The Pilliga Ultra is a One of a Kind Event

You might think it looks like any other trail running event. But after sitting on the ultra committee for the last six months and volunteering more broadly across the organising charity, Explorer Emily can tell you, it’s not.

Founding discussions include how the event can practice social and environmental responsibility, inclusivity, and safe spaces, involved conversations with our broader community, and how to get beyond heteronormativity and predominately white spaces.

Pilliga Ultra is organised by For Wild Places, a charity committed to encouraging and supporting running communities to protect the places they run in. Here are eight reasons why this event is different to your average trail race.

Read more: Why I Think Running Will Save The World

Running for a purpose looks pretty good

1. No Single-Use Plastics

This is done by utilising facilities that are brought onto the site and engaging the local community and businesses to provide resources that can be reused. We understand that we will inevitably create some trash.

That’s why the committee will bring in specialised recycling bins, ensuring they’re available at all communal locations across the weekend, such as the campsite and the headquarters. Our team of volunteers will separate all rubbish at the event, including at aid stations, into recycling, green, and soft plastics to minimise what goes into landfill.

Read more: 20 Hacks for Plastic Free Hiking (& Your Daily Life)

Look at how pretty it is! Definitely doesn’t need plastic in it

2. Non-Binary Options

For Wild Places has been engaging the non-binary running guide as a first step to ensuring safe spaces and inclusivity. Practical steps involve clothing merchandise to be inclusive – that is providing the same colours and cuts for each design rather than having typical female and male shirts.

The event will brief all volunteers on how to use inclusive language and offer equal prizes across all categories. Understanding that sex and gender are two different things and ensuring people feel seen and safe is what this event is striving for.

Read more: Why LGBTQIA+ Visibility Is So Important In The Outdoors

3. Acknowledging Country

The weekend will begin with a Welcome to Country which will allow visitors to engage, connect, and learn with local Gomeroi. This is important considering the land we’ll be running on, and the fight many Gomeroi have been involved in, in the prevention of mining in the area.

Each race will begin with an acknowledgement of Country. These moments should be more than just reading a script. They need to be felt, they need to be heard. They need to be with the intention of growing allyship, something that we need to always work at.

We can run on this land today thanks to thousands of years of care from the Gomeroi People

The term cultural fitness is how a former employer of mine would describe this. As non-Indigenous people attempting to be allies with First Nations People, we need to be continually learning, continually open. Similarly, to how we maintain our levels of physical fitness we need to be working to maintain cultural fitness too, which means always having a go. The Pilliga Ultra is having a go.

But we also want to go beyond acknowledging – what more can we do? Ongoing developing relationships with Gomeroi, ongoing learning, ongoing teaching each other. Recognising privilege and power, and allyship beyond writing about it.

Read more: Pilliga Forest is Where Nature and Culture Collide

4. Running For a Cause – Save the Forests

The Pilliga Ultra is fundamentally sports activism, with a key focus on the land we’re running on – the wild woodlands of the Pilliga Forest. This area has long been sought after by big mining companies, and the goal of the weekend is to continue supporting the local community, environmental groups, and Gomeroi in this ongoing fight.

Read more: How To Save Our Native Forests

Imagine this beautiful bush as a mine… yuck

5. A Female Race Director

This feels like a big deal. We know many ultra events are dominated by men, so the Pilliga Ultra is actively encouraging people who aren’t men, and people of all ages, to come and have a go.

During our reconnaissance mission to the Pilliga, my chats with the race director were very different from what they could have been if the director was a man. We chatted about the safety of women, as well as having hygiene products and sanitary items available at aid stations.

Read more: Why I Trail Run Like A Girl

The Pilliga Ultra has a strong emphasis on inclusivity

6. Not Just for Hardcore Runners

This event is also open to people who are interested in hiking some of the trails too, with both the 10km and 20km trails options open for bushwalkers. As a self-proclaimed ‘always beginner’ this option makes me more relaxed, with less pressure around having to jog the whole way.

I’ll definitely be walking along the rocky edges

I recently had the privilege of attempting the 20km trail with Toni, our race director, and found the trail incredibly friendly in regards to terrain and difficulty. Not too many hectic hill climbs, the right amount of undulation, and a diversity in landscapes kept the mind entertained.

Read more: The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide To Trail Running

7. A Weekend of Connection

The Pilliga Ultra is about connecting ourselves to the land we’re running on, becoming familiar with its importance, its history, and what’s at risk. And of course, connecting with those we’re running alongside. Communal dinners and camping are all involved on this long weekend.

Read more: 5 Ways to Actually Connect With Nature While Exploring

How many race events end up around a campfire?

8. Dollars for a Cause

This isn’t our first rodeo, we learnt a lot from our inaugural event in 2022 and have since removed the mandatory fundraising component to the race, instead donating 10% of every entry to a For Wild Places fund. This fund, plus 50% of the Pilliga Ultra race profits, will go back into the community, to support local initiatives to help keep the Pilliga wild.

Read more: Watch Our Interview With For Wild Places

Everyone begins their journey somewhere, and while we’re learning and growing with intent, we know there’ll always be room for improvement. I wanted to share why this event is different to other trail races, as it helps hold us to account and allows us to learn from each other. 

If you’re up for a community trail race that’s about more than just about running, register for Pilliga Ultra now! If you’re not a runner but are interested in attending as a spectator or registering as a volunteer there’s space for you too!

Photos thanks to @calumnhockey