Grace Tame dominated the Victorian Great Ocean Road running festival over the weekend, winning first place on the 60km Ultra Marathon course.
The advocate for fellow survivors of childhood sexual abuse and former Australian of the Year, Tame covered the distance between Lorne and Apollo Bay in an impressive time of 4:43:43.
While Tame was the first woman to cross the line in the 60km, the marathon win was grabbed by yet another former Young Australian of the Year, Meriem Daoui, a nurse and Tasmanian marathon runner who has used her races to raise awareness and funds for various issues, such as displaced Syrians affected by their country’s civil war and childhood cancer research.
More than 10 thousand runners took part in the event’s 10 races, providing a huge boost to the local region. The event also raised more than $180,000 for a range of charities and causes, including the Apollo Bay and District Health Foundation.
Grace Tame on running
A long time runner, Tame has been vocal about the power of running to foster community and regulate emotional well-being, particularly for people with autism.
“Much like many people who are autistic, I am very easily overstimulated, especially by sound. Regulating is quite a big task because I have to manage the symptoms of autism as well as the symptoms of complex post-traumatic stress,” said Tame, in a recent short film she collaborated on with Aspect.
“I’ve found that running is a fantastic, healthy way to regulate emotions. And it’s also a means of spiritual and human connection.”
In an essay earlier this year for The Monthly Magazine, Tame writes: “In a life that has its fair share of stressors, including working a job that necessitates being submerged in the worst of humanity and my own personal trauma, running is a privilege.”
Phenomenal weekend for women in ultra running
Along with the success women ultrarunners showed in Victoria over the weekend, female athletes in New South Wales also had some incredible ultra performances.
The world’s second largest Ultra Trail took place in the Blue Mountains at Australia’s premier trail-running festival.
Professional triathlete turned trail runner Beth McKenzie stormed her way to the finish after 100km on the trails to take first place for the women, in a time of 10:41:43.
“It’s been such a beautiful and such a hard day. I feel super proud. I’m so excited that my daughters can see their mom doing hard things,” said McKenzie in a post-race interview.
Australian ultrarunner Lucy Bartholomew grabbed second place for the women in the 100km race, with a time of 11:52:41.
In the 50km race, British ultrarunner Kate Avery took home first place in an impressive time of 4:46:25, over the steep terrain.
Along with her incredible performance, Avery decided to bravely call out the race’s organisers– UTMB World Series– after she saw inequality present between how the male and female athletes were supported.
“The financial support for elite men and women at this race was unequal. Prize money, appearance fees or payments for media is not what I’m concerned about. This wasn’t easy and I find the whole thing super uncomfortable if I’m honest,“ Avery wrote on Instagram.
“But I think it’s a conversation that needs to be continued. [UTMB World Series] have assured us that the mistake will be rectified going forward and stronger processes will be put in place – I sincerely hope this to be true.”