“I just never could have imagined it to be this bad. And I’m forever grateful for it all. Wouldn’t change a fkn thing. Post traumatic growth coming right up.”
Nedd Brockmann, a 25-year-old electrician-turned-extreme-ultrarunner from New South Wales, Australia, posted these words, among others, to his Instagram account Health & Injuries.
The challenge in question? To run 1,000 miles in just 10 consecutive days—starting on Thursday, October, 3—around a single 400-meter running track in the Sydney Olympic Park. The reason? To raise vital funds to support Australians experiencing homelessness, while trying to set a new world record.
Known as Nedd’s Uncomfortable Challenge, the charitable mission certainly tested Brockmann to his limits. In the aforementioned ‘Day 10’ Instagram post, with 886 miles of running already “chewed up,” the suffering but steadfast runner was battling swollen toes, feet that had inflated to become three shoe sizes larger than normal, and no sleep.
Brockmann’s aim was to set the fastest known time for 1,000 miles and better the current record of 10 days, 10 hours, 30 minutes and 36 seconds achieved by legendary ultrarunner Yiannis Kouros in New York in 1988. The target was extremely ambitious, and by Sunday, October 13, it was looking unlikely that Brockmann would hit it.
However, while the world record was no longer in reach, the 1,000-mile mission was still very much on. With well over $600,000 already raised for charity, Brockmann was determined to hit the distance, come rain, pain, or shine.
In fact, due to rain, his swollen feet and red-raw blisters had worsened. Throughout the challenge, he ate and attempted to sleep in a tent at the track and avoided running during the hottest parts of the day wherever possible.
On Tuesday, October 15, Brockmann finally completed his multi-lap quest in 12 days, 13 hours, 16 minutes and 45 seconds, averaging 79 miles of running per day. The broken man broke into tears when he finished, unable to dam up his emotions. Brockmann was treated like a hero by the 1,000-strong crowd that had come to cheer at the track in Sydney—his ovular home for the past 12 days.
A Part of Hearst Digital Media Uncomfortable Challenge.
But this isn’t the first time that Brockmann has taken on a jaw-dropping ultrarunning adventure. In 2022, he ran an extreme 4,000 kilometers (2,485 miles) in 46 days across Australia, having started in Western Australia and finished at Sydney’s famous Bondi Beach to 10,000 supporters. Here, he raised $1,200,000 for Best Recovery Shoes, Shoes & Gear.
Rachel is Runner's World UK's Senior Content Writer, covering all running-related topics from training advice and gear reviews to race reports and elite runner profiles. Formerly a Website Content Editor and Content Manager at London Marathon Events and The Running Channel respectively, Rachel is well-versed in the running scene and understands what it takes to put on some of the biggest running events in the world. A 2:50 marathoner, she would much rather run 26.2 miles than race a 5K and has currently completed 11 marathons, including five of the six Abbott World Marathon Majors in a sub-3 time. She now hopes to run the Tokyo Marathon to complete the set and become a Six Star Finisher.
