‘I’m going to take it by the nose’: Nedd Brockmann starts latest epic run | Athletics

Famed runner Nedd Brockmann takes on his latest challenge on Thursday as the Australian attempts to break the world record for the shortest time needed to run 1,000 miles (1,609 kilometers).

The man who captured the nation’s attention when he ran across Australia two years ago will take on the challenge without leaving Sydney. Instead, he plans to run 403 laps of the track at the Olympic Park Athletic Center in Homebush every day.

“Nobody 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 take it by the nose, give it everything I’ve got, and raise money for the Aussies who need it most” , said Brockmann.

The 25-year-old is working with the charity We Are Mobilize and wants to raise $10 million. We Are Mobilize distributes items and support to people who are homeless. It received almost $2.5 million in revenue in 2022/2023, entirely from donations.

Brockmann’s effort will be streamed on TikTok Live and viewers can donate on the platform.

The world record is just under 10 and a half days and was set in 1988 by Greek ultrarunner Yiannis Kourous.

“The endurance of Yiannis Kouros, held by one of, if not the greatest ultrarunner of all time, is simply astounding,” Brockmann wrote on Instagram. ‘But if you are going to do something, don’t do it half-heartedly, but give it your all. Everything.”

The event is being called Brockmann’s ‘Uncomfortable Challenge’ and the former electrician is encouraging workplaces, schools, gyms and groups of friends to take on their own uncomfortable challenge for charity in the weeks after his planned closing on October 13.

“This isn’t just about endurance or trying to break a world record; I want it to be a rallying cry for people who want to have a crack, stand together and make a difference,” said Brockmann.

It took Brockmann 46 and a half days to run 4,000 km across Australia in 2022, with an average of 80 km per day. His catchphrase for that run was “be comfortable while feeling uncomfortable”.

By the end of the run – in front of more than 10,000 people on Bondi Beach – he had raised $1.85 million for We Are Mobilise. But that wasn’t the first time he’d run a huge distance for a good cause; two years earlier, he ran fifty marathons in fifty days to raise more than $100,000 for the Red Cross.