Sponsored Athletes
It's a pleasure to help support our sponsored athletes dreams and running aspirations by providing them with the best products possible. When looking for athletes to align with our brand, we are seeking out people who are eco-conscious and think about their footprint on this planet, along with being top runners. Below are some of the most talented runners Australia have to offer, and most importantly they share the Tarkine values. If you'd like to be considered to join Tarkine Elite, please email info@tarkine.com with a short bio. We're looking forward to hearing from you.
PHIL GORE
The GOAT of the Backyard Ultra • One of the Greatest Endurance Runners on the Planet
Phil Gore, hailing from Western Australia, has shattered the boundaries of human endurance and established himself as the undisputed Greatest of All Time in the backyard ultra format.
In June 2025 at the Dead Cow Gully Backyard Ultra in Queensland, he completed 119 consecutive loops of the 6.7 km course — covering nearly 800 km, setting a new men’s world record.
Later, at the Backyard Ultra World Championship in Tennessee, Gore clinched the title by running 114 laps (~764 km) over almost five days, emerging as last man standing in one of the world’s toughest endurance events.
His feats combine brutal mileage, mental steel, and unrelenting spirit — proving he doesn’t just compete, he dominates. Phil Gore isn’t just a champion in backyard ultra running; he’s a living legend and one of the world’s finest endurance athletes.
JOSHUA CHUGG
Joshua is a former professional cyclist who rode the Jayco Sun Herald Tour in 2009 alongside Ritchie Porte and Sir Bradley Wiggins. Josh is an absolute machine who has broken ultra endurance records all over Australia. Recently he finished 3rd in his age group at UTMB CCC 100km, proving he is truely a world class athlete.
SHANE JOHNSTONE
Shane stands as one of Australia's most distinguished and revered ultra-endurance athletes. With an illustrious career that includes competing in the prestigious Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB), he has not only pushed the boundaries of human endurance but also etched his name into the annals of Australian ultrarunning history through the establishment of numerous national ultra-distance records. In addition to his athletic prowess, Shane is the visionary co-creator of the Transcend Trails race, a testament to his dedication to advancing the sport of trail running.
His expertise, however, extends far beyond the realm of athleticism. As an accomplished Exercise Physiologist, Shane holds a Master’s degree in Occupational Rehabilitation and Workplace Injury Management, complementing his foundational academic background with a Bachelor of Science in Sport Science.
ERCHANA MURRAY-BARTLETT
Erchana Murray-Bartlett is an elite marathon runner, who narrowly missed out on the Tokyo Olympic Games. She then turned her focus towards running across Australia to raise money for the Wildnerness Society, to put the spotlight on Australia’s extinction crisis
Tarkine supported Erchana along her jounry. She ran a marathon every day, all the way from the tip of mainland Australia (Cape York) to the toe (Melbourne) to spread a very important message – Extinction is a CHOICE. That’s right, 155 consecutive marathons to be the voice for our native animals. And she did the entire run wearing Tarkine Goshawk running shoes.
Erchana raised over $132,000. You can read more about this amazing person HERE
EMMA PHILLIPE
Emma is a former Australian representative pole vaulter and has now turned her attention to the 800m. She is consistently ranked in the top-10 in Australia.
MATT GORE
Matt is one of the most promising young ultra trail runners in Australia currently. Matt started off the year by winning the takaya Trail race and has gone from strength to strength. During 2022 he ran 655km across the Australian Alps Walking Track to raise awareness and funds for the takayna rainforest in Tasmania. Matt is also the current U25 12h Australian record holder.
BEN CHAMBERLIN
Ben is multiple time WA middle distance champion and an extremely talented athlete. Ben's 10,000m pb is 29:13.07 and he can run a half marathon in well under 65 minutes. The guy is fast!
FRASER DARCY
Fraser is a constant fixture on the podium at just about any ultra race he enters. Fraser was recently crowned Australian Mountain Running Champion. Whatch out for him to take some big wins at home and abdroad in the future.
Andrew ‘Googz’ Thorpe.
Gunnai gunditjmara man, heroic runner and mental health advocate, graduate of the fantastic Indigenous Marathon Project. In 2020, he re-discovered a love for running. He enjoyed it so much that he ran 255km in October in support of The Black Dog Institute’s One Foot Forward campaign. Googzy is really someone we can look up to - honest, humble, vulnerable and hard working and it's an honor to have him on team Tarkine.
Brian Lyons
Brian is Tasmanian born and bred runner and only lives 90 minutes away from takayna ( Tarkine ) He is 2 x State Marathon champion and won the 2022 Bruny Island Ultra Marathon ( 64km ) He has run under 15 minutes for 5km, under 69 minutes for a half marathon and broken 2hrs and 30 minutes on numerous occasions for the marathon. When he is not running, he owns and operates 4 fun runs in the North West Of Tasmania, these are the Bluff 2 Boat Ramp, The Great Train Race, Light Night Glow Run and Run Christmas. His biggest achievement is being able to coach over 70 runners and be lucky enough to call it his job.