Fires burning 6km from track but ultra marathon through rainforest set to go ahead

Smouldering bushfires in the West Coast’s Tarkanya Trail isn’t stopping more than 200 dedicated runners from competing. However, organisers have been forced to make some changes.

Takayna Trail Ultra Marathon through the Tarkine. Picture: Calumn Hockey/Bob Brown Foundationdefault

Over 100 hectares of fires is not stopping passionate runners and environmentalists from lacing up and exploring the magic of Tassie’s ancient rainforests by foot.

On Saturday the Bob Brown Foundation is set to host its annual Takayna Trail with 200 people running through one of the largest tracts of pristine cool temperate rainforests in the world to raise money and awareness for its protection.

Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service crews strategise at the Canning Peak fire. Picture: Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service

Event producer with the Bob Brown Foundation Kat Traill said the annual ultra-marathon through Takayna / The Tarkine had been rerouted to avoid fire impacted areas and ensure firefighting efforts remained unimpeded.

“We have fires within 6 kilometres of a large part of the southern course so we won’t be running the course south of Waratah Road anymore,” she said.

Participants running the Tarkayna Trail are dropped off 62 or 37 kilometres from the town of Waratah and run their way back.

“We’ve spent this week just organising how we reroute those courses so that the runners can come and still do the marathon,” Ms Traill said, with slight variations to the length of both courses this year.

TasAlert map showing bushfire area on the West Coast from 6 March 2025. Picture: TasAlert

Ms Traill said the organisation and TFS were being “risk averse” due to conditions, and she would not be positive the event was going ahead until there were “runners on the ground”.

A Tasmanian Fire Service spokeswoman said incident controller Nic Deka met with the event organisers “who have adjusted their course to ensure the safety of participants and the event doesn’t impede on firefighting operations”.

She said four fires in the West Coast complex remain uncontained and firefighting activities are focused on containment and suppression of priority edges.

Seven advice warnings remain in place asking people to stay informed, she said.

Race organiser Majell Backhausen said Takanya was an “awesome place to explore with your feet”.

“Once people come down here and check it out they get a real sense of why it needs to be protected,” he said.

Takayna Trail Ultra Marathon through the Tarkine. Picture: Karen Keefe/Bob Brown Foundation

Mr Backhausen said the runners would still get the awe-inspiring experience of running through the ancient forest on the altered course.

“It’s just a real mix of incredible old growth forest that hasn’t been touched for a very long time,” he said.

“You get a real sense of what this world must have been like before we started to use it for extractive industries.

“It’s mystical, magical, it’s so fresh and the air is so good. It really feels like a wild natural jungle gym.”

A mix of professional and first time runners will be among the 200 registered runners and 200 waitlisted running the trail to raise money for the Bob Brown Foundation to help protect Tarkanya.