Held over the 17-20 May weekend, over 6,000 runners competed in the event held at Katoomba in the New South Wales braving the icy cold weather of the Blue Mountains with temperatures as low as three degrees.
The runners tackled elevation of 1,100m to sea level, battling creeks, thick bushland and 950 thigh burning steps at the end to reach the finish line.
Men's 100km winner, 41-year-old Brendan Davies from the Blue Mountains, who finished in 9hr 18min 10sec, was elated he secured the win.
“Today was just one of those days when everything kind of went to plan," He said. :Ultra running is one of those sports where, if you are willing to put the hard work in, age is actually something that goes in your favour because you get the experience and experience means so much in this sport.”
Women's 100km winner, 32-year-old Kellie Emmerson from Melbourne, finished in 11hr 5min 48sec.She was a favourite going into the race having won the 2017 UTA50 and was third in the 2016 UTA100, but acknowledged she had to “put a rocket up my bum” to eventually take the 2018 UTA100.
Australian Olympic athletes Ben St Lawrence and Courtney Atkinson went head to head in the Pace UTA22, finishing first and second respectively. St Lawrence, who is a Blue Mountains local, set a course record finishing in 1hr 35min 23sec, seven minutes ahead of the previous record.
Last year’s UTA100 winner, 22 year old Lucy Bartholomew from Diamond Creek, Victoria, took out the female Pace UTA22, coming in far under her race goal of two hours at 1hr 49min 54sec and setting the female course record.
Other notable finishers include, Australian Olympic alpine skier Zali Steggall, who ran the 100km in 17hr 49min 20sec, stair climb champion Mark Bourne, who took out the UTA951 1.2km stair race in 8min 25sec, and six-time gold medal Paralympian Michael Milton, who became the first person to finish the 22km race on one leg, adding to his 50km finish last year.
