WOW 🤩 VIC Warburton Trail Fest (WTF) was a SMASH, or should be say SPLASH! Next stop GTNS TAS, Kunanyi Mountain Run (kMR)!

WOW! Warburton Trail Festival (WTF) the 1st race of the Golden Trail National Series (GTNS), powered by Salomon Aus/NZ kicked off on the weekend and it was an absolute smash! Or should we say SPLASH?!

Race Director and trail running community legend Chris Ord , who understands that the trail running community is a little bit cray, cray, put on a show for the trail running community for the WTF is a three-day celebration of all things trail and mountain lifestyle featuring a bunch of trail runs from 5km through 50km, day and night, flat and fast plus a stupidly steep with even a Lilo Race so the support crew can cool off in the creek while the runners sweat it out. The trails are STUNNING, like a trip into a fairy wonderland, full of adventure and excitement, and vitamin Green (G).

The race was lucky to go ahead with the recent heat wave that southern Australia has been experiencing; the 50 km course was changed to a shorter course for athlete safety! The race contributed $1800 to Country Fire Association (CFA) 🫶🏽. The pics, videos, and reels look like the event was a full success, and the smiles of the runners and swimmers tell the story!

This year the WTF, was the BIGGEST one yet! Attracted over 1000 trail runners to compete across the events, with the Golden Trail National Series field matched the conditions and was HOTTER than HOT! Impressive names only just made it into the top 10 for the Donna Double! The line-up is full of names already on our BTU start list, making the next three events, Kunanyi Mountain Run, The Coastal Assent and the BTU look like they are going to be full of excitement!

Stay tuned for the GTNS leaderboard with Open and Under 23yrs Male and Female leaders shown.

Male

1. Max TAYLOR (#383) 01:50:07.7972

2. Leo PETERSON (#369) 01:51:11.5673 @mountainrunnersworld

3. Billy CURTIS (#330) 01:51:53.6534 @billlycurtis

4. Blake TURNER (#384) 01:51:58.8905 @blaketurner_bt

5. Brodie NANKERVIS (#405) 01:53:32.5606 ( Team Salomon) @brodie_nank

6. Michael KERNAHAN (#346) 01:56:21.6137

7. Michael TOSIN (#417) 02:01:33.1378

8. James BARNETT (#305) 02:01:41.6709

9. David BAILEY (#302) 02:01:47.56710 @davebaileyrun.142

10. Benjamin DUFFUS (#332) 02:03:19.370 @benduffus

Female

1. Lara HAMILTON (#342) 02:04:16.9372 @lara_hamilton

2. Katinka VON ELSNER-WELLSTEED (#387) 02:18:12.4803

3. Sophie BROOME (#316) 02:19:45.4604 @scbroome

4. Cecilia MATTAS (#357) 02:21:17.3475 @ceciliamattas

5. Elena STEPHENSON (#380) 02:23:10.4736 @elena.stephenson

6. Penny MOUAT (#361) 02:26:33.4307 @pennymouat88

7. Lauren COCKERELL (#323) 02:28:55.2638

8. Bridget LUNN (#353) 02:40:34.0039

9. Indianna ZAMMIT (#395) 02:41:16.60710

10. Jordynne ORB (#365) 02:43:48.807 @jordynneorb

The other race to watch was the Lumberjack 50 with repeat podium offenders from Team Salomon Vlad Shatrov @vlad_protrailrunner, taking line honours and community favourite, and ultra running legend Lucy Bartholomew @lucy_bartholomew making it onto the podium in 3rd place.

50km Lumberjack

Male

1. 1248 Vlad SHATROV 03:53:32.830 Team Salomon

2. 24 Oowan DAVIES 03:54:51.333

3. 3126 Steve MILLER 04:10:16.590

Female

1. Erchana MURRAY-BARTLETT (#130) 04:16:34.6002

2. India HORTON (#108) 04:21:32.6833

3. Lucy BARTHOLOMEW (#174) 04:35:46.937 Team Salomon

The next stop on the GTNS is Kunanyi Mountain Run (kMR)! kMR has inspired an old Race director to SIGN UP! Yes, there are still entries left, so join the BTU team in Tassie 22nd - 24th March.

kMR registrations are still open for people to #runwithkunanyi with over 300 people have signed up for the #legendaryloop, the Mountain Run 25km (GTNS round 2). The kMR has now released the last 100 regos, which I have just nabbed an entry in. 

There are also spots in the kMR Vertical Kilometre (where else in Aus can you run up 1000m vertical over just 5km?), the 66km (do it Solo or with a team), Foothills 9km, and our Kids Runs. There is even child minding if both parents want to race together or with each other! PLUS loads of things for your support crew to do while you are out racing. Check out the website for more details. 

https://www.kunanyimountain.run/running

See you down under in Tassie for kMR!