Rapid Ascent Ultra Running Events

Rapid Ascent Ultra Running Events The Facebook home of all ultra marathon running events organised by Rapid Ascent.

"What the heck is the Jewel in the Crown?"We had a few folk ask us something along those ๐Ÿ‘† lines at Race 1 of the Trail ...
11/06/2026

"What the heck is the Jewel in the Crown?"

We had a few folk ask us something along those ๐Ÿ‘† lines at Race 1 of the Trail Running Series a few weekends back. (We had some posters up that triggered the conversations).

It made us realise that, despite there already being 38 bedazzled runners (Jewel holders) like Tri Le pictured below, we really need to do a better job at talking about what it is and how you can earn one.

So, here's the tale of how the Jewel in the Crown came about:

You might have heard about our much-coveted โ€œTriple Crownโ€ award (and one-of-a-kind Patagonia fleece) thatโ€™s awarded to runners who complete the Long Courses of all of the โ€œBig 3โ€ Rapid Ascent ultra marathons within 5 years (Margaret River Ultra Marathon, Surf Coast Century and Run Larapinta).

Wellโ€ฆ

2 years ago, we launched a new, FOURTH event to the Rapid Ascent trail running stable โ€“ The Run Bibbulmun Track Stage Race.

This 3 day epic is set in Great Southern WA and is rapidly becoming a popular "running holiday" for those who love trails, speccy scenery and peaceful afternoons.

Obviously, this 4th event presented a dilemma:

On one hand, we wanted to encourage runners to add this one to their bucket lists and make a special acknowledgement for any runner who could complete ALL 4 events.

But, at the same time, we didn't want to move the goal posts on the Triple Crown (an incredible achievement in it's own right) by turning it into the "Quadruple Crown".

Hence the Jewel was born.

The Jewel is a special trophy for those extra-hardy souls who complete all 4 races.

Itโ€™s a โ€œcherry on topโ€ if you willโ€ฆ

โ€œA feather in your capโ€โ€ฆ

Or more specifically โ€œa jewelโ€ in the prestigious Triple Crown.

To get one, you must complete all 4 races within a 5 year period***

Do this and you will be acknowledged by:

๐Ÿ‘‰ A new Run Bibbulmun pin for your triple crown jacket
๐Ÿ‘‰ A golden name plaque on the Triple Crown shield (all other names are silver)
๐Ÿ‘‰ Your name listed separately on the event websites
๐Ÿ‘‰ Presented with an official Triple Crown Jewel certificate signed by the race directors
๐Ÿ‘‰Andโ€ฆ ultra running immortality!

Sound good?

If youโ€™re keen to tackle โ€œRun Bibโ€ this year, we suggest getting in soon.

Numbers will be limited to ~200 and we already have over 100 people locked in.

Get all the details and enter here: https://bit.ly/4bWqFGv

Or, if youโ€™d like more details about the Jewel in the Crown, go here: https://bit.ly/3QWmRN5

Hereโ€™s to the hardy!

The Rapid Ascent Team

P.S. The runner pictured is Tri Le - one of the nicest people you'd ever meet. He achieved his Jewel in the Crown at the 2025 Run Bibbulmun last November.

P.P.S. HUGE CONGRATS to the 38 runner already on the Jewel in the Crown Honour Board:

๐Ÿ’ŽScott Beams
๐Ÿ’ŽKate Cush
๐Ÿ’ŽJacqui Tol
๐Ÿ’ŽSandra Heriot
๐Ÿ’ŽMaria Lissenberg
๐Ÿ’ŽLonneke Kefalas
๐Ÿ’ŽShane Antrobus
๐Ÿ’ŽGrant Wallace
๐Ÿ’ŽShannon Lissenburg
๐Ÿ’ŽAlan Williams
๐Ÿ’ŽEsther Welsh
๐Ÿ’ŽTristan McCahon
๐Ÿ’ŽIan Nichol
๐Ÿ’ŽDavid Clark
๐Ÿ’ŽVictoria Cole
๐Ÿ’ŽJoanna Maidment
๐Ÿ’ŽCarina Hemmers
๐Ÿ’ŽCaroline Overbeek
๐Ÿ’ŽLorna Bade
๐Ÿ’ŽCerina Meredith
๐Ÿ’ŽMichael Donovan
๐Ÿ’ŽHui Harvey
๐Ÿ’ŽDarian Cairns-Cowan
๐Ÿ’ŽErica Rusbridge
๐Ÿ’ŽDamian Harrison
๐Ÿ’ŽDaniel Bull
๐Ÿ’ŽTri Le
๐Ÿ’ŽMark Falkingham
๐Ÿ’ŽSteve Adams
๐Ÿ’ŽMichelle Norton
๐Ÿ’ŽKarena West

Hold my soft flask while I pick my jaw up OFF THE FLOOR! Any passer by at the start of the Surf Coast Century could easi...
10/06/2026

Hold my soft flask while I pick my jaw up OFF THE FLOOR!

Any passer by at the start of the Surf Coast Century could easily confuse it for "just another mass participation event with 2,000 fitness fanatics".

But, scratch a bit deeper, and that same sceptical stranger would find an rich tapestry of moving human stories.

One of our favourite "categories" of these stories that we see wach year is "the step up"...

That is, people who have dipped their toes in the water with a short (er) distance in previous years, and are coming back for "the whole hog" now they've felt the buzz and realise they're stronger than they thought.

Take these legends for example (ALL entered in the 100km solo in 2026):

๐๐ข๐œ๐ค ๐‚๐š๐ฌ๐ฌ: โ€œI did the 50km last year with the boys. Itโ€™d be silly not to upgrade to the 100km this year!โ€

๐‘๐ž๐›๐ž๐œ๐œ๐š ๐ƒ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ค๐จ๐ฐ๐ฌ๐ค: โ€œI supported a friend to do this race 5 years ago and have always wanted to come back and do it myself; so here I go!โ€

๐‡๐š๐ข๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ง ๐–๐š๐ง๐ : โ€œLast year I was a volunteer supporting our team member; it was wonderful!โ€

๐•๐ข๐œ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ฆ๐ž: โ€œRan Leg 3 last year as part of a relay team, and going the whole hog this year!โ€

๐’๐ญ๐ž๐ฉ๐ก๐ž๐ง ๐‚๐š๐ฆ๐ž๐ซ๐จ๐ง: โ€œThis will be my first ever 100km race. Ever since I completed my first 50km race I knew I needed to go next level.โ€

And we're sure there are many other "stepper-upper-ers" on the list we've missed.

That's what we love about the "Feel Good Ultra" โ€“ Yes, the athletic feat of running 20km/50km/100km is impressive, but the tales you hear on race day are what really send shivers down our spine.

If you want to experience the buzz yourself...

Gather your mates and enter now:
๐Ÿ‘‰ https://bit.ly/surf-coast-century-2026

The (going bigger) Rapid Ascent Team

โ€œ๐ผ๐‘› ๐ฝ๐‘ข๐‘›๐‘’ 2024 ๐ผ ๐‘ค๐‘Ž๐‘  ๐‘‘๐‘–๐‘Ž๐‘”๐‘›๐‘œ๐‘ ๐‘’๐‘‘ ๐‘ค๐‘–๐‘กโ„Ž ๐‘ ๐‘ก๐‘Ž๐‘”๐‘’ 3 ๐‘๐‘œ๐‘™๐‘œ๐‘› ๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘๐‘’๐‘Ÿ...โ€๐Ÿคฏ๐Ÿคฏ Thereโ€™s no doubt that the 2026 Surf Coast Century entry sy...
28/05/2026

โ€œ๐ผ๐‘› ๐ฝ๐‘ข๐‘›๐‘’ 2024 ๐ผ ๐‘ค๐‘Ž๐‘  ๐‘‘๐‘–๐‘Ž๐‘”๐‘›๐‘œ๐‘ ๐‘’๐‘‘ ๐‘ค๐‘–๐‘กโ„Ž ๐‘ ๐‘ก๐‘Ž๐‘”๐‘’ 3 ๐‘๐‘œ๐‘™๐‘œ๐‘› ๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘๐‘’๐‘Ÿ...โ€๐Ÿคฏ๐Ÿคฏ

Thereโ€™s no doubt that the 2026 Surf Coast Century entry system chocka-block with inspiring people and incredible stories.

But,100km entrant, Duane Harris might just take the cake as the most incredible tale weโ€™ve read so far:

๐—™๐—ถ๐—ฟ๐˜€๐˜ ๐˜‚๐—ฝ, ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ฒโ€™๐˜€ ๐—ต๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜ ๐—ฏ๐—ฎ๐˜๐˜๐—น๐—ฒ ๐˜„๐—ถ๐˜๐—ต ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ...

"๐ด ๐‘๐‘–๐‘” ๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘ก ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘—๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ๐‘›๐‘’๐‘ฆ โ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘  ๐‘๐‘’๐‘’๐‘› ๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘๐‘ข๐‘–๐‘™๐‘‘๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘š๐‘ฆ ๐‘๐‘œ๐‘‘๐‘ฆ. ๐ผ๐‘› ๐ฝ๐‘ข๐‘›๐‘’ 2024 ๐ผ ๐‘ค๐‘Ž๐‘  ๐‘‘๐‘–๐‘Ž๐‘”๐‘›๐‘œ๐‘ ๐‘’๐‘‘ ๐‘ค๐‘–๐‘กโ„Ž ๐‘ ๐‘ก๐‘Ž๐‘”๐‘’ 3 ๐‘๐‘œ๐‘™๐‘œ๐‘› ๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘๐‘’๐‘Ÿ. ๐ผ ๐‘ค๐‘’๐‘›๐‘ก ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘”โ„Ž ๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘๐‘’๐‘Ÿ ๐‘ ๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ๐‘”๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘ฆ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ก ๐‘ ๐‘–๐‘”๐‘›๐‘–๐‘“๐‘–๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘™๐‘ฆ ๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘‘๐‘ข๐‘๐‘’๐‘‘ ๐‘š๐‘ฆ ๐‘ ๐‘ก๐‘œ๐‘š๐‘Ž๐‘โ„Ž ๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘๐‘–๐‘ก๐‘ฆ, ๐‘ ๐‘œ ๐‘“๐‘ข๐‘’๐‘™๐‘™๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘ก๐‘Ÿ๐‘Ž๐‘–๐‘›๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘“๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ ๐‘Ž๐‘› ๐‘ข๐‘™๐‘ก๐‘Ÿ๐‘Ž โ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘  ๐‘๐‘’๐‘’๐‘› ๐‘Ž ๐‘๐‘–๐‘ก ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘Ž ๐‘ ๐‘๐‘–๐‘’๐‘›๐‘๐‘’ ๐‘’๐‘ฅ๐‘๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘–๐‘š๐‘’๐‘›๐‘ก. ๐ผ'๐‘š ๐‘–๐‘› ๐‘Ž ๐‘๐‘œ๐‘›๐‘ ๐‘ก๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘ก ๐‘๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘๐‘’๐‘ ๐‘  ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘“๐‘–๐‘”๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘ก ๐‘คโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ก ๐‘ค๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘˜๐‘  ๐‘คโ„Ž๐‘–๐‘™๐‘’ ๐‘ ๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘™๐‘™ ๐‘๐‘ข๐‘ โ„Ž๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘š๐‘–๐‘™๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘”๐‘’."

๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ป ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ฒโ€™๐˜€ ๐—ต๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐—ฏ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐—ธ๐—ด๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฑ๐˜€๐—ต๐—ถ๐—ฝ ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐˜€๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ...

"๐‘‡โ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘‘๐‘’๐‘’๐‘๐‘’๐‘Ÿ ๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘ ๐‘œ๐‘› ๐ผโ€™๐‘š ๐‘‘๐‘œ๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘–๐‘  ๐‘–๐‘  ๐‘๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘ ๐‘œ๐‘›๐‘Ž๐‘™. ๐ผ ๐‘”๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘ค ๐‘ข๐‘ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘”โ„Ž ๐‘ ๐‘œ๐‘š๐‘’ ๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘”โ„Ž ๐‘๐‘–๐‘Ÿ๐‘๐‘ข๐‘š๐‘ ๐‘ก๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘๐‘’๐‘  ๐‘๐‘’๐‘“๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘™๐‘Ž๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘Ÿ ๐‘ ๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘ฃ๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘–๐‘› ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘ˆ๐‘† ๐ด๐‘Ÿ๐‘š๐‘ฆ ๐‘Ž๐‘  ๐‘Ž๐‘› ๐‘–๐‘›๐‘“๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘Ÿ๐‘ฆ๐‘š๐‘Ž๐‘› ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘‘๐‘’๐‘๐‘™๐‘œ๐‘ฆ๐‘’๐‘‘ ๐‘œ๐‘› ๐‘‘๐‘ข๐‘ก๐‘ฆ ๐‘ ๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘ฃ๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘–๐‘› ๐ผ๐‘Ÿ๐‘Ž๐‘ž. ๐‘‡โ„Ž๐‘œ๐‘ ๐‘’ ๐‘’๐‘ฅ๐‘๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘–๐‘’๐‘›๐‘๐‘’๐‘  ๐‘ก๐‘Ž๐‘ข๐‘”โ„Ž๐‘ก ๐‘š๐‘’ ๐‘Ž ๐‘™๐‘œ๐‘ก ๐‘Ž๐‘๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘ก ๐‘‘๐‘–๐‘ ๐‘๐‘–๐‘๐‘™๐‘–๐‘›๐‘’ ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘ ๐‘–๐‘™๐‘–๐‘’๐‘›๐‘๐‘’, ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘ข๐‘™๐‘ก๐‘Ÿ๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘ข๐‘›๐‘›๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘“๐‘’๐‘’๐‘™๐‘  ๐‘™๐‘–๐‘˜๐‘’ ๐‘Ž ๐‘›๐‘Ž๐‘ก๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ๐‘Ž๐‘™ ๐‘’๐‘ฅ๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘›๐‘ ๐‘–๐‘œ๐‘› ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ก ๐‘š๐‘–๐‘›๐‘‘๐‘ ๐‘’๐‘ก - ๐‘—๐‘ข๐‘ ๐‘ก ๐‘˜๐‘’๐‘’๐‘ ๐‘š๐‘œ๐‘ฃ๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘“๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘ค๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘‘ ๐‘คโ„Ž๐‘’๐‘› ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘–๐‘›๐‘”๐‘  ๐‘”๐‘’๐‘ก โ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘‘ ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘๐‘ข๐‘ โ„Ž ๐‘ฆ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ๐‘ ๐‘’๐‘™๐‘“ ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘™๐‘–๐‘š๐‘–๐‘ก๐‘ ."

๐— ๐—ถ๐˜… ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐—ฎ ๐—ด๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ฑ ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐˜‚๐˜€๐—ฒ...

"๐ผโ€™๐‘š ๐‘Ž๐‘™๐‘ ๐‘œ ๐‘Ž ๐‘ƒ๐‘Ž๐‘๐‘–๐‘“๐‘–๐‘ ๐ผ๐‘ ๐‘™๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘๐‘’๐‘Ÿ, ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘ฆ๐‘œ๐‘ข ๐‘‘๐‘œ๐‘›โ€™๐‘ก ๐‘ ๐‘’๐‘’ ๐‘š๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘ฆ ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘ข๐‘  ๐‘™๐‘–๐‘›๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘ข๐‘ ๐‘“๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ 100 ๐‘˜๐‘š ๐‘ก๐‘Ÿ๐‘Ž๐‘–๐‘™ ๐‘Ÿ๐‘Ž๐‘๐‘’๐‘ . ๐ผ๐‘“ ๐ผ ๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘› ๐‘”๐‘’๐‘ก ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘”โ„Ž ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘†๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ๐‘“ ๐ถ๐‘œ๐‘Ž๐‘ ๐‘ก ๐ถ๐‘’๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ๐‘ฆ, ๐‘š๐‘Ž๐‘ฆ๐‘๐‘’ ๐‘–๐‘ก ๐‘ โ„Ž๐‘œ๐‘ค๐‘  ๐‘ ๐‘œ๐‘š๐‘’๐‘œ๐‘›๐‘’ ๐‘’๐‘™๐‘ ๐‘’ ๐‘“๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘š ๐‘Ž ๐‘ ๐‘–๐‘š๐‘–๐‘™๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ ๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘๐‘˜๐‘”๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ก ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’๐‘ฆ ๐‘๐‘’๐‘™๐‘œ๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘ก โ„Ž๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘ก๐‘œ๐‘œ."

๐—”๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐˜„๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ฝ ๐—ฎ๐—น๐—น ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—น๐—ผ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ฏ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—ฎ ๐˜€๐˜‚๐—ฝ๐—ฝ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐˜๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ ๐˜„๐—ถ๐—ณ๐—ฒ...

"๐‘€๐‘ฆ ๐‘ก๐‘Ÿ๐‘Ž๐‘–๐‘›๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘—๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ๐‘›๐‘’๐‘ฆ โ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘  ๐‘๐‘’๐‘’๐‘› ๐‘Ž ๐‘๐‘–๐‘ก ๐‘ข๐‘›๐‘๐‘œ๐‘›๐‘ฃ๐‘’๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘œ๐‘›๐‘Ž๐‘™. ๐ผ ๐‘‘๐‘œ๐‘›โ€™๐‘ก โ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ฃ๐‘’ ๐‘Ž ๐‘๐‘œ๐‘Ž๐‘โ„Ž โ„Ž๐‘Žโ„Ž๐‘Ž ๐‘š๐‘ฆ ๐‘ค๐‘–๐‘“๐‘’ ๐‘–๐‘  ๐‘š๐‘ฆ ๐‘’๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘ค ๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘š ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘ก๐‘Ÿ๐‘Ž๐‘–๐‘›๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘ ๐‘ข๐‘๐‘๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘ก ๐‘ ๐‘ฆ๐‘ ๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘š. ๐ผ ๐‘Ÿ๐‘ข๐‘› ๐‘Ž๐‘™๐‘š๐‘œ๐‘ ๐‘ก ๐‘’๐‘ฃ๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘ฆ ๐‘‘๐‘Ž๐‘ฆ ๐‘‘๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘ค๐‘’๐‘’๐‘˜ ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ โ„Ž๐‘–๐‘ก๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘ก๐‘Ÿ๐‘Ž๐‘–๐‘™๐‘  ๐‘Ž๐‘ก ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘Œ๐‘œ๐‘ข ๐‘Œ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘”๐‘  ๐‘œ๐‘› ๐‘ค๐‘’๐‘’๐‘˜๐‘’๐‘›๐‘‘๐‘  ๐‘ก๐‘Ÿ๐‘ฆ๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘ ๐‘–๐‘š๐‘ข๐‘™๐‘Ž๐‘ก๐‘’ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ๐‘ ๐‘’."

Weโ€™re no script writers, but it sure seems Duaneโ€™s story has all the elements of a Hollywood blockbuster!

Duane, weโ€™re honoured youโ€™ve chosen the Feel Good Ultra as your triumphant ending (or new beginning?).

Thereโ€™ll be no dry eyes in the finishing bowl when you cross the line.

Other runners: If youโ€™re reading this and feeling inspired Duane, two things:

๐—ช๐—ต๐˜† ๐—ป๐—ผ๐˜ ๐—ท๐—ผ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐——๐˜‚๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฒ ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐˜€๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐˜ ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฒ ๐—ฏ๐˜† ๐˜€๐—ป๐—ฎ๐—ด๐—ด๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ฎ๐—ป ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜๐—ฟ๐˜† ๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ:

๐Ÿ‘‰ https://bit.ly/surfcoastcentury

And...

๐—œ๐˜โ€™๐˜€ ๐˜„๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐˜๐—ต ๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ธ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ป๐—ผ๐˜๐—ฒ ๐—ฑ๐—ผ ๐—ต๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐˜€๐—ถ๐—บ๐—ฝ๐—น๐—ฒ โ€œ๐—ธ๐—ฒ๐—ฒ๐—ฝ ๐—ถ๐˜ ๐˜€๐—ถ๐—บ๐—ฝ๐—น๐—ฒโ€ ๐—ฝ๐—ต๐—ถ๐—น๐—ผ๐˜€๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—ต๐˜†:

In Duaneโ€™s words:

"At the end of the day, itโ€™s simple. My wife will be meeting me at checkpoints, Iโ€™ll be suffering my way across the Surf Coast for 100 kilometres, and hopefully Iโ€™ll cross the finish line knowing I didnโ€™t miss my mark."

Amen Duane.

As Guy Ritchie once wrote; โ€œright leg, left leg, your body will followโ€.

It doesnโ€™t get much simpler than that!

The (fired up) Rapid Ascent Team

"๐˜๐˜ต'๐˜ด ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฆ๐˜ท๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ '๐˜ซ๐˜ถ๐˜ด๐˜ต ๐˜ข ๐˜ง๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ต' ๐˜ข๐˜ง๐˜ต๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ 30 ๐˜ฌ๐˜ฎ ๐Ÿ’จ"We were recently given this ๐Ÿ‘†pearl of wisdom on the finish line of Margaret Rive...
27/05/2026

"๐˜๐˜ต'๐˜ด ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฆ๐˜ท๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ '๐˜ซ๐˜ถ๐˜ด๐˜ต ๐˜ข ๐˜ง๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ต' ๐˜ข๐˜ง๐˜ต๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ 30 ๐˜ฌ๐˜ฎ ๐Ÿ’จ"

We were recently given this ๐Ÿ‘†pearl of wisdom on the finish line of Margaret River Ultra (fortunately, the runner in question left our vicinity before the urge to pass "wind").

Good news is....

If you like running, but don't like packing spare jocks in your drop bags..

The Trail Running Series is starting THIS SUNDAY, and it doesn't have a single event longer than 30km!!

As the big, bold text in photo 1 below suggest, the first round is in Blackwood (a lush hamlet about 1 hour north of Melbourne's CBD).

There are 3 distances to choose from (22km, 15.8km, 7.9km) so you can do whichever one suits your current fitness/niggle situation.

Plus, it's close to Melbourne so you can run in the morning and be home in time to prepare for the work-week ahead (with significantly less "Sunday scaries" than normal).

It's all the best bits of a trail ultra (epic views, high on life runners, buzzing finish line with food trucks and live music), without the soul-searching, suffering and soiled un**es.

Entries are still open here:
๐Ÿ‘‰ https://bit.ly/trail_running_series_2026

The (not above toilet humour) Rapid Ascent Team

P.S. The images in this post are the "must know" information from the event guide. For course info, maps and entries, please check out the website on the link above.

P.P.S. If you live near Melbourne and are doing the Surf Coast Century in September, this series is the PERFECT race-day practice ahead of the big dance.

*APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN!!!*We're looking for a select number of storytellers to document their journey to the 2026 Surf C...
25/05/2026

*APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN!!!*
We're looking for a select number of storytellers to document their journey to the 2026 Surf Coast Century as a FEEL GOOD AMBASSADOR!

The program is open to ALL inspiring ultra runners, whether that be a first-timer, a seasoned runner, weekend warrior, mum, dad, or circus performer!

WHAT MAKES A FEEL GOOD AMBASSADOR:
โ€ข A trail runner/enthusiast planning to take on the 50km or 100km (solo or as a relay team member)
โ€ข Those who can spin a yarnโ€ฆ maybe youโ€™ve already got an active trail running audience / social media account(s).
โ€ข Runners who are happy to share their journey to race day with regular updates and content through their channels and ours (think videos, vlogs, photos, reels, stories and more!)

BONUS POINTS FOR:
โ€ข Social media accounts with a following (e.g. on insta or elsewhere) โ€“ let us know your handles.
โ€ข Sending in examples of trail running content youโ€™ve previously created.

IF SELECTED, YOU WILL RECEIVE:
โ€ข FREE entry (or refunded if already entered)
โ€ข FREE set of Surf Coast Century merchandise
โ€ข FREE pair of La Sportiva shoes
โ€ข FREE care pack of Skratch goodies.
โ€ข Repeated exposure to our channels (perfect if youโ€™re looking to grow a following online).

**๐‡๐Ž๐– ๐“๐Ž ๐€๐๐๐‹๐˜**:
Send us what youโ€™ve got to impress us โ€“ in any form you see fit โ€“ and be sure to touch on the requirements.
โ€ข Email: [email protected]
โ€ข Cut off date: 12noon Monday 1 June, 2026

21/05/2026

Completing the Surf Coast Century once is HUGE...

Twice, and you prove it wasnโ€™t just a midlife crisis ๐Ÿ˜‚...

But SIX + times?!

Thatโ€™s flat out superhuman.

Please go crazy on the like button โ€“ or better yet, in the comments โ€“ for these incredible runners whoโ€™ve run over 600km of Feel Good terrain since the beginning of this event in 2012.

The โ€œincredibleโ€ 6 timers:

๐Ÿ‘‰ ๐€๐ง๐๐ซ๐ž๐ฐ ๐‚๐Ž๐‘๐๐„๐“๐“: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022.

๐Ÿ‘‰ ๐‚๐ก๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ฉ๐ก๐ž๐ซ ๐‘๐Ž๐๐„๐‘๐“๐’: 2013, 2014, 2017, 2020, 2021, 2024.

๐Ÿ‘‰ ๐‚๐จ๐ง๐ง๐ข๐ž ๐’๐‚๐‡๐‘๐Ž๐„๐ƒ๐„๐‘: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2025.

๐Ÿ‘‰ ๐†๐ž๐ซ๐š๐ซ๐ ๐’๐€๐๐“๐€๐Œ๐€๐‘๐ˆ๐€: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2019, 2021, 2023.

๐Ÿ‘‰ ๐ƒ๐š๐ฏ๐ข๐ ๐’๐“๐„๐•๐„๐๐’: 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2023.

๐Ÿ‘‰ ๐ƒ๐จ๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐ข๐ค ๐’๐‚๐‡๐ˆ๐„๐๐’๐“๐Ž๐‚๐Š: 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025.

๐Ÿ‘‰ ๐Œ๐š๐ค ๐’๐€๐–๐€: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023.

๐Ÿ‘‰ ๐ˆ๐š๐ง ๐ƒ๐€๐˜๐„: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020. (Registered for 2026)

๐Ÿ‘‰ ๐†๐ซ๐š๐ง๐ญ ๐–๐€๐‹๐‹๐€๐‚๐„: 2013, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2022.

๐Ÿ‘‰ ๐๐š๐ฎ๐ฅ ๐’๐ˆ๐‹๐‹๐„๐Š๐„๐๐’: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2024.

๐Ÿ‘‰ ๐‘๐ข๐œ๐ก๐š๐ซ๐ ๐Œ๐‚๐‚๐Ž๐‘๐Œ๐ˆ๐‚๐Š: 2018, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025.

๐Ÿ‘‰ ๐’๐š๐ฆ ๐’๐Š๐ˆ๐๐๐„๐‘: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2025. (Registered for 2026)

NOTEABLE NOTE: Sam has shaved over 5 hours off his inaugural time to hit a PB of 13:12:03 in 2025 ๐Ÿคฏ

๐Ÿ‘‰ ๐’๐ก๐š๐ง๐ž ๐€๐๐“๐‘๐Ž๐๐”๐’: 2013, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2022.

๐Ÿ‘‰ ๐’๐ญ๐ž๐ฏ๐ž ๐‚๐”๐๐๐„๐„๐: 2014, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023.

The โ€œbetter get ya knees checkedโ€ 7 timers:

๐Ÿ‘‰ ๐€๐๐š๐ฆ ๐–๐€๐ˆ๐“๐„๐’: 2015, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025. (Registered for 2026)

๐Ÿ‘‰ ๐‚๐ก๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐‘๐Ž๐€๐ƒ๐‡๐”๐‘๐’๐“: 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025.

๐Ÿ‘‰ ๐‚๐ก๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ž ๐‡๐Ž๐๐Š๐ˆ๐๐’: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023. (Registered for 2026)

๐Ÿ‘‰ ๐ƒ๐š๐ฏ๐ข๐ ๐„๐€๐ƒ๐ˆ๐„: 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022.

๐Ÿ‘‰ ๐‚๐ซ๐š๐ข๐  ๐‰๐„๐…๐…๐‘๐„๐˜: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022.

The โ€œbetter get ya head checkedโ€ 9 timers:

๐Ÿ‘‰ ๐ƒ๐š๐ฆ๐ข๐š๐ง ๐๐Ž๐–๐ƒ๐„๐: 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024.

๐Ÿ‘‰ ๐‘๐จ๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐‡๐Ž๐๐Š๐ˆ๐๐’: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023.

๐Ÿ‘‰ ๐’๐ญ๐ฎ๐š๐ซ๐ญ ๐‡๐”๐†๐‡๐„๐’: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023.

And the โ€œway out in a league of his ownโ€ 12 timer...

Drum roll please...

๐Œ๐ˆ๐‚๐‡๐€๐„๐‹ ๐’๐„๐•๐„๐‘๐ˆ๐!!

This man (or machine?!) has completed the long course very year since 2013 ๐Ÿคฉ๐Ÿคฏ Bloody sensational Michael. Words fail us!

Congratulations to all you incredible repeat โ€œoffendersโ€. Canโ€™t wait to see many of you on the start line of 2026, ready to extend your feel-good-completion-streaks!

ENTRIES FOR 2026 ARE NOW OPEN.
โžก๏ธ LINK IN BIO.

Hereโ€™s to the โ€œstayersโ€,

The Rapid Ascent Team

๐Ÿ“ธ By Aaron Collins

Besides podiums and record breakers, we want to personally acknowledge some incredible "under the radar" achievements fr...
14/05/2026

Besides podiums and record breakers, we want to personally acknowledge some incredible "under the radar" achievements from the 2026 Margaret River Ultra.

Please ring your virtual cow bells for:

๐Ÿ‘‰ Sandra WHARERAU, for completing ALL NINE 80km solo MRUs since 2018!

๐Ÿ‘‰ Stephane BENAYOUN, for completing 8 consecutive 80km MRUs since 2019.

๐Ÿ‘‰ Terry BAKOWSKI, for slashing 2 hrs 19 mins from her 80km time in one year (14:16:11 in 2025 to 11:56:13 in 2026)

๐Ÿ‘‰ Britt STOKES for improving her 42km time by OVER 2 HOURS! (7:03:28 in 2024 to 4:57:29 in 2026).

๐Ÿ‘‰ Mitch EAGLE for gradually reducing his time from >12 hours in the 80km in 2024 to SUB 10 in 2026 (2024: 12:21:27; 2025: 11:47:3; 2026: 9:51:35).

๐Ÿ‘‰ Ned VAUGHAN for not just reducing his 80km time by over 90 mins, but also stepping up to the GRAND SLAM in 2026!

๐Ÿ‘‰ Carina HEMMERS for showing that consistency pays off. She did 80km solo in 2022 in time of 15:15:18... has been doing a heap of running since (including Run Bib in 2025)... and finished the 2026 event in 13:36:10 โ€“ 1 hr 39 faster!

๐Ÿ‘‰ Amy GANNAWAY, Emily ROBERTS, Kate FORREST, Georgia SEED, Hayley STABBACK, Niamh RAYNE, Rachel CURRELL, Stacey ROUT and Thomas DRAVITZKI for all stepping up from previously doing the 42km to the 80km solo this year!

๐Ÿ‘‰ Matt NEVES, Adam LUEHMAN, Lara LOUW for being repeat "offenders" in the Grand Slam!

Well done legends.

The (statistically minded) Rapid Ascent Team

14/05/2026

What. A. Weekend!

The Margaret River Ultra always delivers world-class running, eye-bulging vistas and salt-of-the-earth runners. But 2026 dialled all of of those things up to "11".

THANK YOU to all the incredible runners, supporters, volunteers, sponsors and vendors who made this event possible. We're still riding high on the hog and hope you all are too.

Until next year...

Recover well and bask in the post-run glory. You've earned it!

The Rapid Ascent Team

Video thanks to Mat at ImageryOne.

P.S. If you don't want to wait a full 12 months for your next fix of life-affirming trails (why would you?!) check out our other trail events with similar formats and atmospheres to MRU:

Surf Coast Century:
๐Ÿ‘‰ https://surfcoastcentury.rapidascent.com.au

Run Bibbulmun Track Stage Race:
๐Ÿ‘‰ https://runbibbulmun.rapidascent.com.au

Run Tasmania Stage Race:
๐Ÿ‘‰ https://runtasmania.rapidascent.com.au

Small(er) in stature but it sure packs a punch... The 42km at Margaret River Ultra is the shorter, equally stunning and...
10/05/2026

Small(er) in stature but it sure packs a punch...

The 42km at Margaret River Ultra is the shorter, equally stunning and a lot more intense sister of the 80km.

At 7:30 this morning 380 odd runners launched from Yallingup for the spectacular and gruelling marathon โ€“ first northwards for a short loop before turning south and heading for the finish line at Howard Park Wines.

The photos from Bossfoto perfectly tell the tale of natural beauty of this place...

But only standing on the finish line, and seeing the expression on runnersโ€™ faces close up, can convey the grit and determination it takes to cover 42km of soft sand and punchy climbs on foot.

HUGE CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL RUNNERS (whether youโ€™ve already crossed the line or are still in the midst of a trail epic). No matter your speed, just finishing this event is a massive feat.

Special shout out to the pointy end of 42km:

MALE:

1. Joshua CHUGG ( #4387), 03:40:39 (Ben Leesonโ€™s record still stands!)
2. Liam CHALMERS ( #4392), 03:48:14
3. Liam LILLY ( #4270), 04:07:29

FEMALE:

1. Lisa MANNIX ( #4157), 04:19:28,
2. Meluka BANCROFT ( #4045), 04:28:57
3. Bridget MURDOCH ( #4397), 04:42:13

And a deep bow of respect and admiration for our incredible GRAND SLAMMERS (those whoโ€™ve completed BOTH the 80km and the 42km). You people are incredible (and slightly insane...).

FULL RESULTS HERE:
> https://margaretriver.rapidascent.com.au/2026-results/

COMPETITOR PHOTOS COMING SOON (weโ€™ll email you).

Thank you legends. We love this community. We love this state.

Now sit back, sip on wine, enjoy these belting tunes from DJ and soak up the autumn sun.

The (so content right now) Rapid Ascent Team

No two Margaret River Ultra running experiences are the same... For some, itโ€™s a morningโ€™s jaunt. Back in time for lunch...
09/05/2026

No two Margaret River Ultra running experiences are the same...

For some, itโ€™s a morningโ€™s jaunt. Back in time for lunch. (looking at you Ben Leeson and Nicole Patton!)

For others, itโ€™s an outlandish challenge, just to see โ€œif I canโ€ (like the 60+ female finisher who crossed the line after over 13 hours, looked to her crew and exclaimed โ€œI canโ€™t believe I did itโ€).

And for some itโ€™s an annual pilgrimage with their mates โ€“ here to run fast while running but mostly to a bloody good time in the process (like Settlers Express. Or should we say โ€œSettlers Best Dressedโ€?)

Whatever your experience, THANK YOU.

You have no idea what it means to us to have you enthusiastically filling up this event each year. But then to show up and be genuinely AWESOME humans all day, even when youโ€™re sleep deprived, 77km in, and having hallucinations of sand โ€“ it blows us away.

Congratulations to all 80km runners โ€“ solos and teams โ€“ who conquered the admittedly TOUGHT course today. Herculean accomplishment by all involved.

Special shout out to the overall winners:

FEMALE SOLO:
๐Ÿ† Nicole PATON ( #12), 08:13:48

MALE SOLO:
๐Ÿ† Ben LEESON, 06:16:13

FEMALE TEAM:
๐Ÿ† TEAM Ogging Squad G ( #5004), 06:53:02

MALE TEAM:
๐Ÿ† TEAM Ogging Squad B ( #5003), 05:30:50

MIXED TEAM:
๐Ÿ† TEAM Florida Beach Fitness ( #5116), 06:10:24

Full results here:
๐Ÿ‘‰ https://margaretriver.rapidascent.com.au/2026-results/

Thanks to Travis Deane / Bossfoto for the epic shots.

Stay tuned for your personlised batch of photos when they hit the airwaves (later tonight or tomorrow).

Now, party on. Rest up. And weโ€™ll see you all back at Howard Park tomorrow.

42km Marathon, Kidโ€™s Race and presentations still to come!

The (knackered yet loving life) Rapid Ascent Team

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1-3 Gilbert Street
Torquay, VIC
3228

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Wednesday 8:30am - 5:30pm
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