Merimbula’s Steph Auston has continued her formidable start to 2019 with a dominant victory in Saturday's Six Foot Track Marathon in the Blue Mountains.
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The 45km event attracts more than 850 entries each year and runs from Katoomba to the Jenolan Caves along the historic Six Foot Track. It is classed as the “toughest marathon in Australia” with followers of the trail running scene seeing this event as the Australian "championships".
Auston went into the event as the defending champion and one of the more fancied runners. Having the experience of running this course before, she ran an extremely strong and measured race, working her way through the field as the race progressed.
Auston ran out a dominant winner of the ladies event and finished thirteenth outright with a 10 minute PB in a time of 3h48m22s a testament to her race tactics and fitness on a day where conditions saw many competitors running slower than previous years.
Margaret Campbell was second in 4.08.22 and Elizabeth Humphries third in 4.19.26. The male winner was dual Olympian and former professional tri-athlete Courtney Atkinson in a time of 3.31.07.
Auston will now turn her focus to the Alpine Ascent 50km event in the Kosciuszko National Park on March 23, the Oxfam 100km in Melbourne on March 29-30 and finally the Canberra Marathon on April 14.
