Noosa Ultra Trail: Race Director Nick Stewart on Hinterland Trails, Distances & Building a Destination Event | Starting Gun Podcast Ep. 5

Find out more at:

Noosaultratrail.com.au

https://www.facebook.com/noosaultratrail

https://www.instagram.com/noosaultratrail

In episode five of the Starting Gun Podcast, host James Maile stays in Noosa to interview Nick Stewart, race director of the Noosa Ultra Trail, focusing on “great people, great places, and great races.” Nick shares his 40-year sports marketing and events background (IMG, Channel Seven motorsport, Sydney Olympic Stadium, golf management, and Ironman) and his progression from triathlon to trail ultras, including multiple 100K runs. They discuss trail running’s growth in Australia, citing COVID, urbanization, and younger runners pushing longer distances. Nick explains the Noosa Ultra Trail’s origins (pitched to council in 2021; first held in 2022) and its six distances from 15K to 100K, including point-to-point and an afternoon option, plus a new 45K mountain marathon. He covers popularity of the 25K and 50K, shares stories including wheelchair athletes completing a modified 10K in 2023, highlights hinterland spots like Pomona, Cooran, lookouts, and Lake Macdonald, and directs listeners to noosaultratrail.com.au and social channels, noting early bird pricing ends 31 October.

00:03 Introduction

01:22 Great People: Nick's Background

08:52 Great Races: The Noosa Ultra Trail

13:54 The Scorecard

23:00 Stories from the Trail

30:27 Great Places: Noosa Hinterland

36:09 How to Enter