed incredible inner and outer strength and fortitude to will her way to 254.792km, a formidable target for any aspiring ultra-runner. Maia impressed many far more experienced runners with her dauntless, fearless approach. A new and highly promising ultra-running career has dawned!

While I’m skipping numerous outstanding performances, each worthy of its own chapter, the one other name who must be applauded is Oliver Sheekey, the 19-year-old who led the race for a quite a while on Day One. Perhaps paying the price for youthful exuberance (how else are you going to find out?), Oliver’s pace dipped somewhat, but he had enough in the bank to claim the Australian Under 19 Male 50km, 50 mile, 100km, 100 mile, 200km, 6 hour, 12 hour AND 48 hour records en route to his final total of 200km.

Sri Chinmoy 12 Hour Race

This year’s 12 hour race happened to coincide with the highest temperatures of the whole festival, making it a “tough day at the office” for the 20 adventurers who toed the line at 10am with excitement and trepidation swirling in the air. Holly Ranson had just surpassed her own Australian National 24 hour record moments earlier, and with Holly still having 2 hours to run, it felt like anything was possible. What a time to be led to the starting gates! Not surprising then, that a few of the 12 hour runners made a bold dash for it, before the stern gaze of the blazing sun issued its own speeding ticket for this over-eagerness.

There is zero shade on this track, a simple truth which inspired a strong sense of camaraderie as all faced the same unavoidable plight: there is nowhere to hide. While bodies toiled, focus was honed and then spirits soared, especially once the sun set and the faintest of breezes whispered hints of relief from the surrounding sentinel-eucalypts.

Mark Avery exceeded 10km/hour to clock an impressive, determined 120.322km for the half-day outing, less than a lap ahead of M50-59 stalwart Andrew Donaldson with 120.013km. James Quaife followed with 117.974km, with Neredah Brogan the first woman, and the only other campaigner to cross the 100km mark with 100.607km under her feet. A special honourable mention goes also to the irrepressible Elizabeth Smith, whose 75.631km gained her 1st place in the F60-69 cohort.

Sri Chinmoy 6 Hour Race

While it’s tempting to consider the 6 hour race the “baby“ of the ultra-distance family, running for 6 hours is a feat far beyond the wildest dreams of the vast majority of present-day humanity. Starting in the heat of the afternoon and concluding in the cool of the evening, the 6 hour race was an event of contrasts – the field comprising a mix of seasoned veterans and ultra newbies, dipping their toes in the world of track ultras for the first time, with an almost-70 year age range from 15 to 84. Based on the reactions, some will definitely return for more, and longer, next year – while a few might have seen and felt all they need to of this strange ultra world…

The heat of the afternoon was a telling factor, and may have stood in the way of anyone breaching the 60 km mark (for an average of 10 km/hour). Mark Brookes came closest, winning the race and the Male Under 50 category with a sterling 59.44km, barely holding off a charging Gregory Jenkins who took 1st place in the Male 60-69, with a fine run of 59.428km. Completing the podium placings in the Male Under 50 were Ashley Colquhoun with 58.66km in 2nd, and Damien Lakin’s 58.239km for 3rd.

Next home was the women’s race winner, the impressive Rosie Reynolds with 51.392km. After Rosie in the Female Under 50s were Kristine Halme with 46.108km (2nd) and 3rd placed Amy Kemp with 42.725, not far ahead of the youngest contender, Amy’s 15-year old daughter Ruby Kemp who tallied 38.163km. Hayley Daniel took out the F50-59s with 44.649km; Maria Jones Caballero commanded the F60-69s in 29.996km; Susan Archer the F70-79 with an indefatigable 38.986km; while 84-years-young Val Chesterton shone in the F80+ category with a glorious 29.823km.

Sandeep Chandra took home the main award for the M50-59s with 46.851km (the trophy heading “straight for the pool room”); Mark Gladwell the M70-79 with 15.836km; while Geoff Barker triumphed in the M80+ with his offering of 22.616km.

Sri Chinmoy Midnight Marathon

After 10 pm on Saturday night, when the excited buzz of the 24 hour, 12 hour and 6 hour races has subsided, lane 3 falls silent and empty, there is an almost eerie few hours when only the 48 hour runners circle the track, by this time focused deeply inward and clinging to that invisible thread which draws and claws them to their own finish, a long 12 hours hence. It is a lull: a deep, long breath in the weekend’s proceedings.

Then, on the stroke of midnight, the freshest of legs and hearts leap onto the stage and seemingly hurtle themselves into the action. The Midnight Marathon brings a surge of energy, enthusiasm, vigour and optimism in the hour of most need, savoured by 48 hour runners, crews and spectators alike.

The bounding Craig Benson (1st outright and also 1st M50-59) raced the clock – specifically 3am – to cross the finish a full 28 seconds ahead of the arrival of that auspicious hour, in 2:59:32. Mitch Poulos was next with 3:15:54, to claim 1st place Male Under 50, then Nick Levin in 3:35:42, not far ahead of Lindsay Hamilton, winner of last month’s Sri Chinmoy 100km Road Race (and Australian Championships), running her third Midnight Marathon and winning the women’s race with a sterling 3:38:28.

Rick Patzold added yet another marathon finish to his encyclopaedic collection, taking out the M60-69 in the process with 4:20:44; while Beck Myors won the F50-59s with her 5:27:07. Very special mention to Ray James, who seems to be getting jauntier, winning the Male 70 and Over category with 6:29:50.

Video Summary

Sri Chinmoy 48 Hour Race

“Transcendence is perfection.
Perfection is transcendence.
When we transcend our capacities,
Immediately we get an inner joy,
An inner thrill,
Which is another name for perfection.
No perfection can ever be achieved
Without self-transcendence.”
– Sri Chinmoy

Previous women’s World Record for 48 hours: 411.458 km ...

New women’s World Record for 48 hours: 435.336 km ...

***

The stage was set, the curtain raised, cast assembled. Legendary Australian and World marathon champion, former World Record holder and founder of the Indigenous Marathon Project, Robert de Castella AO MBE acknowledged the traditional custodians of the land, then offered some prescient words for the runners now nervously gathered at the start:

“It’s only through the difficult challenges in life that we really find out who we are. This is an opportunity for us not just to develop our physical strength and our wellness, but also our spirit.”

With this perfect summation of what was about to unfold, Australia’s greatest marathoner gave the starting orders – and thence gradually, inexorably, before our eyes over the ensuing 48 hours, a new history unfurled.

On the eve of the race, Camille Herron had remarked: “I feel like there is magic inside me every time I toe the line. I know that there is the possibility that I am going to do something magical and I have to keep going and persevering and working through all the challenges… I hope to see it through to a new record and to find out more about what’s possible for women, and what my human limits could be.”

Thus it was spoken: now it would be revealed and manifested.

Little did we know when preparing to stage, participate in, or spectate at yet another race, that we would be joining an event of historical significance for our sport, our own lives and the progress of our world family: an event which changes everything, and potentially, everyone.

Camille Herron came to this race an established superstar. She departs, a supreme champion. Even if she were never to run another race, Camille’s name is now etched on the honour board of running immortals, synonymous with soaring vision, stellar daring, dauntless conviction, exuberant excellence, superlative athletic prowess, wholehearted sacrifice, consummate self-giving and dazzling glory. Canberra’s AIS Athletics Track has hosted numerous Olympians and high-level competitions, yet it will forever resonate and be remembered for this one resounding achievement. The guiding purpose of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team is the promotion and facilitation of self-transcendence as a means to personal wellbeing and the progress of humanity: thus this race itself, this Sri Chinmoy 48 Hour Track Festival, has achieved through this diamond offering, its pinnacle fulfilment.

On track, Camille was an ocean liner, bravely and blithely coursing through the ocean waters of the known, the unknown and unknowable, casting aside all fear, insecurity, doubt and pain in her wake and spreading a wave-surge of sparkling joy and coruscating confidence all around the track for others to surf upon. As the stadium flood lights lit up the track; so the flood of Camille’s inner light and aspiration, lit up the race.

As barriers receded, new landmarks were planted:

Marathon – 3:30:18
6 hours – 72.243 km
100 km – 8:49:41
12 hours – 131.807 km
100 miles – 14:41:04
200 km – 20:01:18
24 hours – 239.480 km

So far, all marks were ahead of World Record pace. But Camille would soon be running beyond what she had ever run in a race before. How would she cope physically and mentally with that challenge, flying so high, untethered from the mundane, soaring dauntless beyond the comfort-clouds of the known?

From the outside, we see only the relentless gait, the incessant forward momentum, the surges along the back straight, the searing focus, the never-fading smile: we don’t see the sheer crushing enormity of the inner Himalayan quest, the sky-vast faith and ocean-depth of daring, the adamantine courage and laser determination amidst battering storms of obstacles. We know there was physical suffering and mental torment: around about the 18 hour point when the world was closing in on her, Camille reached an agreement with husband and coach, Conor Holt, that she would continue to 24 hours, gain a qualifying time for the US National team to compete in the World Championships later in the year, and exit the race. This had been her first goal and motivation for coming to Australia, so that box would be ticked. But as 24 hours neared, those inner clouds passed, the landscape shifted within, Camille hearkened again to the stirring of her inner magic – and the plan evolved. She would stay and run, and run – sleep when required, then run again, and run – and run some more, then run some … then, run.

Knowing that she had to face the same hurdles and demons as every other runner; that she is 100% human in every sinew and heartbeat after all; that she too, struggled to rouse herself from every mini-break – is not only comforting to us mortals who can barely get out of bed in the morning, it further heightens the value and magnifies the worth of Camille’s achievement. We expect perfection from the perfect: when we witness the miraculous from the human, our own human sympathy is touched, our wonder engaged, our inspiration ignited, our capacities aroused and our aspiration surcharged. We are transformed.

At the awards presentations post-race, Camille put into words the phenomenon we had all felt, witnessed and been swept up into for 48 hours straight: “I just have such a relentless joy when I run…” Such a simple statement, embodying a universe of spiritual truth, depth, power and infinite possibility for all humanity… a veritable mantra for life.

Camille continued: “I really thank everybody who got to be here and be part of it; making history for women. … It was an amazing moment; I hope everybody appreciates what I just did: it was ridiculous!”

To put in context just how “ridiculous” is this achievement: Camille ran the 3rd furthest of any human in 48 hours, after only Yiannis Kouros of Greece, and Andrii Tkachuk of Ukraine. Yes – though this is incidental – they are both men. Camille’s distance is only 110 metres short of the mark set by Tkachuk at the Sri Chinmoy 48 Hour race in Vinnitsa, Ukraine in 2021. Tkachuk would later be called up to serve in the Ukraine military, and hospitalised after sustaining injuries in the war. His running career is presently on hold – he would not be able to defend his record if it were broken right now, as he defends his country and his people’s very existence.

The previous 3rd furthest human over 48 hours was none other than Dr Martin Fryer, the timer and race referee for this event, whose incredible 433.686 km set in Surgères, France in 2009 was the final barrier Camille would surpass today. Fittingly, Martin – now one of the world’s most qualified and respected coaches of ultra runners – was on hand throughout the race, offering practical advice, wisdom and boundless inspiration to assist Camille to transcend his own phenomenal PB and was trackside to personally witness and graciously surrender his record to Camille.

Camille is now a daunting 24 km ahead of the previous women’s record of 411.458 km, set just 6 weeks earlier by Jo Zakrwzeski of the UK in Taipei, Taiwan; and far clear of both the US Women’s and Men’s 48 hour records.

In the context of this Festival – and this in no way diminishes the fabulous efforts of all the event winners – Camille's split times would have won her every race on the program: Marathon, 6 hour, 12 hour, 24 hour and 48 hour.

A sample of media coverage of this World Record:

– Runners are Smilers blog

– Athletics Weekly

– Runner's World

– I Run Far

– I Run Far post-race interview

– Trailrunner mag

– Run 247

– Canadian Running Magazine

– The Canberra Times

– Canberra Weekly

– USATF

– The Oklahoman

– The Norman Transcript, Oklahoma

– Yahoo Life

– ESPN Deportes (Spanish)

– HD Sports (German)

– 20 minutos deportes (Spanish)

– Peace Run website

*************

Rare indeed, is the race where a gap of 140+ km separates 1st place from 2nd – just one of innumerable extraordinary outcomes of an event that seemingly took place on a rarefied, super-human plane … another example: despite being only a quarter of its length and with a smaller field, more runners would withdraw from the 12 hour race than from the 48 hour event.

Gesiane Nascimento from Brazil, is a relative newcomer to running, with 2 previous 48 hour races, and using this event as preparation for the Sri Chinmoy 10 Day Race in Flushing Meadows, New York next month. Striking in colourful costumes and running sandals, Gesiane explored and transcended many inner and outer limits in her journey. Impressing all through her devotion and eagerness, Gesiane collected 259.849 km for a Personal Best and 2nd place female.

The next 4 ranked women all represent the Golden Age of Ultra Running – the 50-59 bracket. Paola Flury ran a beautifully controlled race to take out the main prize in the F50-59 with 243.784 km; from Beck Myors’ 226.16 km; evergreen Karen Woon Cheung Chan with 219.019 km; and Australian 1,000 km record-holder, Annabel Hepworth offering her wealth of experience to the race, while depositing a round 200 km into her vast treasury of lifetime miles raced. Alison To, in the Female Under 50, consistently wore the brightest smiles while gathering 173.135 km.

Rare it is, to find the top 3 places of an open men’s running race claimed by two 50+ year-old walkers and a 70+ year-old runner!

Carrying on the trend set in the 6 hour and 12 hour races, local Canberra lad, Joffrid Mackett returned the race of his life – winning the men’s 48 hour race, claiming the title of AURA National Men’s 48 Hour Champion, all from the supposedly “older” Male 50-59 category … and did I mention, Joffrid WALKED the whole way? Loaded with trophies, Joffrid also walked into fame, claiming the all-comers 48 hour Australian National walking record with his 294.973 km (previous record was 283.5 km), and entered the exclusive “Centurion” club by walking 100 miles during the first 24 hours of the race.

Having set new Australian men’s 70+ records last year from 6 hours up to 24 hours, Greg Wilson from Kyneton in Victoria came to Canberra with a clear purpose – and no prizes for guessing what his goals were! Cliff Young will forever remain an icon of Australian ultra distance running, and a few of his records have stood for 30 years – including his M70 48 hour mark. Greg showed incredible focus and discipline – even eschewing the chance of claiming some intervening records along the way, as that would have entailed running out of the zone he had set for himself – aiming unerringly for the 200 km record, which he broke by 6 hours, then continuing all the way to a stellar new 48 hour record of 287.404 km, which also earned Greg the 2nd placed AURA National (Open) Men’s Championship trophy. In addition to his own records, over a span of decades Greg has participated in World Record breaking race performances by the greatest male and female ultra runners – Yiannis Kouros and Camille Herron.

Greg was in esteemed company indeed in the 70+ category. Ron Schwebel has been twice Australian 48 Hour Champion and twice 24 Hour Champion, and held 17 National records, which he has since kindly passed on to others. Ron’s presence on the track and vast experience are a boon to all and we’re most grateful he continues to compete. The figures tell only a glimpse of his value to the event, his 207.6 km a priceless contribution to the collective story. John Timms at 80+ years, is the oldest Australian 6 day runner still running – and on occasion when his inner sprinter comes to the fore, flying – bringing a unique energy and application, and completing a mightily impressive 167.2 km over the full 48 hours.

Also walking 100 miles in 24 hours, David Billett from Adelaide, showed amazing equanimity and persistence throughout, despite coming up just short of his personal best – yet nevertheless claimed 3rd place trophy in the AURA National Men’s Championship, and the admiration of all, with 266.705 km.

Completing the talent-packed Male 50-59 category, Robert Flury (206.476 km), Zed Zlotnick (205.607 km) and debut 48-hour runner, Paul Gay (186.285 km) all saw out the full 48 hours on track, while Andrew Meagher made it to within touching distance, taking a bow after 173.2 km and nearly 46 hours. The sole entrant in the Male 60-69 category, and one of the most gracious gentlemen among a packed field of contenders, Anyce Melham – who holds the world record for most Sri Chinmoy 24 hour races completed (33, plus three 48 hour races) – found his body simply not cooperating this year, saw the writing on the wall and returned his timing chip after 14 hours and 92 km.

Racing at full intensity at an élite level, exerting one’s all towards and beyond one’s limits, real and imagined, is to tread a super fine line between control and abandon. Defending race Champion, Canberra’s Matt Griggs started as favourite in the men’s field, and all appeared to be going well with his race: during one of Camille’s breaks, he actually came to within one lap of catching her, the closest anyone would ever be. At 24 hours, Matt had clocked 221 km, but 3 hours later, Matt drew the curtain on his race with 238.4 km – enough to take out the award for 1st Male Under 50, despite being off the track for 21 hours. Peter Murphy, who claims he has not set foot on a track since year 7, showed amazing grit and stamina to stare down the full 48 hours and claim 2nd MU50 with 212 km. James Quaife was next with a more than creditable distance of 188 km from nearly 25 hours on the track; while Steve Bingley found all he needed from the experience during his 70 km in 14 hours.

*************

Sri Chinmoy 24 Hour Race

24 hours is the fundamental measure of time and span of our existence: one rotation of the earth upon its axis, affording every conceivable point of view upon the heavens. Indeed, the euphoria, crises, challenges and triumphs experienced in a 24 hour race, take the athlete on a comparable inner journey through every conceivable attitude to the Problem of Life and our place upon this troublesome little sphere spinning suspended in space.

With the AURA National 24 Hour Championships scheduled for just a few weeks after these 48 Hour Championships, understandably the field assembled here for 24 hours was smaller than usual – but 24 hours is 24 hours, a journey at once commanding absolute respect and calling forth extraordinary sacrifice and heroism.

Each runner-seeker-warrior who toed the line, brought something unique to the field – the field of contestants, field of vision and field of battle. And none disappointed.

When trophies were assembled and distributed, 6 of the top 10 placings were claimed by women. Remarkably, the entire Female Under 50 category – 6 brave women in all – bettered the magical 100 mile, or “Miler” standard. Leading the race outright for much of the race, the remarkable Maree Connor finished 1st woman with 212.6 km, ahead of Amanda Pavey’s 194.1 km and one of a new generation of Indian ultra runners, Priyanka Bhatt, who flew from India for this race, completing the podium placings with 185.5 km. Rachel Sykes took 1st prize in the Female 50-59, with 143.8 km completed.

Every ultra runner experiences troughs of energy and inspiration, moments of darkness or even despair when all appears lost and hopeless. Usually these occur later in a race; yet for Grant Brisbin from Woy Woy, his biggest “hole” came around the 7 hour mark, relatively early in the journey. Somehow with the encouragement of other runners and supporters, Grant managed not only to hang in there – he recovered to such an extent, he covered an amazing 225.1 km and won the race! 2nd place was taken by another Indian runner, the smiling, gliding Ullas Narayana, with 220.6 km, ahead of Troy Ruivenkamp, who ran strongly throughout for 173.4 km. Reid Meldrum also reached his goal of 100 miles with a finishing distance of 161.3 km.

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Sri Chinmoy 12 Hour Race

The 12 hour race is one of the hardest to master: long enough to hurt badly, to need a careful nutrition and pacing plan; not long enough to incorporate sleep breaks as a legitimate racing strategy.

Today, Kevin Muller – one of Australia’s most reliably excellent ultra runners – presented a master class in how to tackle the 12 hour, treating the half-day timeframe with the respect it demands, while executing a bold race plan with confidence and resolve. In winning the race outright, Kevin established a sensational new M50 Australian record of 138.015 km.

Meanwhile, Sharon Pieterse won the women’s race also from the F50 category, in a sterling 92.518 km, ahead of Female Under 50’s winner Niboddhri Christie’s 90.518 km, and 2nd place F 50-59, Leah Weeden in 87.718 km; while Lib Smith claimed the F60-69 with 73.812 km.

Daragh O’Loughlin was fastest among the Male Under 50 with an impressive 124.618 km, from Stuart Wallace’s 110.072 km.

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Sri Chinmoy 6 Hour Race

In the context of an all-weekend Festival featuring epic challenges of the magnitude of 48 hours, a mere 6 hour event may seem almost trifling. Yet it is a maxim of running, that a race of any distance can offer a supreme challenge, setting a stage to bring forth surprising qualities and capacities from within. Every distance invites us to give our all – and in that crucible, is forged life’s defining dramas.

And so it proved, that the Sri Chinmoy 6 Hour race produced one of the standout performances of the Festival. After a dazzling start from Dom Bullock, who almost lapped half the field after one time round the track, and sprang his way to 27 km before withdrawing from the fray; Baden Reynolds led the field and controlled the race to establish a new Australian M50 record of 79.461 km for 6 Hours – 3 km further than the previous benchmark. Baden absolutely poured himself into his race, inspiring all who followed in his footsteps and all who were privileged to watch him, from on and off the track.

An excellent duel ensued behind Baden for the Male Under 50 title, between Tom Allen, who eventually drew away with 71.865 km, and Ashley Colquhoun who presented with 71.236 km. John Nuttall showed his class to win the M70+ with 54.374 km, while David Von Senden completed 29.443 km to take out the M60-69 title.

As with the men, the women’s race was also won outright from the F50 category, with Canberra’s Kelly Bennett 1st overall with 54.185 km, though just ahead of 1st placed F60-69, Nikki Whelan’s 54.146 km. Sue Archer won her accustomed first placing in the F70+ category with 43.519 km completed.

Fastest among the Female Under 50s was Bei Hu with 50.541 km, ahead of a super tight finish, with just 53 metres between Gemma Worland (47.088 km) and Stacey Marsh (47.035 km).

Just as they had appeared in the afternoon with a surging of energy and enthusiasm, so, with a brief awards presentation and another shower of bonhomie and goodwill, the 6 hour runners merged into the night, the inside lanes reclaiming their aura of concentrated tranquil purpose and focus…

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Sri Chinmoy Midnight Marathon

From the grandstand overlooking the athletics track, the Midnight Marathon was the only race of the Festival you could actually hear – with that associated thrill of the sound of shoes striking the track surface in rapid cadence. Commencing on the stroke of midnight, there is something madcap about launching headlong into the heart of the night.

Emmanuel Vergara was 1st home in 2:58:07, ahead of Luke Thompson’s 3:03:06. Next home was M50-59 winner, Andrew Leigh with 3:10:36. Women’s winner Lindsay Hamilton ran 3:36:57, with Amanda Jones (3:55:53) and Marnie Shaw (4:07:05) taking the podium placings. Debra Campbell won the F50-59 category with 4:52:18; and the amazing Ray James, the Male 70 and Over with 6:01:35.

Results (PDF Download)

Sri Chinmoy 48 Hour Track Race, AIS Track, Canberra, Friday 25 – Sunday 27 March, 2022, full results by category 177.24 KB

Sri Chinmoy 24 Hour Track Race, AIS Track, Canberra, Friday 25 – Saturday 26 March, 2022, full results by category 177.19 KB

Sri Chinmoy 12 Hour Track Race, AIS Track, Canberra, Saturday 26 March, 2022, full results by category 177.47 KB

Sri Chinmoy 6 Hour Track Race, AIS Track, Canberra, Saturday 26 March, 2022, full results by category 177 KB

Sri Chinmoy Midnight Marathon, AIS Track, Canberra, Sunday 27 March, 2022, full results by category 176.41 KB

Race Photos

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These silent-gliding clouds are unaware that for two days, a consortium of kindred souls had been steadfastly circling this curious, empty loop of blue below … The grass now beckoning the sun had huddled under a runner’s tent for 48 hours, patiently staying the course, waiting for an unseen clock to run its course, while runners of course ran their many courses on one, continuously continuing course … The same tall gums now swaying their same almost imperceptible sway, graciously beneficent yesterday as today’s forever today …

For 48 hours, this place, this track became a constantly moving, flowing and evolving town square, theatre, arena, temple, karmic courthouse and cosmic concert hall. Hearts, muscles, minds, legs, lungs, calculations, dreams, aspirations, love, hope, resolution, eagerness, longing – all are swept, exhorted, inspired, dashed and elevated into beaming smiles and throbbing tears, exuberant cries, silent prayers, slow-turning extinguishment, exultant victory.

The track – symbol and agent of Destiny astride its circularity, regularity and inevitability – gathers and commingles all into one; all life experiences, lessons, mistakes, discoveries, delusions and inspirations; all training wisdom and running lore; all dreams and aspirations; all hearts’ goodness, kindness, concern, compassion, shared pain and bliss, sorrows and joys. For 48 magical hours, we – runners, helpers, supporters and spectators – are more than community or family; we are humanity, we are the world, we are one. We strive each and together; ever humbled, we bumble and stumble; ever rising, we succeed and we fail; we try, cry and we fly. With each footfall, we go together, with each lap, we grow together and even now, beyond the track, in each treasured memory, we glow together.

Yes, there is hope for our sorry world. Beyond hope, there is promise. Here, now, circling our track, we have that hope: we are that promise.

Sri Chinmoy 48 Hour Race – the AURA Australian National 48 Hour Championship

48 hours is a very long time to be doing just one thing: so says conventional thinking. 48 hours is the blink of an eye in the ever-unfolding story of life: so proved our actor-athlete-warrior-players, at once earnest students and learned professors of the eternal journey.

Volumes could be written, symphonies composed, hymns sung and epics narrated, portraying this or that detail from the various vast variegated tapestries woven and interwoven amongst hearts, minds and sinews around the track throughout these 48 circling, cycling droplets of time’s ocean.

Most stories will remain felt, lived, ingrained, yet untold. Some burn bright today, only to fade tomorrow; others barely felt now, will doubtless bloom and blossom surprisingly in months or years hence. What we can report here is a skeleton of facts and figures: that Canberra runners, in their home race, have established their city-playground as a preeminent home of ultra-track running (at least, for now!)

Canberrans emerged National Male and Female Champions: Allicia Heron with her phenomenal 329.392km taking the women’s main trophy (and a new Australian 48-Hour record for her W35 age group); while Matt Griggs’ extraordinary 380.863 claimed the premier men’s prize. Evergreen champion, Queensland’s Kevin Muller set the pace through much of the race, and though finishing 2nd overall after Matt, established a superb new Australian record of 370.822km for the highly competitive M50 category. Also running in the M50-59, Ingo Ernst was 3rd outright, finishing with 304km. The women’s podium placings were rounded out by the incredible Annabel Hepworth’s 290.335km for 2nd, and reliable Kris Ryan with 235.629km for 3rd. The ever-smiling Karen Bentley, from South Australia, claimed 1st in the female 60-69s with her 185.135km.

To all who remain unnamed in our report, we apologise: your contributions to this drama are integral to its glory, as fragrance to a flower. We shall lastly note that David Billett and Justin Scholz confirmed their multiple-Centurion (those who have walked over 100 miles in 24 hours) status; and were joined in this élite club by first-time Centurion, the dauntless Joffrid Mackett.

Sri Chinmoy 24 Hour Race

While the 48 Hour Race is unquestionably the centrepiece of the Festival, and holds the prestigious title of AURA National Championship, nevertheless some of the most outstanding performances of the weekend played out in the 24 Hour Race, screening in Lane 3.

Last year, only one runner – Matt Griggs – surpassed 200km in the 24 hour event. This year, that “1” leapt to 6, from a similar number of starters. It was a privilege for all to behold the extremely high standard, focus and application throughout the field, offering equally enthralling dramas unfolding in parallel between lanes 1 and 3, right up to Saturday lunchtime.

Especially riveting was the quality in the women’s race. Sunshine Coast star Chrissy Redwood led from the front throughout, running a disciplined and superbly crafted 206.908km to place 2nd outright. Chrissy also brought with her the best kitted-out and enthusiastic crew of “Team Redmond,” testimony that behind every great achievement there is invariably a ‘team’ of family and community expertise, sacrifice, encouragement and irrepressible goodwill. Though running her own race, the dogged determination of Cassie Cohen brought her within just 2km of Chrissy, yielding a superb 204.923km and 3rd outright by the finish.

Both women were surpassed in distance only by the indefatigably cheerful (or cheerfully indefatigable?) Thomas Allen, whose 216.052km was the standout performance among the men – in his wake, 3 more crossed the 200km barrier: Ashley Colquhoun (204.043km), Scott Connolly (202.805km) and Luke Thompson (200.733km). Paul Gay meanwhile took out the M50-59 category with 125.053km.

Sri Chinmoy 12-Hour Race

One of the wonderful characteristics of ultra track racing, is that everyone – from absolute beginner to the highest élite – runs, walks, dines and talks together, literally on the same track, passing and encountering each other time and time and time again. You’re sharing the journey with friends, comrades, competitive rivals, perhaps even (in another life) worst enemies. Every high and low is there on display, every emotion plays out on stage, every tactic is signalled, every step a public statement.

The field in the 12-hour race was a snapshot of the ultra running community – from some of Australia’s all-time best performers through to novices treading the track for their very first time. And they got to share the inside track – lane 1 – with the 48 hour runners, at the mid-point of their pilgrimage. Spanning most of the daylight hours and into the night – from 10am to 10pm, during which the 6-hour race came and went – the 12-hour offers more than just a taste; a substantial serving of ultra-running world-reality.

Tia Jones is in a class of her own, with a swag of National age group records to her credit. Today Tia displayed all her quality in winning the women’s race outright from her F50-59 category, AND claiming 2nd place overall with a formidable 110.801km. The only runner ahead of Tia was Manly Runners’ Joe Ward, the consummate professional whose calm demeanour somehow made the coverage of 126.623km look easy. Andrew Leigh was next MU50, running the longest run of his life in his ultra track debut to cover 106.988km, with Susan Marshall taking out the FU50 1st prize with her impressive 104.205km, ahead of Niboddhri Christie’s 2nd placing 101.317km.

Chloe Skewes-Weir lit up the track for the first 8 hours of the race as she flew in pursuit of a special goal. Her 50 mile time of around 8 hours and 12 minutes should soon be ratified as a new Australian National F20-24 age record for 50 miles. Pausing at her record and with mission accomplished, Chloe’s knee suggested it might be prudent to leave the track and return for more next time …

Other age category winners included Greg Ponych (M50-59) with 94.412km; Peter Badowski (M70 and Over) with 81.332km; and Michael Thompson (M60-69) with 77.157km.

Sri Chinmoy 6-Hour Race

The 6-hour race is the natural landing point for runners keen to extend themselves beyond the marathon, into the limitless realms of ultra distance track running. It’s far enough beyond most runners’ Sunday ‘long run’ to constitute genuine transcendence, yet not too far to pose an existential threat to body or mind. Slotting into what can easily become for the 48 hour runners, a Saturday afternoon ‘doze zone’, the race brings an added impetus to the circumambulating track community, an outer circle of focussed enthusiasm acting as a protective layer surrounding the sometimes-vulnerable focus and motivation of our 48 hour troupers.

While Tim Altamore and Ben Grimshaw set the early pace, it was the experience of M50-59 winner, Baden Reynolds. who bided his time and ran the most consistent pace to take line honours with an impressive 68.795km; Ben taking 2nd outright with 67.9km and Tim 3rd with 66.352km, ahead of 2nd in the M50-59, Gregory Jenkins’ 64.658km. Enthusiasm personified, Gemma Worland was 1st woman home in 49.423km, from Rosie Reynolds’ 48.286km. Lib Smith, meanwhile, took out the F60-69 category with her solid 41.199km.

The Sri Chinmoy Midnight Marathon

The smallest field assembled for the shortest race of the Festival. Whether seen as a novelty, a decent training run, or a chance to notch another certified marathon under the belt, the Sri Chinmoy Midnight Marathon holds a unique place in Australia’s running calendar.

Once considered the pinnacle achievement of long-distance running, in the context of this Festival, the 42.2km distance is a relative ‘sprint’, perhaps confirming something Einstein postulated about relativity. The Mongolian pair of Sarankhuu Jargal and Bayarkhuu Batbayar led the charge into the early hours, followed by Scotland’s Lindsay Hamilton setting the pace for the women’s field, bringing fresh energy and enthusiasm to the 48 hour runners on the inside lane. Bayarkhuu took line honours in 3:05:25, followed by friend and training partner, Sarankhuu in 3:11:01. Lindsay took 3rd outright with 3:35:04. Rick Patzold led home the M50-59 with 4:16:32; Ray James the M70 and Over with 6:12:15; and Lib Smith (having completed the 6 hour race a few hours earlier), the F60-69 in 6:37:58.

Results (PDF Download)

Sri Chinmoy 48 Hour Track Race, AIS Athletics Track, Canberra, 26 – 28 March 2021, full results by category 64.16 KB

Sri Chinmoy 48 Hour Track Race, AIS Athletics Track, Canberra, 26 – 28 March 2021, full results overall 61.67 KB

Sri Chinmoy 24 Hour Track Race, AIS Athletics Track, Canberra, 26 – 27 March 2021, full results by category 62.64 KB

Sri Chinmoy 24 Hour Track Race, AIS Athletics Track, Canberra, 26 – 27 March 2021, full results overall 60.8 KB

Sri Chinmoy 12 Hour Track Race, AIS Athletics Track, Canberra, 27 March 2021, full results by category 60.73 KB

Sri Chinmoy 12 Hour Track Race, AIS Athletics Track, Canberra, 27 March 2021, full results overall 58.4 KB

Sri Chinmoy 6 Hour Track Race, AIS Athletics Track, Canberra, 27 March 2021, full results by category 64.13 KB

Sri Chinmoy 6 Hour Track Race, AIS Athletics Track, Canberra, 27 March 2021, full results overall 62.4 KB

Sri Chinmoy Midnight Marathon, AIS Athletics Track, Canberra, 28 March 2021, full results overall 35.33 KB

Race Photos

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This report commences with an apology – to every runner who is not named herein, and to their personal helpers, family and supporters. Victory and triumph are achieved, experienced, recorded and appreciated in multiple dimensions and by numberless criteria – not just who ran the furthest or the fastest in which category or race. We chronicle only what is measurable by our wheels and timepieces: the glory and worth of all that is felt, perceived, given, striven for, offered, sacrificed and surrendered with such wholehearted commitment with each footfall of each hero-runner along the way, can only be appreciated in the inner annals of human aspiration and super-human dedication – and treasured in the heart-depths of those who truly care.

Sri Chinmoy 48 Hour Race, AURA Australian National 48 Hour Championship

The 48 Hour race stands a proud summit: either as a beacon calling the brave to the ascent, or as a looming peril to be avoided by the wise in favour of flatter, familiar terrain. Among the brave souls assembled for this inaugural Sri Chinmoy 48 Hour Track race in Australia, half were tackling this mountain for the first time. While not all were atop the peak to scan the view when the final horn sounded, all certainly reached sublime heights along the way, establishing secure basecamps for future ascents.

While the 6 female entrants might have represented only 25% of the contestants, yet they occupied 3 of the top 6 placings at the finish. Outstanding performance of the Festival surely goes to Cheryl Symons, whose 322.352 hard-earned kilometres to win the Female 50-59 category placed her 1st woman, and 3rd outright amongst a stellar field. Whoever did not know Cheryl before this event, will never forget her absolute concentration, maintained throughout with grace, strength and equanimity in the face of every obstacle. The ever-cheerful Niki Wynd also topped the 300 peak, winning the Female Under 50 category with 304.906km, from Kris Ryan who completed 208.436 km. Rounding out the F50-59s, the indefatigable Saranyu Pearson clocked 141.988 km, while Cassie Smith walked her way serenely to 95.95 km.

Canberra local Paul Mahoney won the M50-59 category with a suburb personal best of 252.448 km, showing his year of training and focus since the 2020 race was cancelled, has been put to very good use indeed. Stepping up from the 24 hours to 48 hours for the first time, after participating in a record 33 Sri Chinmoy 24 Hour races since the early 1980s, Anyce Melham plumbed and offered all the depths and beauty of his heart as though composing a love poem, in winning his M60-69 category with a wonderful debut 256.155. John Timms ranged from the depths of losing almost all energy and inspiration, to the heights of frenetic sprint laps, in taking out the M70+ with 149.021.

In the men’s field (under 50), the race on paper looked to be between proven 24 hour stalwarts, Ewan Horsburgh, Stephen Redfern (both NSW) and Matthew Eckford (Qld). Racing for 48 hours for the first time, Ewan and Stephen each brought their “A-games”, while Matthew also won many admirers for the way he continued with utmost intensity despite setbacks along the way. While all bring their distinct personalities and consciousness to the field of any game, gathering or event, nevertheless in a race of this scale, the attitude and demeanour of the leaders plays a formative role in everyone’s ultimate experience, offering inspiration and aspiration not through words but the force of their sheer presence, deeds and actions. In olden times, any self-respecting King would ride at the head of his troops into battle, so it was only appropriate that the President of AURA should lead from the front. The current AURA President, Ewan Horsburgh ran in a seemingly monk-like bubble, a picture of focus, form and energy-efficiency as the remainder of the field dutifully, and admiringly followed while he tallied a wonderful 48 hour debut of 346.546 km. Stephen Redfern was both an admiring follower of Ewan, and exemplary leader to the rest of us through his nobility, consistency and loyalty to his purpose – and beautiful running form, bringing home another superb 48 hour debut 326.441 km. More familiar with 24 hour and 100 mile racing, Matt Eckford tallied 275.738 km for a PB over the 48 hours, extending his inner resources of courage and perseverance to establish a powerful base for future expeditions in these rarefied, high-altitude realms.

Once again, our apologies, deep respect and gratitude to all the unnamed participants who, like the unmarked graves of the anonymous fallen soldiers without whom no military victory could ever have been carried, complete and enrich this compelling human epic of aching bodies, yearning hearts and soaring souls.

Sri Chinmoy 24 Hour Race

24 hours is a complete rotation of our massive planet; the sum total of every conceivable arrangement of the hands of the clock; the gamut of our physical, emotional and mental perspectives on the passing of hours, minutes and seconds; a choc-full calendar diary page; multiple life-spans of numerous smaller life-forms; an entire season of “24”.

If 24 hours is the standard-bearer of Time, so is running the simplest, purest expression of humanity’s aspiration and progress. So is the 24 Hour Race a perfect metaphor and distillation of the soul’s journey in and through time and space.

While the 48 Hour race claimed lanes 1 and 2, the 24 Hour race offered an equally compelling revelation and inexorably blossoming drama as counterpoint in the adjacent lanes 3 and 4, albeit a story told in a complementary dialect, rhythm and metre. Witnessing both races unfold alongside each other was akin to reading “War and Peace” and “Great Expectations”, or Dante’s “Divine Comedy” and Goethe’s “Faust” simultaneously; or listening to Bach’s “St Matthew Passion” and the “Goldberg Variations” at once; or taking trips to Mars and the Moon at the same time – each perfect, complete, utterly engaging and fulfilling in its own terms.

For observers, one of the absorbing dimensions of an Ultra is the pacing and tactics of the runners, as each strives toward their personal goals, while taking in stride the inevitable setbacks along the way. Those who lead in the early hours, quite often do not find a place on the podium, though they can be winners in the great school of learning and experience.

Matt Griggs ran the ideal race, the arrow of his aspiration shooting a perfect arc across the span of a full day to land him in the hallowed realm he had so fervently sought – “240+”. While Matt’s winning distance of 244.087 km was streets ahead of the field in the final analysis, yet he was powered forward by many others, providing a slingshot to his efforts – including those like Thomas Allen and Michael Brennan whose own early speed had to bow before the laws of physics and blisters. Special mention also to Ashley Colquhoun (187.77 km, 2nd place); Stephen Kiley (174.598 for 3rd) and Stuart Wallace (171.104, 4th place); and to Aaron Francey whose 162.048 km earned him 1st place in the Male 50-59 category.

Kathryn Austin won the women’s race with her sterling 169.223 km, ahead of a controlled and inspired run from Niboddhri Christie of 151.636. It was also heartening to observe and admire Kree Wright accompany her good friend Kim Falco (1st F50-59) the entire way to clock identical milestones of 100.358 km.

Sri Chinmoy 12 Hour Race

Because the 12 Hour race was the only event sharing lanes 1 and 2 with the 48 Hour runners, the field was limited and hence only 14 starters toed the line; yet what this race lacked in numbers, it more than made up for in quality and performance!

Bernadette Benson was the early shooting star, aiming for stellar records over the 6 hour, 50 mile and 100 km distances, though hampered by badly bruised ribs suffered in a fall only days before the race. Once Bernadette withdrew after 82 km – claiming a new Canadian W50 6 hour record (yet to be ratified) – the contest came into clear focus between 3 strong and steadfast warriors of the track, with a slender 4 laps separating them at the close of their journey from late morning to late night: Joe Ward emerging triumphant with an impressive 125.754 km, just edging out Adam Keighran’s 125.085 for 2nd place, while the dauntless Tia Jones took 3rd outright from the Female 50-59 category, to claim a swag of National W55 records en route, including for 6 hours, 50 miles, 100 km and 12 hours (all to be ratified).

Vice Hazdovic took out the Female Under 50 prime award with 102.72 km; and Lib Smith the F60-69 with 76.474; while Kieron Blackmore was the lone yet glorious representative of the M60-69 brigade, clocking an impressive 92.16 km.

Sri Chinmoy 6 Hour Race

It’s not often in an open running event that the top 3 places outright are taken by females! (and 6 of the top 9 placings…) The largest field of the Festival assembled at the respectable hour of 2pm Saturday for a race into the evening. From early on, it was clear that the men in the field would have their work cut out for them to match the pace, style and stamina of the leading women, especially after the withdrawal of David Reis and Justin Hiatt from the contest: and what a race it turned out to be!

Chloe Skewes-Weir ran a phenomenal race to claim a new Australian National W20 age group record (to be ratified) of 63.097 km, to place 3rd overall. Ahead of Chloe there unfolded an Herculean tussle between the front runners with Simone Hayes ultimately triumphing with 66.613 km, ahead of 2nd placed Cassie Cohen’s 66.419 km – the difference at the finish a mere sliver of 194 metres. Cassie's consolation was a new Australian W25-29 6 hour record (to be ratified). Our thanks to these wonderful runners for staging such an engrossing drama, which kept the spectators and the 48 hour participants on the edge of our seats till the ultimate lap.

Kelly Bennett took out the Female 50-59 category with 51.773 km; while Anne Skewes was first among the F60-69 with 39.984. Gregory Jenkins took out the M50-59 with 53.617.

Sri Chinmoy Midnight Marathon

To most of the world, The Marathon embodies the pinnacle of running endeavour and achievement. In a twist of context, on this weekend of super-human performance, the marathon is the ‘baby’ of races on offer. Starting at midnight on Saturday night, after all the intensity and flurry of the 24 hour, 12 hour and 6 hour races all having concluded on this busiest of days, and the night’s calm and inward quiet has fully descended on the arena, with only the 48 hour warriors still performing their circular devotions on the inside track, 14 fresh faces and eager hearts lined up to commence a new adventure, a sprint over the relative fun-run of a mere 42.2km. Unlike every other race of the Festival, this one had a finishing point defined not by the clock but by an ageless distance, and the faster one reached that goal, the sooner to bed!

Sarankhuu Jargal, having helped for most of the weekend trackside and infused with the energy and inspiration of the occasion, sped out to lead the field home in 2:58:00, breaking 3 hours for the first time. Following were Phillip Aerts (3:22:53) who rode his bike to and from the race, and Oliver Carey (3:29:45). Rick Patzold took the main honours in the Male 50-59 with his umpteenth marathon in 3:52:49; while the only 2 females in the field excelled in their respective age categories: the amazing Susan Archer proclaimed that she felt ‘a bit of a fraud’ running ‘only’ a marathon in the company of such incredible ultra athletes, before taking the Female 70 and Over prize in 4:51:41; while the superlative Jane Sturzaker chalked up Marathon number 302 (having completed the Sri Chinmoy Marathon in Melbourne last Sunday) to take the Female 60-69 in 5:39:51.

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Our sincere gratitude to all participants across all races of the Festival and to their helpers, supporters, families and well-wishers; to the staff of the Australian Institute of Sport; to AURA (the Australian Ultra Runners Association) for honouring this event with the title of 48 Hour National Championship, as well as promotional and in person support; to Martin Fryer of Flyer Ultra timing services; to Rebekah Stamatis and her team for medical support; to Jon Schol, Steven Hanley and John Harding; to "My Rainbow-Dreams" café for catering; and to members of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team from Mongolia, the UK, New Zealand, the USA, Perth, Brisbane, Melbourne and Canberra.

Results (PDF Download)

Sri Chinmoy 24 Hour race, 15 & 16 June 2019, full results by category 210.41 KB

Sri Chinmoy 24 Hour race, 15 & 16 June 2019, full results overall 38.54 KB

Sri Chinmoy 12 Hour race, 15 & 16 June 2019, full results by category 117.22 KB

Sri Chinmoy 12 Hour race, 15 & 16 June 2019, full results overall 31.61 KB

Sri Chinmoy 6 Hour race, 15 June 2019, full results by category 117.55 KB

Sri Chinmoy 6 Hour race, 15 June 2019, full results overall 31.27 KB

Sri Chinmoy track marathon, 15 June 2019, full results overall 35.76 KB

Race Photos

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Why and how does the sight of a bunch of runners circling around a track bring such a surge of joy? The venue is unremarkable – a suburban athletics track; the runners mostly “ordinary” people – no Olympic champions, Oscar winners or rock stars here. Countless times we’ve seen folks running around tracks and not felt this inexplicable thrill, so it’s source can’t be just the outer activity; it has to be the inner reality, the combined aspiration, daring, sacrifice, willpower and quest for transcendence radiating from the hearts, infusing the minds and powering the limbs of each runner-dreamer-warrior-hero before our eyes. We recognise our own better selves, our own yearning for something higher and vaster, the battle against our own self-doubts and fears, the drama of our own lives’ journeys; we feel the quiver of our own souls.

An ultra track race presents a unique concentration, a distillation of single-minded focus, resolution and shared purpose, a revelation, affirmation and celebration of just a glimpse of the infinitude of spiritual power within us all.

It is rare indeed that every single entrant in a 24 hour race toes the start line – customarily there are a few “no-shows” on the day for one reason or another. So for all 41 entrants to assemble trackside for the 9am start was in itself an auspicious augury for a memorable edventure.

A 24 Hour race invariably unfolds in ways no one could have anticipated. The faces assembled at the start line mask a myriad mysteries about to unravel – some surprising, some disappointing, some perplexing, some exhilarating. The faces assembled at the awards ceremony reveal the unravelled threads of searching, struggling, crying, smiling and flying which together comprise the complex tapestry of this rich and rewarding epic.

Donna Urquhart (212.4km) and Daragh O’Loughlin (221.2 km) were both humble and popular winners of the women’s and men’s race respectively. Each remained steadfast, sturdy and strong throughout the long day and night to triumph and surpass their personal goals. Donna also took 3rd outright across the entire field, after an impressive 1st time Campbelltown runner Hoong Wei Wong from Singapore, with 216.8km. The steady and solid Stuart Hughes came in next with 210.4km, followed by 2nd female Simone Hayes with a fantastic sustained performance netting her 198.4km.

Sabina Hamaty took our the Female 50-59 category with her calm and controlled 162 km; Soonchul Shin was outstanding to take out the Male 50-59 with a wonderful 186.8km; while the Elder Statesman of this event, Anyce “Kip” Melham completed his 32nd Sri Chinmoy 24 Hour Race (variously held in Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney and Campbelltown) to win the Male 60-69 category with a hard-fought and glorious 166km. Rod Rainey was best among the Male 70 and Over with 101.6km.

Much of the attention in the front half of the event was on the remarkable Bernadette Benson who ran a stellar race, closing her account after 100 miles in 14:22:30, claiming numerous Open and F50 Canadian and Australian records up to and including 100 miles (full details to be verified and published).

The 12 Hour race boasted perhaps the fastest (though the smallest) field, with “gun” runner Phil Balnave setting the early pace from the 9pm starting bell. It was defending 24-Hour 2-time champion Stephen Redfern who outlasted the best however, maintaining his trademark bouncy lope through a testing night to record a PB of 131.875 km, from John Pearson’s 125.24km and Wayne Calvert with 110.311km. Aaron Francey ran the furthest of the Male 50-59 with 104.09km, and Jonh Nuttall took the Male 60-69 with 61.376km. The only entrant in the Female Under 50, Margie Raymond, completed her marathon in 5 and a half hours.

The 6 Hour race field was next to join the 24 Hour runners on Saturday morning, one hour into proceedings, and added energy and enthusiasm to the track in lane 3 and 4. By 4pm, it was James Chen who had covered the furthest with an impressive 65.954km to take out the Male Under 50, with next home Masanori Chiba in fine form to also take out the Male 50-59 with 64.754km. Kerrie Bremner ran perhaps the standout performance of the event with her wonderful 63.109 winning her the Female 50-59 category (and females outright) as well as taking 4th overall. Bob Marden won the Male 60-69 with 50.65km; Jiyoung Lee took out the Female Under 50 category with 37.233km; while the amazing Margrit Smith, who will turn 85 in 2 days time, gave masterclass to all in focus, calm and determination.

One hour later, at 11am the Marathon brought 24 additional friendly faces to the party in lane 3. With no cut-off time and a relatively straightforward course to follow, a diverse group of marathon newbies, veterans, stalwarts, hares and tortoises variously jogged, galloped and shuffled through the better part of the afternoon. Oliver Carey was the fastest to finish in 3:17:11, from Male 50-59 winner and 2nd outright Eunsu Park in 3:25:48. Jenny Brownlie took out the women’s main award with 3:58:40; Paul Andersson the Male 60-69s with 5:55:37; Jo Andersson the Female 70 and Over trophy in 6:05:41; and the famous David Attrill outlasted them all to take the Male 70 and Over award with a remarkable 8:38:16.

Immense gratitude to Penny Redfern whose cheerful, heartfelt service kept our volunteers in good spirits all day and night; to Billy Pearce, our indefatigable medic who served tirelessly throughout the 24 hours; to the kind staff of Campbelltown Council who take such good care of this wonderful venue; and to volunteers of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team from Melbourne, Canberra and Brisbane.

Race Photos

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Provisional results are published. These will be confirmed once all have been audited.

24 hours can be gone in a flash, a mere flicker in our life’s unfolding history; again, 24 hours can reveal eternity.

Each adventurer-explorer-warrior-hero-soul who dared to take that one step forward to the starting line at 9am on Saturday 2 June at Campbelltown Sports Stadium Athletics Track, stood at that line with excitement, anxiousness, trepidation and above all, eagerness for a rendezvous with destiny, a surrender to an unfolding inner and outer drama in which each runner would be both protagonist and audience, as each one chiselled, wrestled and wrangled cherished secrets from the heart of the Unknown. We, witnesses to the story, would also be changed for the better by what we would see, feel and become…

THE RACES

While it’s true that the “smaller” races of 12 hours, 6 hours and the marathon would not happen without the 24 hour race as the backdrop and in that sense they could be seen as supporting or subsidiary events, it’s also true that the additional energy, enthusiasm, aspiration and rich humanity these races bring to the track serve immensely to invigorate, inspire and expand the horizons of the 24 hour race and its runners. Being able to employ lane 3 thanks to the computational wizardry of an electronic timing system, brings additional atmosphere, intensity and purpose which lifts and benefits all the races and participants.

6-HOUR RACE: start time, 10am Saturday

With the 24 hour race already one hour into its journey, a new chapter opened with the arrival in lane 3 of 15 runners aiming to cover as much distance as possible in the ensuing 6 hours. Running parallel with the 24 hour racers, their aims were congruent, though operating within a tighter timeframe. The field was certainly a motley crew of diverse nationalities, ages and backgrounds.

Tom Stevens took out the major prize in the race with a fine 67.422 km, from Japan’s non-stop Energiser Bunny, Masanori Chiba who won the Male 50-59 with 64.054km with Sarah Lately leading the women and taking 3rd outright with 62.962km.

THE MARATHON: start time, 11am Saturday

Despite another marathon being held just up the road on the same day, 16 willing subjects came to test their mettle against the classic distance in the controlled environment of the track. Given that the race would continue as long as the 24 hour runners were still out there, there was effectively no cut-off time for the marathon, a fact which doubtless attracted a few who might otherwise have had concerns about testing the patience of course marshals.

Kevin Heaton ran a superbly-paced marathon to win in 3:29:05, from Tom Luxton’s 4:11:01 and Victor Ziegler’s 4:32:07. Kathleen Ho was 1st placed among the women with 4:43:05, from Tina Wills in 4:51:22 and Celine Lamy with 4:52:23. The star of the show was undoubtedly 85-year-old Francis Dearn who ran in the company of Belinda and Glenn Lockwood, to clock an impressive 8:43:42 for the full marathon distance, a gritty performance of courage and faith rewarded with that sweet taste of completion.

12-HOUR RACE: start time, 9pm Saturday

Dark had well and truly descended on this early Winter’s night and the 24 hour stalwarts were already tunnel-visioning themselves for the push or grind or climb or float through their toughest ordeals ahead, when another group of fresh faces and legs gathered for their own assault of the night: the 12 hour race.

Standout performers in the 12 hour adventure were outright winner Dan Lollback with 121.533km, alongside 2nd overall and female winner Katy Anderson who clocked a breezy yet mighty impressive 113.772km. In addition to their own great performances, the 12 hour runners provided a wonderful service to the 24 hour field, keeping them company and bringing extra firepower to the track when it was most needed.

24-HOUR RACE: start time, 9am Saturday

An athletics track is always a sporting arena: during a 24 Hour race, it morphs also into both drama theatre and battlefield. Many of the dramas and battles are staged and fought entirely within the hearts, minds and bodies of the participants, while the helpers and spectators are privileged to witness some of the results of these inner struggles, duels, setbacks and victories. The competition between participants is largely secondary, and tends to follow the outcomes of the inner plot lines.

Gary Mullins set the pace early in a bid to gain a qualifying time for the Australian National 100km team; however he soon realised it was not to be his day and withdrew from the arena. From this point it was seasoned campaigner Matthew Eckford who led the way, with Stephen Redfern, Karsten Schiemann and Bruno Lorenzi Lima close together for the first 50km. The women’s race likewise saw a close contest through the marathon with the vastly experienced Sharon Scholz closely tailed by Heather Hawkins and Sabina Hamaty.

All eyes were on Rod Rainey as he steadily progressed towards his goal of a new 6 Hour Australian Record for Males 70+, which he duly set with a new best distance of 55.723km (yet to be ratified). Rod continued beyond the 6 hour mark up to 100km, at which point he called it a day.

Matthew Eckford’s goal was the 240km final distance required to qualify for the Australian 24 Hour team. It didn’t bother him that he was running so far ahead of the pack – 240km beckoned loud and clear and kept him focussed as he continued with brisk pace and strong form. At 100km he led by 40 minutes; at 150km his lead had grown to nearly one hour over the field. Inevitably his relentless output started to take its toll and his lap times gradually decreased. Both Karsten and Bruno dropped out of contention by now, yet Stephen Redfern continued bounding around the track with the same quiet reserve and effortless, weightless style. Now firmly in second place, he continued to make up ground throughout the night and the early hours of the morning. The other steady improver was John Yoon who had moved into 4th by the 100km mark, and 3rd place by 150km.

In the women’s race, Sharon Scholz was never going to be threatened nor would she ever much reduce her pace; nor would the mighty impressive Heather Hawkins be in danger in the women’s 50 and Over category. It was Cheryl Symons who slowly worked her way through the field. At the 100km point she was still a long way behind Sabina Hamaty, Karen Chan and Vanessa Phillips: by 150km she was comfortably in front of them all.

At no point in the race did Matthew Eckford appear to be on track for anything but 1st place: even the early burst from Gary Mullins was only ever likely to yield 100km or at most 100 miles. Yet as he passed his goal of 240km a curious thing happened – a combination of sheer exhaustion from the Herculean effort of running alone at the edge of his capacity and endurance for nearly a day, utter relief at having reached his goal, and perhaps the prospect of a physically and emotionally painful showdown with a fast-finishing Stephen Redfern, saw him happy to step off the track with a mere 15 minutes remaining in the race, with 242.201km to his name. Stephen meanwhile, who had already surpassed his personal best distance by more than 20 kilometres, was riding a rare tidal wave of inspiration and simply could not slow down, taking the lead soon after Matthew’s withdrawal and gliding to an astonishing and memorable victory with 245.566 golden kilometres. Both were ecstatic with their efforts and rightly so. John Yoon likewise finished powerfully to also claim a personal best and 3rd place with a remarkable 227.61km, an effort which would be good enough to win many a 24 hour race.

The next 3 placings were filled by women: Sharon Scholz ran a beautiful race, always seeming in control to again claim the crown of Female Champion with 188.45km. Heather Hawkins also ran an amazing race to win the Female 50-59 category and 2nd place overall with an incredible 178.927km; from the remarkably consistent Cheryl Symons with 177.35km. Not far after Cheryl came the first placed Male 50-59, Soonchul Shin from Korea running his first ever 24 hour track race with a wonderful effort of 176.531km, having been pushed all the way by Colin Wiley with a fine run of 173.033km.

Also topping the immortal 100 mile mark were Arthur Sargeant with 165.158km; Sabina Hamaty with a fantastic 164.294km; and the great Anyce “Kip” Melham, running his 31st or 32nd Sri Chinmoy 24 Hour race and taking the Male 60-69 category, having dug ever so deep for a mightily impressive 163.852km. Craig Gustard came home with 163.009km; while Justin Scholz completed at least his 10th Centurion effort by walking 100 miles in 21:50:43 at which point he withdrew from the race (thus slipping a few notches in the standings). Karen Chan just barely missed the 100 mile mark by a mere 28 metres and deserves a most creditable mention for her wonderful run of 160.906km.

Constance Attard had never entered a race of any distance in her life, let alone a 24 hour race. Her plan was “to walk with a happy heart” for as far as she could, and that she certainly did, clocking an amazing 123.426km to take 2nd in the Female 50-59 category – an impressive race debut if ever there was one!

David Attrill came to the track today expecting to walk about a marathon: however he was so inspired by Rod Rainey’s record-breaking run that he continued … and continued … eventually taking out the Male 70 and Over category with a whopping 120.632km, all of them walked.

Every runner and walker in the race deserves their own write-up and many a victory is not recorded in the results pages; these victories are recorded on the tablets of our aspiring hearts, on the beaming smiles at the finish line, and in the lasting legacy and memories of these fleeting 24 hours on a track in Campbelltown.

Our gratitude beyond words to Billy Pearce who provided medical expertise and cheerful on-track support to organisers and runners alike throughout the entire 24 hours; to Martin Fryer for his superb timing and results service as well as untiring support and encouragement from his own vast ultra experience; to the caretakers of Campbelltown Stadium Athletics Track for their incredible embrace of the event; to “My Rainbow-Dreams” vegetarian cafe in Canberra for supplying food throughout for runners and helpers; and to volunteers from the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team from Mongolia, Brisbane, Melbourne and Canberra.

Results (PDF Download)

Sri Chinmoy 24 Hour Race, 8 & 9 July 2017, full results by category 120.28 KB

Sri Chinmoy 24 Hour Race, 8 & 9 July 2017, full results overall 37.35 KB

Sri Chinmoy 24 Hour Race, 8 & 9 July 2017, full lap splits 316.16 KB

Sri Chinmoy 12 Hour Race, 8 & 9 July 2017, full results by category 114.6 KB

Sri Chinmoy 12 Hour Race, 8 & 9 July 2017, full results overall 30.99 KB

Sri Chinmoy 12 Hour Race, 8 & 9 July 2017, full lap splits 86.41 KB

Sri Chinmoy 6 Hour Race, 8 July 2017, full results by category 118.13 KB

Sri Chinmoy 6 Hour Race, 8 July 2017, full results overall 34.53 KB

Sri Chinmoy 6 Hour Race, 8 July 2017, full lap splits 133.85 KB

Sri Chinmoy 24 hour, 12 Hour & 6 hour Races, 8 & 9 July 2017, milestone times 124.95 KB

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The Sri Chinmoy 24 hour race has been a fixture on the Australian Ultra Running calendar since the early 80s. Without fail, every single edition of this event has been memorable for the heroism and glowing inspiration of the many types of runner – noble athlete-warriors, philosophers, poets, battlers, explorers, adventurers, dreamers, angels and sheer sloggers – who have graced the track with their stupendous self-giving deeds.

2017 was a another wonderful addition to the tradition.

24 hour race

In the women’s 24 hour race, Cheryl Symons offered a master class in the value of endurance and persistence. Initially, Annabel Hepworth had led the women with her sprightly clip; once Annabel “pulled the plug” after 100km, Jade Crime inherited the lead. Yet through the small hours of the night it was Cheryl who was to bring her stamina to the fore and finally prevail with an impressive 165+ km. It was over 22 hours before Cheryl took the race lead. Jade took the 2nd placing with 100 miles – 161.2km; while Tracy Turner filled out the podium spots with 145.7km. Tracey Hind came in 4th by completing a shade over 133km; while evergreen Joy Walden won the Female 50-59 division with 111.4km.

Among many fine performances, Stephen Redfern’s was judged by many to be the standout run of the race. Winning one of Australia’s premier 24 hour races only 4 years after taking up running, is a phenomenal achievement. After completing a mighty impressive 196km to take 2nd place at this event last year, Stephen’s maturity, grace and composure were notable signs of his rapidly ascending curve of improvement, which saw him rewarded with a huge Personal Best of 220.4km and the Male Champion’s Trophy. All, both on and off the track, were inspired by Stephen’s attitude, drive and energy throughout the 24 hours.

Next home for the men was our German visitor from Bangkok, Karsten Schiemann, whose dogged determination saw a fine result with 206.6km. Regular participant in the Sri Chinmoy 24-Hour race, Chris Toyne ran another superb race to take 3rd place with 181.5km, from Robert Philpott’s consistent and calm 176.7km.

First among the Male 50-59 and 5th among all the men was the remarkable Anyce Kip Melham, completing over 100 miles (161.6km) in tallying no less than his 30th Sri Chinmoy 24-Hour Race – having raced this event over 4 decades in Adelaide, Brisbane and Blacktown prior to its present incarnation in Campbelltown. An athlete who runs totally from his heart, Anyce carries a deep radiance of love and oneness, his very presence bringing together the community of every race in which he participates. Dean Metcalf was not far behind Anyce with 156.7km to take 5th Male Under 50, ahead of Sean Smith’s and Arthur Sargeant’s 153.9km (6th and 7th respectively). Canberra’s Colin Wiley (133.6km) would take 2nd in the Male 50-59; Philip Balnave 3rd with 123.6km; Tony Wilms 4th with 120.4km; and Peter Tutty finishing 5th with 75.2km.

Kieron Blackmore, reigning in his tendency for speed through much of the race, brought home the Male 60-69 with exactly 120km from Robert Osbourne (113.8km), Louis Commins (110km) and Victor Correa (84.4km). The Male Under 50 were completed by the popular Eddy Oba with 116.9km; Steve Domonkos with 115.6km; Kurt Topper’s 107.8km; Hamish Knox who covered 89.2km; and Andrew Meagher completing 88km.

12 hour race

A full moon unobstructed by a single cloud shone bright throughout the night, gazing over proceedings like a benign and approving deity, flooding the arena with a silver serenity.

It is rare that a race is won outright by someone in the 60-69 category. Perhaps rarer still that an open race is won by one walking the whole way. Almost unheard of is it that both feats would be accomplished in the same event, yet that is exactly what veteran walker John Kilmartin achieved in the Sri Chinmoy 12 Hour Race, with his outstanding 1st placing of 84.3km.

The next placing was also remarkable: Lib Smith, competing in the Female 50-59 not only beat all the other women home, but also all the (running) men of the field with her 78.2km! Nova Gallagher came in after Lib, winning the Female Under 50 with 76.2km.

Sarankhuu Jargal, visiting from Mongolia, was first of the Male Under 50, clocking 61.2km to run the furthest he has ever run in a race. Martin Pluss took out the Male 50-59 with 42.4km.

6 hour race

A decent field of 21 runners tackled the “short” race of 6 hours, with a wide spectrum of purposes, aims and goals. While it was the briefest of the 3 events staged over the weekend, this one certainly upset the record books!

Gene Dykes from Pennsylvania, USA dominated the first stanza of the race as he flew about the track in pursuit of several age records. In the process Gene successfully collected no less than 7 consecutive USATF Masters Track records: for 15km, 10 miles, 20km, 25km, 2 hours, 30km and 20 miles for the M65-69 age group. Congratulations Gene on your outstanding run!

John Nuttall smashed the existing 6 hour Australian National M65 record by about 10km with his superb outing of 65.491km. Larissa Tichon also triumphed in her quest to break the W25 Australian 6 hour record by completing 66.149km.

Ryan Gooding defended his title, narrowly missing his distance from last year with 68.5km this time around, looking as good as ever. Next home were the record-breaking Larissa Tichon and John Nuttall. Following them was Geoff Barnes, winning the Male 50-59 with 63.2km from Masa Chiba’s 60.9km. Rod Rainey took out the Male 70 and Over with his 49.8km; and Belinda Lockwood the Female 50-59 with 47.04km.

Our deep and flowing gratitude to Billy Pearce who offered medical support with heart throughout the 24 hours; and to Martin Fryer and his assistant Tom of Flyer Ultra timing services for their consummate timing and results service.

Mighty congratulations to every entrant, every finisher and every supporter of this wonderful event!

Results (PDF Download)

Sri Chinmoy 24 hour race, Campbelltown Sports Stadium Athletics Centre, 18 & 19 June 2016, full results by category 125.64 KB

Sri Chinmoy 24 hour race, Campbelltown Sports Stadium Athletics Centre, 18 & 19 June 2016, full results overall 124.44 KB

Sri Chinmoy 24 hour race, Campbelltown Sports Stadium Athletics Centre, 18 & 19 June 2016, full results with split times 124.12 KB

Sri Chinmoy 12 hour race, Campbelltown Sports Stadium Athletics Centre, 18 & 19 June 2016, full results by category 114.47 KB

Sri Chinmoy 12 hour race, Campbelltown Sports Stadium Athletics Centre, 18 & 19 June 2016, full results overall 112.89 KB

Sri Chinmoy 12 hour race, Campbelltown Sports Stadium Athletics Centre, 18 & 19 June 2016, full results with split times 109.53 KB

Sri Chinmoy 6 hour race, Campbelltown Sports Stadium Athletics Centre, 18 & 19 June 2016, full results by category 119.11 KB

Sri Chinmoy 6 hour race, Campbelltown Sports Stadium Athletics Centre, 18 & 19 June 2016, full results overall 117.03 KB

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Note: the results published here are provisional only.

A 24 hour race is run not so much Against the Clock, as With the Clock. This particular 24 hour event might also be remembered as a Race Against The Rain: a massive low pressure system was all week threatening to unburden itself over Campbelltown during the course of the event. As it turned out, the race was held almost totally rain-free; with some light showers at the start and again during the take-down post-race before an enormous downpour struck.

Sharon Scholz always looked to have the women's 24 hour race in her keeping, with such wealth of experience and deep reserves of determination and courage to draw upon. In taking the Sri Chinmoy 24 hour Women's Title for 2016, Sharon placed 2nd outright in the race and crested the magical 200km marker with a final tally of 201.931km. She led a small but high-quality women's field which more than held their own, taking 3 of the top 6 placings overall.

The 24 hour men's race saw several leaders. First it was David Turnbull from England, who was aiming at 100km and therefore started at a brisker clip than most. Brendan Davies – current Australian Ultra Runner of the Year, surprisingly appearing in his first ever 24 hour track race – was running with superb form and control, as was the New Zealand champion and 12-hour M60 World Record holder Bryan McCorkindale. Yet when running at such high intensity, any number of hidden forces can assail the attempt, and both Brendan and Bryan would be forced to withdraw during the night.

Malcolm Gamble ran a steady race from the outset, and proved the immense value of a clear and steadfast plan, no matter what else might be happening around him. Malcolm was resolute throughout the night and by morning held a clear, unassailable lead which he would carry to the finish to be crowned the 2016 Sri Chinmoy 24 Hour Male Champion with a fine 222.656km.

The second place winners in both the women's and the men's races were 24 hour first-timers, and both came seriously close to topping 200km at their first attempt: Donna Urquhart took 2nd in the women with a wonderful 192.53km while Stephen Redfern came even closer to 200 with a superb run of 196.575km.

John Yoon (185.916km), Kristy Lovegrove (175.327km) and Sean Smith (163.603km) were next in distance, just ahead of the indefatigable Centurian Justin Scholz, who proved his resilience and class by yet again cracking the elusive 100 mile mark – walking.

The Male 50-59 race turned into a friendly duel between 2 gentlemen of the track, with Kieron Blackmore (157.555km) ultimately yielding the title to the evergreen Anyce 'Kip' Melham (166.720km), racing in his 29th Sri Chinmoy 24 hour race!

Every entrant is deserving of our admiration, congratulations and awe. We hold you all in the highest standing.

If the 24 hour race had seen a fast start, the 12 hour race started as a veritable sprint: with Rick Cooke running as though late for an appointment, American Steve Stowers and Dan Symonds hot in pursuit. This small field produced a nevertheless intriguing race which was always captivating. Steve came with a mission, which he fulfilled to perfection, breaching the US 50 mile and 100km records for M50, making the trip well worth his while. Dan Symonds won the race convincingly in the end with 116km completed.

Gemma Worland took out the Female Under 50 with 86.781km, and Lib Smith the Female 50-59 with 72 km.

The 6 hour race proved a right ding-dong battle with the top 4 placings separated by only 1 km each. Ryan Gooding took the honours with 69.821 km, and Sonia Green the women's race with her wonderful run of 63.029km.

Our gratitude to all who played a role in this magnificent drama: each and every runner; all of the runners' helpers, family and supporters who came with their hearts' encouragement and goodwill; alongside the medical team of Robert Glasson-Smith and wife Lina; Martin Fryer whose dedication to perfection produced an immaculate set of results and enabled us all to enjoy peace of mind through the race; the ever-helpful staff of Campbelltown Sports Stadium Athletics Centre; and members of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team from Perth, Brisbane, Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney.

In 2017 the Sri Chinmoy 24 hour, 12 hour and 6 hour races will likely be held in July, on a weekend to be confirmed – at the same wonderful venue.

Results (PDF Download)

24hrcatres140615.pdf 58.15 KB

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Ancient cities had their stadia, where citizens flocked to witness great dramas of the human condition – epic tragedies of Sophocles, lavish intrigues of Seneca, masterful eloquence of Shakespeare – for entertainment, edification and ultimately, for transformation.

Today our stadium is but a simple 400 metre loop of synthetic compound; our protagonists humble runners and walkers: yet our drama is every bit as gripping, as moving, as universal, elevating and yes, as transforming as any offered on any stage of yore.

Here the drama unfolds largely within: the outer quest to pile up loop after loop after loop, mirrors the inner quest to transcend. The outer prize may be a trophy and a pat on the back: the inner prize a glimmer of self-discovery, a further finger-hold on the baffling rockface of self-conquest.

2015 saw the Sri Chinmoy 24 hour, 12 hour and 6 hour races staged for the first time at Campbelltown Sports Stadium Athletics Centre track. With all amenities of a world-class facility, yet removed from the turbulence and tension of the inner city, the atmosphere at Campbelltown amongst athletes, organisers and facility staff was friendly, supportive and happy throughout. We look forward to returning next year and beyond.

In an event which is more about inner reward than outer accomplishment, it is not always meaningful to focus on distances and comparisons – for one who may have covered only a slight distance may yet have resolved all manner of inner conflicts along the way and achieved a sense of blissful liberation as a result.

Yet one performance commands our attention, admiration and amazement: Bryan McCorkindale from Christchurch, New Zealand broke the World Record for Men 60 and Over for 12 Hours. Bryan, the defending champion from last year’s 24 hour race had entered the 24 hour event again with the intention of having a shot at the 12 hour and 100 mile records and then seeing what might be left for the remaining time. As it happened, he was on good pace for the 12 hour record but had to dig very deep to stay on pace during the final few hours. His determination and focus were extraordinary and swept the entire environs and spectators into an all-consuming effort of will to reach and breach that goal: first the track record of 129.525 km set by our own Cliffie Young in Sydney in 1982; and next the all-time 12 hour record of 132.167 km by the legendary Frenchman Max Courtillon at Moreuil in 1988 … Bryan’s outer calm belied an indomitable power that felt like a volcano burning on a measured fuse. All else was blocked out of the awareness as we witnessed the stupendous effort required to transcend the best that 60+ humankind has yet achieved. In the end, there were only 400 metres in it – a mere one of those laps after laps after laps – as 12 hours yielded 132.565km and a new World Record for Bryan and, it felt, for us all.

Bryan, we salute you, a true champion among champions.

It was my great pleasure this year to step up from being a helper at the two previous editions of this event to being the Race Director. It wasn’t a hard decision as it is a Race Director’s dream to have such an experienced and joyful group of volunteers to work with as the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team (SCMT) and such a wonderful mixture of runners to serve that spanned an experience spectrum from complete newbie to National Team level, and that came from near (Sydney) and far (Western Australia and New Zealand).

I have already had feedback from many runners telling me about how the enthusiastic support by members of the SCMT and their provision of such an outstanding selection of tasty food (some runners were asking for the recipes) helped them to achieve something special in their chosen events.

24 Hour Race

After the traditional minute of silence to contemplate the journey ahead (and to be grateful for all that had helped them get to the start line!) the 24h runners enthusiastically embarked on their mission on a slightly wet track after some steady overnight rain. Thankfully, the weather cleared to perfect running conditions for the rest of the race and the performances matched this accordingly.

24h Men

A fine standard was set in the Men’s 24h race with 5 entrants finishing over the 200K mark, 11 exceeding 100 miles and 24 entrants exceeding 100 K. The early race lead moved from John Power to Kevin Muller but eventually New Zealander Bryan McCorkingdale (M60-69) prevailed with a perfectly paced race that reflected his strength and experience.

Serial ultramarathon racer Kevin Muller completed over 220K in this race only one week after coming 2nd in the Gold Coast 100K race!

Experienced C2K campaigner and keen trail runner Kevin Heaton showed his class with 216K on his 24h track debut, displaying great restraint to walk extra periods early in the race when he was ahead of schedule.

A very determined and focused Robert Knowles stuck to a brutally tight schedule in the last 6 hours of the race in an attempt to get his 24h Guinness Book of Records barefoot title back (the existing record was around 211K), which required a barefoot PB of over 30K. The provisional results (212.210K) suggest that he may have just sneaked in a new record, which is a phenomenal achievement.

Matt Chamberlain was one big ear-to-ear smile as he celebrated breaking 200K while Chris Knowles had a superb run to make the nervous 190’s. Adam Connor, Geoff Last, Darren Kime and Colin Brooks also ran very brave and determined races (with some impressive new PBs in there) to break the famous 100 mile target.

Whilst a recently injured and underprepared Justin Scholz might have been disappointed with missing the walking records he was going for, the rest of the runners and helpers were simply amazed that he could yet again walk well over 100 miles in 24 hours on a bad day!

Trevor Allen, Steve Domonkos, Dean Metcalf and Kurt Topper all ran a credible 150K plus, each fighting their own personal battles to make it into this challenging distance range.

The effervescent Geoff Tomlins finished his very first 24 Hour Race with a very tidy 143K despite an early foot injury, some extreme chafing and some extended breaks. He gave a fantastic interview at the awards ceremony that was colorful and full of pithy wisdom. Joining him in the 140’s were excellent runs by Charbel Sandroussi, Anyce “Kip” Melham (a long time participant of this event and previous winner), and a very mellow and contemplative Billy Pearce, who was using this race as a training run for the Adelaide 6 Day Race later this year.

For some runners and walkers this year it just wasn’t meant to be but they had the courage to start, to do their best on the day, and remained in good spirits throughout: Michael Thompson fought blisters, Mal Gamble was not quite healed from a soleus injury and Jo Blake’s conscience as a dad got the better of him in the mid afternoon as he snuck off for quite a few hours to see one of his sons’ football matches before returning to the track, but eventually retiring later on. Visiting New Zealander Andrew Shelley was hoping for his Centurion walk debut but unfortunately things didn’t go his way - I have no doubt he will be back even more determined to get it right. A number of walkers and run/walkers, including the inimitable Louis Commins, Robert Osborne and Graeme Thompson performed admirably, and the ever popular Greg Finlay finished on 114K with a “blistering” last lap after a race plagued by blisters!

24h Women

It was wonderful to see the return of previous Australian 24 Hour representative, Meredith Quinlan, to the winner’s podium with one of her typical steady paced races, a very strong finish, and yet another final result in the 210 to 220K range. Meredith has been spending more time on the mountain bike recently but decided to return to the track to remember just how fun these events can be!

Like Kevin Muller, Annabel Hepworth is a serial ultramarathon racer who also achieves amazing results week after week with almost no recovery in between. She displayed incredible strength and resilience to run over 180K in what she believed to be quite a cathartic race for her, having started the race with many things weighing heavily on her mind but finishing with a beautiful smile and an open heart.

Third place went to Jade Crim, who had a blinder of a race, finishing with 157km thanks to her mighty perseverance and the help of a very supportive and animated crew while fourth place went to the ever smiling New Zealander Heather Andrews who attained an excellent 135K in style.

Fifth and sixth places went to two delightful visitors from Brisbane: both Cassie Smith and Subala Kamalan had tough races but both triumphed with very credible distances of 123K and 100K, respectively.

12 Hour Race

The start of the 12 Hour race at 10 pm brought a new wave of energy to the track which certainly helped the 24 h participants to enter their second half with renewed vigour.

12h Men

So far in 2014 Canberra’s Paul Cuthbert has completed two tough trail ultras (North Face 100K and 168K Ultra Trail Mt Fuji in Japan) but decided to broaden his experience and have a go at the 12 Hour, which he won (supported by his lovely family) on debut with over 116K on a much less forgiving surface. I’m sure Paul is looking forward to once again making the podium in the upcoming Canberra 101K trail race in September.

Second place went to a smiling and stylish James Sylvester whose positive attitude led him to a smart 111.6 km, while 3rd and 4th was a close contest between Matt Menegazzo’s 104K and Mark Northcott, who was very happy to break 100k with 15 minutes to go and power on to 103K.

Another Paul with a strong trail ultra heritage, Paul Shoemark, ran a courageous 98 K to fall just short of the century. Rob Howarth also had the century goal but entered at short notice, had a strong start and recovered at the end after a mid race slump to finish with a very respectable 88km on debut.

Stromlo 12 Hour regular and stalwart Saul Richardson once again surpassed 80K while Australian champion racewalker and Coburg 24 Hour race director, Tim Erickson, had a hard day at the office and unfortunately fell well short of the remarkable records that he had set in the previous edition of this event.

One of the truly inspirational performances of this event that went under the radar involved Greg Smith. This race was the icing on the cake for Greg after a remarkable journey in the last 6 months including abstention from alcohol, losing 20 kg of bodyweight and raising almost $6000 for the Australian Missing Person’s register. Cheered on by coach Gary Mullins and a very enthusiastic crew Greg exceeded his wildest expectations by walking 65K!

Legendary vets ultrarunner Ron Schwebel set an absolutely cracking pace in his brave attempt to break the M60 50K record but the brutal pace proved too much in the cool conditions and cramping unfortunately forced him to retire early.

12h Women

Bernadette Benson came into this race with a mission to go hard and take a lot of records home and she did this and more. In a gritty and extremely focused display of strength, grace and determination she covered over 133K to take out first outright place as well as setting new records including the Canadian W45 6hr record, the AUS and CAN W45 100k records, and the AUS and CAN Open 12 hr records for W45. Her speech at the awards ceremony was memorable, perfectly capturing her own success and disappointment, giving honest and gracious thanks to those who helped, and bringing all runners into her victory, by explaining how she had watched others going through their own tough times and drew on the strength and courage they all showed.

Cambewarra’s Sabina Hamaty is always a glowing presence on the track and she not only fulfilled her aim of just running for pure joy (rather than competitively) but also just happened to run a very good distance of over 108K for second place.

Third place went to Helen McDonald who, like many others, made a very successful transition from trail to track with an impressive 98K on debut, while Rebecca Horsburgh surprised herself my walking an amazing 68K on very little preparation Cathie Wiltshire (Cool Running’s Gadfly) didn’t have a great run for her in terms of kms but was delighted to achieve 64K and a bonus sprint finish after carrying a back injury for the last 12 months.

Closing remarks

Overall, the event was a great success, thanks to the runners, crew, volunteers and the support of the race sponsors (Shotz Sports nutrition Australia for the best electrolyte, gels and bars around; Blisterprevention.com.au for ENGO patches and superb education materials, and Highly Tuned Athletes for Video recording of the event as well as their race packs and great offers on specialist electronic gear that is highly sought by ultra runners).

An absolute standout aspect was the incredible atmosphere at the track created by the crews, most notably the luminous Sarah Jane Marshall and her colleague Gordon Plunkett who not only crewed for their 7 runners but catered to any other orphans throughout the race with an energy that was absolutely infectious.

What is most gratifying for a Race Director after the sleep deprivation has worn off is the realisation that all of the runners, crews and volunteers that were present last weekend have had their lives changed forever - none of us will ever be the same. A shared journey of determination, grace, enthusiasm, poise, courage, gratitude, joy and love and an absolute understanding of what it means to be part of the true universal oneness of humanity.

I do hope we see everyone again next year but in the meantime I will leave you with two quotes from Gordon Plunkett’s crewing report posted on Cool Running Australia which capture some of my feelings in a nutshell:

“One thing I love about this sport is some people you have never met but after a quick hello and 24hrs of pain you know them very well and remain friends for a very long time”.

“Sharing this from another side was just awesome; helping runners to achieve their running goals is very rewarding”.

Full results are published, as well as a photo gallery from the weekend.

Martin Fryer

Race Director

Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team

19 June 2014

The annual Sri Chinmoy 24 Hour and 12 Hour Track Races were staged at the Blacktown International Sportspark on Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 June 2014. Final results, as well as progressive results follow:

Final standing by category>>

Final standing for 24 hour and 12 hour races combined overall>>

24 hour race, 21 hours progressive standings, and 12 hour race, 9 hour progressive standings>>

24 hour race, 18 hours progressive standings, and 12 hour race, 6 hour progressive standings>>

24 hour race, 15 hours progressive standings, and 12 hour race, 3 hour progressive standings>>

24 hour race, 12 hours progressive standings>>

24 hour race, 9 hours progressive standings>>

24 hour race, 6 hours progressive standings>>

24 hour race, 3 hours progressive standings>>

The annual Sri Chinmoy 24 Hour & 12 Hour races for 2013 were staged at Blacktown International Sportpark on Saturday 15 & Sunday 16 June. Full results overall, and full lap splits for each runner follow:

Sri Chinmoy 24 Hour & 12 Hour races, overall finish results>>

Full lap splits for each runner, 24-Hour race

Trevor Allen	Gary Mullins
Larissa Tichon	Neil Armstrong
Sarah Richardson	Jade Crim
Justin Scholz	Sarah-Jane Marshall
Sharon Scholz	Charbel Sandroussi
Stuart Cole	John Nuttall
Karen Woon Cheung Chan	Cassie Smith
Steve Jordan	Saul Richardson
Anyce 'Kip' Melham	Robert Knowles
Robert Osbourne	Blair Watson
John Glen	Phil Essam
Annabel Hepworth	Reinier Jessurun
Susie Ro

Full lap splits for each runner, 12-Hour race

Jonathan Blake	Belinda Balkema
Rick Cooke	Luis Vazquez-Recio
April Palmerlee	Darren Kime
Tim Erickson	Cathie Wiltshire
Brett Molloy	Sri Kurra
Ian Jessurun	JC Santa Teresa
Kent Vaughan	Callum Ritchie

Race Photos

View gallery »

This past weekend a group of hardy and inspiring runners participated in the Sri Chinmoy 12/24 Hour Championships at the excellent Blacktown International Sports Park. The daytime conditions were perfect for a fast race, with a cool breeze and a little sun. Temperatures again dropped overnight, although it was nowhere near as cold as last year.

The Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team tried out a new timing system which provided live results for the runner as they passed the timing tent. It was generally agreed that this was a great success for all involved.

Both events were enthusiastically contested however the most notable observation would have to be the womenâ€™s 24 hour results. Out of the top ten finishes in the 24 hour race, the women placed 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 7th. Another notable observation was the high number of runners who completed over 100miles, with Sharon Scholz, Steve Jordan, Anyce â€˜Kipâ€™ Melham, Robert Osbourne and John Glen all earning their centurian title. Congratulations to Steve Jordanâ€™s 100+ miles effort after 15 attempts, and Sharon Scholz for transcending her previous distance by such a big margin.

The 24 hour field included a good mix of experienced and new ultra marathon runners and walkers. For much of the race Larissa Tichon, Sarah Richardson, Sharon Scholz, who was walking, Annabel Hepworth and Karen Chang were within a few kilometres of each other. Each runner experienced the high and low moments which are common to the sport. In the end there was only a lap or two in it with Larissa taking out first place in the womenâ€™s category clocking up an impressive 192.935 kilometers, closely followed by Sarah with 192.293 kms. Sharon came in third, walking, with an amazing 187.653kms. She was only 2km behind her husband Justin.

In the menâ€™s race the first 13 hours were dominated by an impressive run by Gary Mullins and Trevor Allen. Gary looked very strong throughout, but as we know, ultra running is a mysterious sport at times and half way through the race Garyâ€™s intense pace caught up with him. Trevor delighted onlookers, or perhaps confused them, with his running strategy. Endlessly smiling he vacillated between a relaxed saunter and an impressive gallop. The unorthodox approach seemed to pay off with Trevor winning the race outright with an impressive 201.048 kilometres. While that was going on Justin Scholz stormed his way through the race with consistency and determination. None could tell if he was motivated more by catching Trevor or by not being caught by his wife â€“ I will let you decide! Either way, this earned him second place in the menâ€™s race with 189.678km. Bringing in third place was Stuart Cole. Stuart Cole epitomised the spirit of ultra-marathon running, with his steady determination and effort, rare breaks and gentle character he covered a distance of 181.439kms.

The 24 hour field was completed by a team of dedicated and much loved runners who shared their own journey with their supportive family and friends. Charbel Sandroussi , Susie Ro, Neil Armstrong and Saul Richardson ran really well and added a bit of humour, family love and internationalism to the race.

Similar to the 24 hour race, the 12 hour race had a mix of familiar ultra-veteranâ€™s and fresh new faces. Ian Jessurunâ€™s joy at competing in his first ultra-marathon was very catching. JC Santa Teresa stood out for his cheerfulness, Sri Kurra for his steady determination. It was also nice to see Darren Kime and Cathie Wiltshire back from last year. They ran very solidly throughout the race, as did Callum Ritchie.

At the front end of the field in the menâ€™s race Jonathon Blake and Rick Cooke blazed around the track for the whole 12 hours. Both runners shared the first place spot throughout the race. Rick planned on breaking the races previous record for 12 hours, which he did by around 4km. Rick showed true sportsmanship in expressing his sincere joy for Jonathon who ultimately won the race. Jonathonâ€™s inner poise, strength and experience earned him the title.

The womenâ€™s race was won by April Palmerlee, breaking the 100km mark by 6 Â½ kilometres in the process. Running with power and concentration, April appeared surprising fresh at the end of the race.

The Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team thanks the runners, their family, friends and helpers for making the weekend a success and we look forward to seeing you all again next year.

Results and a photo album are published.

Race Photos

View gallery »

Sitting in the oversized lap-counting tent quite early on the morning of the race I was struck by the calmness of the steady stream of athletes approaching to pick up their race numbers for the 24-hour journey they were about to endure. They all looked fit, but each person clearly had a different strength or quality they were about to share with their fellow runners, helpers and lap-counters.

The weather was clear and crisp, landscape seeming to reflect the anticipation, pulsating energy and curiosity as we all entered the unknown realm of our future. Before any of us really had time to take stock the whistle had blown and the runners were loping around the track in a mixed display of dynamism, grace and quiet achievement.

The venue was the perfect location for this race. The facilities offered the runners and helpers everything they could possibly need. The track was in perfect condition, the scenery was beautiful and serene and the cooking and bathroom facilities were comprehensive. All we had to do now was run and count laps.

Of the 35 brave souls that entered the 24-hour race, 7 of them were women. A fact I was quite pleased to see. Another fact that really should be noted was the results. No less than four of these women placed in the top 10 of the race. Allison Lilley, the 2012 Women's 24 Hour Ultra Marathon Champion ran 192.168 kilometres. This is one of the best performances by a woman in Australian running history and placed her third overall. She was followed by Cassie Smith, whose 181.479 kilometres and overall 5^th place was another amazing achievement. Larissa Tichon cheerfully ran her way into third place by attaining her pre-determined goal of 180 kilometres. Michelle Thompson's power race walk took her to 9^th place overall with a total of 174.896 kilometres. It was delightful to see the talent Australian women have to offer this great sport.

The men's 2012 24 Hour National Ultra Marathon Championship was won by Mike Canty, an ex track runner who gracefully completed 210.892 kilometres. He looked very fresh for the duration of the race and saved the outer signs of the physical toll the race took on him for the moment everyone was watching as he came up to receive his trophy. Hope you're feeling better soon!

Trevor Allen and Justin Scholz battled it out for second and third. Trevor coming in with 193.410 kilometres, closely followed by Justin with 190.660 kilometres. Paul Wright, Phill Le Marinel and Jason Murphy rounded out the top ten finishers by running in excess of 168 kilometres. Phill also won the prize for being the most polite runner on the track.

Now it's time to get creative. Take your shoes and socks off, run down to the end of the street and back and then keep running for another 23 hours and 59 minutes or until you have covered 166.444 kilometres. This is what Rob Knowles did. In the process he broke two world records (pending verification) and raised nearly $10,000 for charity. No pun intended, what a feat!

At midday on the Saturday, the 24-hour runners were joined by around 20 6-hour runners. In the planning stages of the race this seemed like a great idea. However as the field took off it became clear that we were in for an edge of the seat nail-biting experience. For about three hours Ben Malby and Raymond Wareham treated us with a demonstration of the boundless capacity of human endurance and speed as they practically sprinted around the track. The pace was serious and the lap counting tent was sent into a concentration frenzy. Is it shallow to complain about having a sore neck and wrist from keeping up with counting their laps?

In the end it was the steady level gait of Gary Mullins that took line honours in the 6-hour by running an impressive 72.290 kilometres. He was followed by Kevin Muller (67.367km) and Peter Mullins (62.338) who as well as coming third overall won the 50-59 age category. Fighting illness, Keith â€˜Buzzâ€™ Hong still managed to run 62.071 kilometres and came in fourth overall. Ray James came in fifth running 61.822 kilometres and narrowly missed out on breaking the world record for his age.

In the women's race Denise Maguire dominated the race from the beginning and crossed the line with 60.430 kilometres. She was followed by Sharon Blair (51.707) and Angela Mcilwain (50.941).

With the excitement of the 6-hour race receding, the 24-hour runners were nearing their half way mark. By now there was a tangible rhythm to the race as all the various components seemed to be functioning just how they should be. The food was coming out regularly and was delicious and nourishing, the coffee machine opened up just in time for the evening shift, and the lap counters had finally worked out how to calculate a split, much to the relief of the lap counting captain.

The weather had held up until this point and we had been treated by a clear, sunny, cool day. However, as the darkness descended on the track the warmth seem to literally be sucked out of the air, only to be left with what seemed like a giant freezer. We all scrambled for anything that could ward off the unrelenting chill.

It was at this point that the 12-hour runners took to the track. We were very fortunate to have Martin Fryer, a much loved and respected ultra running champion offer us his services for the weekend. He was an enormous help during the challenges of the concurrent day races and we were comforted to know he would be there for the 12-hour. In the evening Michael 'Slowmo' Bedward, local Sydney running identity also arrived to count laps throughout the night.

Agnieszka Flak led the women out and never really lost a beat over the next 12 hours. Her performance of 112.747 kilometres saw her taking line honours in the womenâ€™s category and fourth outright. It was a fantastic run. She was followed by a very pink and very cheerful Sarah-Jane Marshall (85.067) and a very consistent Cathie Wiltshire (75.699).

Adrian Horvath loped around the track with an effortless grace that reminded one of a river casually making its way to somewhere. He won the men's category with 129.477 kilometres. He was followed by the focused and determined Rick Cooke, in a none too shabby 123.514 kilometres. Wayne Botha came in third with another high mileage result (117.521).

Paul Every, the ultra-marathon veteran, also cracked the hundred kilometre mark. Having run with Paul before, it was nice to see him do his thing with the poise and cheer of the dedicated long-distance runner.

The weekend was filled with a myriad of wonderful experiences for anyone who was lucky enough to be there. I have heard many wonderful stories and hope the memories inspire everyone to come back again next year.

Full results are now published, along with a photo album from around the track.

Niboddhri Ward, Race Director

O/all Place	No.	Name	Cat	Cat Pl	Final Distance (km)
1	92	Adrian Horvath	M 0-49	1	129.4770
2	94	Rick Cooke	M 0-49	2	123.5140
3	93	Wayne Botha	M 0-49	3	117.5210
4	84	Agnieszka Flak	F 0-49	1	112.7470
5	96	Paul Every	M 0-49	4	104.5680
6	99	Brett Molloy	M 50-59	1	99.1280
7	98	Michael Thompson	M 50-59	2	91.1000
8	82	Sarah-Jane Marshall	F 0-49	2	85.0670
9	83	Cathie Wiltshire	F 0-49	3	75.6990
10	95	Callum Armstrong	M 0-49	5	53.6240
11	97	Wayne Gregory	M 50-59	3	40.0000

Sri Chinmoy 2 4 Hour Race Results>>
Sri Chinmoy 1 2 Hour Race Results>>
Sri Chinmoy 6 Hour Race Results>>

O/all Place	No.	Name	Cat	Cat Pl	Final Distance
1	44	Gary Mullins	M 0-49	1	72.2900
2	42	Kevin Muller	M 0-49	2	67.3670
3	71	Peter Mullins	M 50-59	1	62.3380
4	47	Keith 'Buzz' Hong	M 0-49	3	62.0710
5	77	Raymond James	M 60-69	1	61.8220
6	41	Chris Yates	M 0-49	4	61.6000
7	62	Denise Maguire	F 0-49	1	60.4300
8	45	Joseph McCann	M 0-49	5	60.4100
9	51	Darren Kime	M 0-49	6	53.6330
10	73	Edward Tobiasz	M 50-59	2	52.4160
11	61	Sharon Blair	F 0-49	2	51.7070
12	74	Robert Boyce	M 50-59	3	51.4560
13	63	Angela Mcilwain	F 0-49	3	50.9410
14	48	Raymond Wareham	M 0-49	7	50.0000
15	79	Alan Staples	M 60-69	2	49.1270
16	72	Mark Nicholls	M 50-59	4	42.4000
17	49	Kevin Ghazi	M 0-49	8	42.4000
18	46	Anh Le	M 0-49	9	37.0150
19	78	Eric Trad	M 60-69	3	36.1580
20	50	Ben Malby	M 0-49	10	30.8000
21	43	Tim Stone	M 0-49	11	28.8000

24 HR
Place	First Name	Last Name	Gender	Gen Pl	Laps	Kms	Extra metres	Final Distance (km)
1	Trevor	Allen	Male	1	501	200.4	0.005	200.405
2	Mike	Canty	Male	2	483	193.2	0.368	193.568
3	Sharon	Scholz	Female	1	407	162.8	0.356	163.156
4	Steven	Houldsworth	Male	3	399	159.6	0.144	159.744
5	Steve	Jordan	Male	4	361	149.706	0.059	149.765
6	Tony	Ayris	Male	5	342	136.8	0.251	137.051
7	Alun	Davies	Male	6	329	136.435	0	136.435
8	Paul	Every	Male	7	336	134.4	0.032	134.432
9	Grant	Cameron	Male	8	335	134	0.363	134.363
10	Robert	Middleton	Male	9	329	131.6	0	131.600
11	Robert	Boyce	Male	10	288	115.2	0.364	115.564
12	Keith	Sullivan	Male	11	268	107.2	0.007	107.207
13	Anyce	Melham	Male	12	205	82		82.000
14	Duncan	Foster	Male	13	173	69.2		69.200

12 HR
Place	First Name	Last Name	Gender	Gen Pl	Laps	Kms	Extra metres	Final Distance (km)
1	John	Pearson	Male	1	320	128	0.379	128.379
2	Geoffrey	Last	Male	2	279	111.6	0.03	111.630
3	Bernie	Norris	Male	3	269	107.6	0.046	107.646
4	Carol	Sullivan	Female	1	230	92	0.232	92.232
5	Bruce	Webber	Male	4	184	73.6	0	73.600
6	Michael	Schultz	Male	5	184	73.6	0	73.600
7	Eric	Tradd	Male	6	79	32.761	0	32.761

6 HR
Place	First Name	Last Name	Gender	Gen Pl	Laps	Kms	Extra metres	Final Distance (km)
1	Gregory	Truloff	Male	1	169	67.6	0.198	67.798
2	Kerrie	Bremner	Female	1	159	63.6	0.045	63.645
3	David	Abrey	Male	2	151	60.4	0.02	60.420
4	David	McKinnon	Male	3	141	56.4	0.213	56.613
5	Ian	Watson	Male	4	136	54.4	0.158	54.558
6	Kazu	Fukushige	Male	5	135	54	0.369	54.369
7	Sonya	Graham	Female	2	133	53.2	0.374	53.574
8	Susannah	Harvey-Jamieson	Female	3	120	48	0.159	48.159
9	Mallani	Moloney	Female	4	92	36.8	0.159	36.959
10	Helen	Stanger	Female	5	48	19.2	0	19.200
11	Lindsay	Phillips	Male	6	40	16	0	16.000

Scroll down for 12 & 6 hour results

24 HOUR
O/all Place	Name	Gender	Gender Pl	Age Cat	Age Cat Pl	Kilometres
1	Bernadette Benson	Female	1	40-49	1	200.8864
2	Colin Solomon	Male	1	40-49	1	190.9355
3	Clare Holland	Female	2	50-59	1	178.6413
4	Geoff Last	Male	2	50-59	1	169.8143
5	Lisa Harvey-Smith	Female	3	30-39	1	168.6892
6	Stuart Price	Male	4	30-39	1	164.1219
7	Brendan Mason	Male	3	40-49	2	162.5621
8	April Palmerlee	Female	4	40-49	2	155.1827
9	Trevor Allen	Male	5	30-39	2	152.2905
10	Billy Pearce	Male	6	40-49	3	151.0879
11	Marie Boyd	Female	5	60-69	1	146.5399
12	Warren Wright	Male	7	30-39	3	143.4622
13	Steve Jordan	Male	8	50-59	2	138.5532
14	Robert Boyce	Male	9	40-49	4	135.7133
15	Doug McKay	Male	10	50-59	3	129.2973
16	Tony Ayris	Male	11	40-49	5	127.6827
17	Paul Wright	Male	12	50-59	4	124.0000
18	Keith Sullivan	Male	13	50-59	5	120.6728
19	David Waugh	Male	14	30-39	4	118.8000
20	Anyce 'Kip' Melham	Male	15	50-59	6	107.6000
21	Mick Francis	Male	16	50-59	7	70.8000
22	Duncan Foster	Male	17	30-39	5	69.6000
23	Sharon Scholz	Female	6	30-39	2	8.0000

12 HOUR
O/all Place	Name	Gender	Gen Pl	Age Cat	Age Cat Pl	Kilometres
1	Michael 'milov' Lovric	Male	1	40-49	1	129.0118
2	Bernie Norris	Male	2	18-39	1	109.1750
3	Zac Braxton-Smith	Male	3	18-39	2	101.0063
4	Graeme Watts	Male	4	50-59	1	95.2747
5	John Harris	Male	5	50-59	2	87.9996
6	Cliff Benson	Male	6	60-69	1	84.8275
7	Elizabeth Swain	Female	1	40-49	1	83.0319
8	Brad Boyle	Male	7	50-59	3	50.0000

6 HOUR
O/all Place	Name	Gender	Gen Pl	Age Cat	Age Cat Pl	Kilometres
1	Susannah Harvey-Jamieson	Female	1	18-39	1	65.3522
2	Lee Walmsley	Male	1	18-39	1	57.5162
3	Matt Fitzgerald	Male	2	18-39	2	55.8787
4	Andy Steele	Male	3	50-59	1	55.3133
5	Carol Sullivan	Female	2	50-59	1	54.2508
6	Michelle Thompson	Female	3	40-49	1	53.5604
7	Mallani Moloney	Female	4	18-39	2	51.8017
8	Jayne McGaughey	Female	5	40-49	2	48.0809
9	Barry Hamm	Male	4	50-59	2	35.7444
10	Belinda Hamm	Female	6	50-59	2	33.5289