Blue Mountains teenagers dominate UTA11 races on day one

Odin Brennan, Left, and Lulu Green, right
Left, Odin Brennan crosses the finish line first in the UTA11 men's race and, right, Lulu Green takes the tape in the UTA11 women's race at the 2026 HOKA Ultra-Trail Australia by UTMB on Thursday, May 14, 2026. Pictures Tim Bardsley-Smith

Blue Mountains teenagers Lulu Green and Odin Brennan have claimed the first titles on day one of the 2026 Ultra-Trail Australia as they battled their way to victory in the UTA11 (11km).

Sixteen-year-old Lulu Green, from Wentworth Falls, took the tape in the women's race in 1:15:27, nearly two minutes clear of Regina Johansen in second. Ruth Eagles rounded out the podium in 1:17:52.

Green tracked the front of the race for five kilometres before making her move to the front - and never looked back.

"I'm stoked with how I did. Very happy," said Green. "My race plan was to go out hard and just keep it going the whole way, it was really tough though."

Wentworth Falls teenager Lulu Green takes the tape in the UTA11 women's race at the 2026 HOKA Ultra-Trail Australia by UTMB on Thursday, May 14, 2026. Picture Tim Bardsley-Smith

Green returned to the UTA11 for the second time after finishing fourth in 2025 and was delighted to take the win this time around.

"It feels so good to win this one, I'll hopefully move to the 22km next year and give that a go," she said. "My plan was to do the 11km until I won the women's race, and now that I have, I'll move to the 22km."

In the men's race, it was another 16-year-old, Odin Brennan of Katoomba, who secured the win. Brennan stopped the clock at 58:10, with Alton Freeman second in 59:53 and William Corlett third in 1:01:39.

Katoomba teenager Odin Brennan crosses the finish line first at the UTA11 men's race at the 2026 HOKA Ultra-Trail Australia by UTMB on Thursday, May 14, 2026. Picture Tim Bardsley-Smith

"I'm feeling over the moon. I trained so hard for this and did it, it's so good," said Brennan. "I'm from Katoomba, over the other side, so this is my backyard, I train here all the time.

"The plan was to try stick the start, but I ended up going so quick that I thought I was going to blow up. Ethan overtook me and led the way and I was just trying to stick with him, and then down the stairs into Leura forest I knew I had to get in front of him because it's single trail, so I just went one hundred percent down those stairs and then just pushed all the way to the finish," he said.

Will Corlett finishes third in the 2026 UTA11. Picture Tim Bardsley-Smith

Runners from across Australia and around the world took to the trails on Thursday afternoon for the UTA11, with runners continuing to cross the finish line throughout the afternoon into the evening.

Racing continues in the Blue Mountains on Friday, with the UTAMiler seeing 450 runners take on the 100-mile course from 5:00am, with UTA22 beginning from 6:40am.

Results

UTA11 results - Women

Lulu Green 01:15:27
Regina Johansen 01:17:13
Ruth Eagles 01:17:52
Eliza Smith 01:21:17
Isla Gosby 01:25:19

UTA11 results - Men

Odin Brennan 00:58:10
Alton Freeman 00:59:53
William Corlett 01:01:39
Lachlan Jones 01:03:01
Adam Amiot 01:03:56

Written By

Blue Mountains Gazette
Katoomba news, sport and weather.

17 Jun 2026
Try a Career Day @ CathWest Loyola Campus
Year 10, are you curious about trying a career...? Register for CathWest's 'Try a Career Day' at the CathWest Loyola Campus!

Facebook

11 Jun 2026
From Facebook
This week's Blue Mountains Gazette features an article on 'Nurturing Breath', the beautiful sculpture by Terrance Plowright that has become a landmark within our College grounds. Positioned at the heart of our campus, it contributes so much to the visual landscape of the College and serves as a daily reminder of the values we seek to nurture in our community. At the very core of the Christian world view is the belief in a God of Love who is revealed in an ongoing way through the beauty and majesty all of creation. In the ancient scriptures of Judaism and Christianity, God’s Spirit is often experienced as a gentle breeze or a wind, a great creative force - the Breath of God. Terrance Plowright’s sculpture, ‘Nurturing Breath’ reminds us that God is present in each and every one of us and that our responsibility, our mission, is to nurture that presence of God and to allow the Holy Spirit to take hold of us, and to form and shape us. We encourage our community to take a moment to read the article and discover the story and symbolism behind this remarkable piece of public art. Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese Blue Mountains Gazette

09 Jun 2026
From Facebook
A huge lunchtime crowd gathered in the Quad today for the latest edition of The Feed, our popular careers and pathways series. We were delighted to welcome representatives from Macquarie University and University of Sydney who spent the lunch break chatting with students about university life, study options, pathways, and future career opportunities. Both stalls were absolutely swamped, with students asking thoughtful questions and taking away plenty of valuable information about what life at Macquarie and USYD has to offer. It was also especially wonderful to welcome back Emma Hyslop (St Columba’s Class of 2023), who returned to the College as a Student Ambassador for the University of Sydney. It is always rewarding to see our graduates sharing their experiences and helping inspire the next generation of students. A sincere thank you to all of our university representatives for generously giving their time and providing our students with such informative and engaging conversations. Your support helps our young people make informed decisions about their futures, and we are incredibly grateful. Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese