Elite Trail Runners Ready for HOKA Ultra-Trail Australia by UTMB Challenge

The focus of the trail running world is on the Blue Mountains this weekend, with the HOKA Ultra-Trail Australia by UTMB set to feature some of the top runners from across the region and further afield going head-to-head.

Friday will see runners hit the start line for the brand-new UTAMiler and the UTA22, and while the distances of the two races are vastly different the competition at the front is set to be fierce across both events.

The first-ever UTAMiler starts at 5am on Friday morning, with 400 runners set to traverse a stunning 100-mile (160km) course through the World Heritage Listed Blue Mountains. Vlad Shatrov is the top seeded male in the UTAMiler field, with the Newcastle-based runner no stranger to UTA having been on start line of one of the event’s distances almost every year stretching back to 2013.

Unfortunately, Shatrov’s preparation for this year event has had plenty of challenges, with his wife currently battling illness.

“I’m running well, have hit all my planned sessions and am physically ready but it’s been a tough build,” said Shatrov. “My wife has been the true battler though having had to fight breast cancer after being diagnosed just before Christmas last year.”

In 2025 UTA has become the fourth UTMB World Series Major, joining races in Europe, the Americas and Asia as the top events of the sport, and Shatrov is excited by the additional focus the event will receive.

“It’s so good for the sport, it’s definitely put us on the map,” he said. “I changed my entire year around after the news, I’m keen to go top 10 here for sure and have a performance that in some way inspires many others to win their own personal races when they compete.”

With a new race comes new trails, with the first 60km of the UTAMiler to take runners to locations that UTA has never been before and Shatrov is looking forward to that challenge.

“There are a few parts that I haven’t run, but I’ve had the chance to see the hardest parts of the first 60km, I’m expecting this to be the most competitive and toughest Miler in Australia,” he said.

While Shatrov has plenty of experience on the trails of the Blue Mountains, New Zealand’s Cameron Kerr will be making his first trip to UTA this week.

“I've never been to the region, but the course looks disgusting in an interesting way. Lots of runnable sections, with vertical delivered in short sharp chunks,” said Kerr. “As someone who's used to settling into climbs and descents of one hour or more on very hike-friendly race profiles, it will be a challenge to try and find flow with constant short climbs and a lot of running to keep the legs turning all the way to the finish.”

Kerr may be a first-timer to the Blue Mountains but it won’t be his first attempt at a long-distance event, having had a successful 100-mile race in Thailand in 2022 and 100km distance at Ultra-Trail Kosciuszko by UTMB last December. The Queenstown-based athlete is looking forward to being a part of a UTMB World Series Major event.

“UTA being a Major this year is definitely an added draw as I'm hoping it attracts some solid athletes,” he said. “I'd much rather finish 50th in a strong field than win a race with no competition, so hopefully that's the case this weekend.”

In the UTAMiler women’s field Kellie Angel is looking forward to returning to the Blue Mountains, a place that she feels a special connection to.

“UTA is pretty special to me, it was my first ever solo 100km back in 2013 and also where I met my husband. I’ve been back many times over the years, but now being a UTMB World Series Major is pretty exciting,” said Angel. “It’s great to finally have a local UTMB World Series Major, not only for us Aussies, but also to draw some great international competition to our trails.

“I actually didn't think I would come back to UTA. Having previously won the 100km and 50km, I was pretty satisfied, but there was something that drew me in for the Miler,” she said. “I ran Hounslow for the first time last year and absolutely loved the course, so to see the Miler running through the Grand Canyon and in and out of the Grose Valley before joining the UTA 100km course was pretty enticing. It's going to be super tough and very different to just running the 100km.”

While a return to UTA wasn’t originally on the cards Angel has taken it in her stride and is excited to be back on the start line on Friday morning.

“The training and preparation has been good. I have started with a new coach who's brought a few new things to the table, and recovering from Buffalo 100 and then rebuilding for UTA was interesting. But we have had beautiful weather here in Melbourne and it's been great getting out in it,” she said.

Blue Mountains local Lou Clifton was also drawn in by the opportunity to take part in the first ever UTAMiler.

“It was more being part of the inaugural Miler that was an attraction, I have taken part in many UTAs so really wanted to be a part of this new race that traverses pretty much all my favourite runs in the Blue Mountains, the Grose Valley and Jamison Valley,” said Clifton. “This is my 10-year anniversary of my first ever ultra so what better celebration of 10 years of running. I’m honoured that my first coach, the legendary Bredan Davies, is my pacer, and I’m so excited to be running with him this year, these are the stories that make trail running so incredible and it has had a massive impact on my life since the first ultra Brendan coached me for.”

Clifton has been based in the Blue Mountains since 2006 and will bring plenty of local knowledge to the new trails for the UTAMiler.

“I know the course really well having trained and raced in the Grose and on the UTA courses many times, but I’ve never strung all those loops together. I know what to expect of the terrain but not how it will feel after so many more kilometres than I would have done in training,” she said. “I’m curious to see how my body is going to feel tackling all the stairs in the last 50km and the long downhill after Queen Victoria Hospital when these are sections that are fun in training. I’m hoping they won't feel as difficult as I think they are going to.”

Just over an hour after 400 UTAMiler runners kick off their adventure through the Blue Mountains, the UTA22 sets off from Queen Victoria Hospital with 22km between them and the finish line at Scenic World.

Leo Peterson is the top seeded male in the UTA22 field and is set to make his Ultra-Trail Australia by UTMB debut this week.

“My preparation has been good, dipping under 30 mins for 10km on a hilly road course then taking out the first GTNS in Tassie with a big improvement on the uphill component,” he said. “It’s my first year at UTA so I’m grateful to be a part of the global trail running community. Ideally success on this course is finishing injury free while having some good competition with mates.”

It may be Peterson’s first trip to UTA but there will be plenty of experience alongside him on the UTA22 elite start line, including 2019 champion Ben Duffus.

“UTA22 has been my major focus for the start of the year, and I’m happy to say that I’ve had a relatively uninterrupted buildup into it,” said Duffus. “Training has been feeling really good, as have my recent local races, so I’m really looking forward to seeing what I can do at UTA.”

Duffus’ first experience at the event was back in 2013 and he’s excited that UTA is now a UTMB World Series Major.

“I’m at UTA every year, and it’s fantastic to see this event being highlighted on the world stage with the UTMB World Series Major label,” he said. “I’m a big believer that rising tide lifts all boats, and I hope that UTA becoming a UTMB World Series Major helps attract strong competition and that this then helps elevate Australian trail running further.”

Shivonne Sieber headlines the UTA22 women’s race and is another newcomer to the trails of Ultra-Trail Australia by UTMB.

“This training block has been exciting, this year had been more road-focused until recently, putting energy into rehab and strength while developing my running economy on the roads,” said Sieber. “But now, being back on the trails, I'm ready to have an adventure in the hills with incredible athletes around me.

“I'm excited to see the level of competition, especially international, that the Major status brings. For those competing in the longer distances, the greater opportunity to punch their ticket to the UTMB Finals and a shot at the additional prize money that this status brings is a great addition,” she said.

Joining Sieber at the pointy end of the UTA22 women’s race is another UTA debutant, Jessie Speedy.

“I feel so grateful to be able to line up at UTA knowing the scale of the event. I've never been to the Blue Mountains either which makes the trip double exciting, a bit of a 'pinch myself' moment,” said Speedy. “I've really enjoyed my most recent training block, I've been competing domestically and exploring new locations to find elevation, which included some last-minute stair training.”

The New Zealander most recently stood on the top step of the podium in the 21km event at Tarawera Ultra-Trail by UTMB in Rotorua in February.

“Going into Tarawera I had zero expectations, and I felt out of place at the elite start line, so that experience has definitely helped me create more self-belief. I’m excited and nervous to line up at UTA, but in the best way,” she said.

Following the starts of the UTAMiler and UTA22 on Friday will be UTA50 and UTA100 on Saturday morning.

HOKA Ultra-Trail Australia by UTMB is proudly supported by the NSW Government through its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW.