10 June 2025
Army physio Captain Meghann Bullen made history as the women’s winner of the inaugural Ultra Trail Australia 100-mile race in the Blue Mountains last month.
The reservist finished ninth overall, completing the gruelling test of endurance in 21 hours and 52 minutes.
It was her first race since giving birth 13 months earlier.
“I knew I would finish the race, I just didn't know how the body would go,” Captain Bullen said.
She had a 40 to 50-minute lead, with 20 kilometres remaining, a quad-shocking downhill run followed by an excruciating climb back to Katoomba.
“I knew I had it at the top of the stairs, it was pretty exciting,” she said.
Captain Bullen was one of more than 60 Defence personnel who took part in Australia’s largest trail running festival, held May 15-18, running distances from 11 kilometres to 100 miles.
Defence had nine personnel running in the 100-mile event.
Among them was Petty Officer Thomas Pomery, who crossed the line a little over 35 hours post-start.
It was a feat made all the more impressive after a surgeon removed most of the cartilage from his knee in 2017 and he was told to give up long-distance running.
“I don’t like being told I can’t do stuff,” Petty Officer Pomery said.
“I thought screw it, let’s see how we go.”
'It’s good to go out and do things like this that top up your resilience reserve.'
He signed up for a 13-kilometre race last year and doubled the distances in each event since, finishing a 100-kilometre race at Ultra Trail Kosciuszko last November.
Another 100-mile participant, Flight Lieutenant Jason Weatherby, had a point to prove after withdrawing 116-kilometres into the Ultra Trail Kosciuszko 100-mile race last year.
He crushed his second attempt at the 100-mile race, finishing in just over 32 hours.
“It was a very muddy trail out there with a lot more stairs than I expected,” Flight Lieutenant Weatherby said.
“It was great to see so many ADF members out there giving it a crack.”
The 100-kilometre event was the most popular, with 25 ADF members signing up to tackle the course.
In the 22-kilometre event, Major Iain Best finished fourth overall, just five minutes behind first place.
Since 2007, thousands of people have traversed the Blue Mountains to tackle one of Australia's premier endurance events.
With distances to suit all abilities, Petty Officer Pomery encouraged personnel to get involved and test their mettle.
“We’re not often in a position where we’re challenging and training our resilience,” Petty Officer Pomery said.
“It’s good to go out and do things like this that top up your resilience reserve.”
