From Usman Khawaja’s century in Sydney to Joel Selwood’s goal at the MCG against the Swans, Emma McKeon’s golden Games and Patrick Carrigan’s brutal Origin debut, Australia has seen some phenomenal sporting moments in 2022.
But one young man’s run across Australia in the name of charity could well top this year’s greatest feat by an athlete.
Yep, Nedd Brockmann’s run from Cottesloe Beach in Perth to Sydney’s Bondi Beach – averaging 100 kilometres a day for more than 40 days – is something truly remarkable. All this from a knockabout country kid who “started running through COVID” and made his way up from a half marathon to a full marathon and then from a 60, 80 and 100km ultra marathons. If you’re exhausted yet, you’re not the only one.
If you can’t fathom it, take a look at his Instagram stories. They will blow your mind.
Easy? Not at all, with the man himself showcasing the brutal reality of going again and again and again. Not just through the morning sun, but through torrential rain and gale force winds.
“Aaaah,” he screams early on his run from Kellerberrin to Carrabin.
“One of those f**king days, aye!” as he pumps his arm in the air as a truck zooms past him, with the rain tumbling down.
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Shocked and outraged from seeing the levels of homelessness on the streets of Sydney and, indeed, Australia, the blonde-haired, mullet-sporting sparkie decided to run across Australia in an effort to raise awareness to the issue.
He is also aiming to raise $1 million to help get people off the streets. So far he has raised more than $500,000 from more than 7,000 donors.
Along the way, he has inspired those following his remarkable journey with fascinating insights from a larrikin, every day Australian, who had a dream and wanted to make a difference.
From AFL stars to Wallabies, entertainment personalities and surfers, Brockmann’s charity run has caught the world’s attention.
The 22-year-old is on the home straight, if you can call it that, with the country bloke from Forbes ticking off day 40 on his pursuit.
On day 40 he ran 80.27km, leaving him with a lazy 654km left to run. A day earlier he smashed out 100.39km.
He plans on “hitting the big smoke” on Monday, October 17.
But the knockabout country lad is feeling the pinch.
“Considering I buried myself yesterday, I’m very happy with the 80. Bod is pretty cooked,” he wrote following his run on Monday, as he approaches Wagga Wagga. Ya reckon.
“I feel like if you were to MRI my lower body, there’d be multiple diagnoses going down. The hip is holding on by the skin of its teeth and the feet feel like they’ve been hit with a hammer from all angles. It’s wild out here, I keep laughing in disbelief of how far we have come in such a short time yet internally scream at the thought of another 600+ km week. Deep down I f*** ing love it though. So it’s all good.”
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