Celebrity runner Nedd Brockmann is embarking on his latest challenge on Thursday as the Australian attempts to break the world record for the shortest time taken to run 1,000 miles, or 1,609 kilometres.
The man who captured the attention of the country when he ran across Australia two years ago will tackle the challenge without leaving Sydney. Rather, he plans to run 403 laps of the track at the Olympic Park Athletic Centre in Homebush each day.
“No one knows what’s going to happen in life and I don’t know what’s going to happen on this run – but I’m going to grab it by the plums, give it everything I’ve got, and raise money for the Aussies who need it most,” Brockmann said.
The 25-year-old is working with charity We Are Mobilise and aims to raise $10m. We Are Mobilise distributes items and support to those experiencing homelessness. It received almost $2.5m in revenue in 2022/23, entirely from donations.
Brockmann’s attempt will be streamed on TikTok Live, and viewers will be able to donate on the platform.
The world record is just under 10 and a half days and was set by Greek ultra runner Yiannis Kourous in 1988.
“Held by one of, if not the greatest ultra runner of all time, Yiannis Kouros’s feat of endurance is simply mind blowing,” Brockmann wrote on Instagram. “However, if you’re going to do something, don’t go in half assed, throw everything at it. Everything.”
The event is being branded Brockmann’s “Uncomfortable Challenge”, and the former electrician is encouraging workplaces, schools, gyms and groups of friends to embark on their own uncomfortable challenge for charity in the weeks following his planned conclusion on 13 October.
“This isn’t just about endurance or attempting to break a world record; I want it to be a rallying cry for people who want to have a crack, to stand together, and make a difference,” Brockmann said.
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Brockmann took 46 and a half days to run 4,000km across Australia in 2022, averaging 80km a day. His tagline for that run was “get comfortable being uncomfortable”.
At the run’s conclusion – in front of more than 10,000 people at Bondi beach – he had raised $1.85m for We Are Mobilise. But that wasn’t the first time he had run a huge distance for charity – two years earlier he ran 50 marathons in 50 days to raise more than $100,000 for the Red Cross.
