1 00:00:00,360 --> 00:00:04,720 Speaker 1: This episode contains discussion of suicide. If this raises any 2 00:00:04,760 --> 00:00:07,640 Speaker 1: issues for you, support is available through the links and 3 00:00:07,760 --> 00:00:09,280 Speaker 1: phone numbers in the show notes. 4 00:00:10,880 --> 00:00:14,000 Speaker 2: Hi, and here we're taking a look back as some 5 00:00:14,040 --> 00:00:18,080 Speaker 2: of our incredible head Game guests. In this episode, you'll 6 00:00:18,120 --> 00:00:21,040 Speaker 2: hear from men who have faced some very tough battles. 7 00:00:21,520 --> 00:00:25,360 Speaker 2: My first guest is Pat Farmer. Pat is an ultramarathro 8 00:00:25,360 --> 00:00:28,240 Speaker 2: and runner who has pushed himself to the absolute limits 9 00:00:28,400 --> 00:00:31,280 Speaker 2: on many occasions. I sat down with him to hear 10 00:00:31,320 --> 00:00:34,400 Speaker 2: about his twenty eleven run from the North to the 11 00:00:34,440 --> 00:00:35,040 Speaker 2: South Pole. 12 00:00:37,600 --> 00:00:40,000 Speaker 3: You know, you talk about setbacks and difficulties and all 13 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:43,680 Speaker 3: the rest of it. I did a run back in 14 00:00:43,720 --> 00:00:46,920 Speaker 3: twenty and eleven, and it took me from the North 15 00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:49,600 Speaker 3: Pole to the South Pile via the Americas. 16 00:00:50,400 --> 00:00:53,040 Speaker 4: There's no way on earth. 17 00:00:52,760 --> 00:00:56,640 Speaker 3: That you could possibly plan everything that could possibly go 18 00:00:56,720 --> 00:00:59,680 Speaker 3: wrong in those sorts of conditions. I mean, we're talking 19 00:00:59,720 --> 00:01:03,520 Speaker 3: the North Pole minus thirty five to forty degrees. Some 20 00:01:03,720 --> 00:01:08,319 Speaker 3: days we're picturesque, you know, just absolutely magnificent, beautiful. 21 00:01:07,920 --> 00:01:09,400 Speaker 4: Days to look at. 22 00:01:10,160 --> 00:01:13,959 Speaker 3: But still I see freezing cold, and I didn't want 23 00:01:13,959 --> 00:01:16,280 Speaker 3: to get my hands out of my gloves which were 24 00:01:16,280 --> 00:01:20,120 Speaker 3: inside another set of gloves, which inside another set of mittens, 25 00:01:20,640 --> 00:01:22,600 Speaker 3: just to be able to look at my GPS to 26 00:01:22,640 --> 00:01:24,880 Speaker 3: make sure I was on course on a regular basis, 27 00:01:24,920 --> 00:01:28,520 Speaker 3: and then because I didn't often, because the North Pole 28 00:01:28,680 --> 00:01:30,880 Speaker 3: is this ice cube that floats on the ocean, and 29 00:01:30,920 --> 00:01:34,400 Speaker 3: it is turning in an anti clockwise direction, I'd be 30 00:01:34,880 --> 00:01:39,039 Speaker 3: heading towards Greenland when I should have been going towards Canada. 31 00:01:40,240 --> 00:01:43,440 Speaker 3: So you quickly learn that you just have to deal 32 00:01:43,520 --> 00:01:45,760 Speaker 3: with all the problems that go along and you just go. 33 00:01:46,000 --> 00:01:49,120 Speaker 3: You have to have the discipline and the ability and 34 00:01:49,120 --> 00:01:51,880 Speaker 3: the tenaciousness and deal with the pain just to be 35 00:01:51,920 --> 00:01:55,160 Speaker 3: able to keep moving forward, and to keep moving forward 36 00:01:55,240 --> 00:01:58,240 Speaker 3: means to be constantly aware of where the finish line 37 00:01:58,280 --> 00:01:58,880 Speaker 3: actually is. 38 00:01:59,160 --> 00:02:01,000 Speaker 1: How hard was that? 39 00:02:01,000 --> 00:02:05,480 Speaker 3: That was, without a doubt, the most most difficult thing 40 00:02:05,520 --> 00:02:09,760 Speaker 3: I could ever possibly imagine. There's so many obstacles came 41 00:02:09,840 --> 00:02:15,079 Speaker 3: up from the start. You know, we arrived there after 42 00:02:15,600 --> 00:02:18,880 Speaker 3: a year's worth of planning and putting things together and 43 00:02:18,919 --> 00:02:21,600 Speaker 3: trying to pull together financials to make that happen. 44 00:02:21,600 --> 00:02:23,640 Speaker 4: I'll never forget myself. 45 00:02:23,720 --> 00:02:28,720 Speaker 3: My guide, Eric Phillips, and my cameraman arrived in the 46 00:02:28,760 --> 00:02:32,320 Speaker 3: North Pole. We were dropped off there by Russian helicopter, 47 00:02:32,400 --> 00:02:34,160 Speaker 3: and the first thing we had to do after we 48 00:02:34,200 --> 00:02:36,239 Speaker 3: pulled all our gear out the back of this M 49 00:02:36,360 --> 00:02:40,320 Speaker 3: ten helicopter was to fire a couple of rounds out 50 00:02:40,320 --> 00:02:43,240 Speaker 3: of our three or three rifle make sure it was functioning. 51 00:02:43,360 --> 00:02:45,959 Speaker 3: It's mandatory you have to carry a rifle up there 52 00:02:46,120 --> 00:02:50,240 Speaker 3: because of the polar bears. And we were right on 53 00:02:50,280 --> 00:02:52,400 Speaker 3: the cusp of the season, so the end of winter 54 00:02:52,760 --> 00:02:56,919 Speaker 3: the start of summer, and you do it then because 55 00:02:57,880 --> 00:03:02,600 Speaker 3: it's light enough to be to traverse, but it's still 56 00:03:02,720 --> 00:03:06,120 Speaker 3: dark enough and still cold enough that hopefully most of 57 00:03:06,120 --> 00:03:09,200 Speaker 3: the polar bears are still asleep, they're still hibernating. So 58 00:03:09,240 --> 00:03:11,880 Speaker 3: you get out and I'll never forget I got out there, 59 00:03:11,919 --> 00:03:14,560 Speaker 3: and I'll just tell you one story, which you know, 60 00:03:14,600 --> 00:03:18,360 Speaker 3: looking back on it's amusing, but at the time was painful. 61 00:03:19,360 --> 00:03:22,040 Speaker 3: I just got off the back of this helicopter, pulled 62 00:03:22,040 --> 00:03:24,200 Speaker 3: on my gear out. I had a sled that weighed 63 00:03:24,600 --> 00:03:29,040 Speaker 3: one hundred kilograms worth of gear. I weigh sixty five kilograms, 64 00:03:29,120 --> 00:03:31,160 Speaker 3: or I did when I started. I dropped down to 65 00:03:31,200 --> 00:03:34,200 Speaker 3: forty nine kilos by the time I hit Canada. I 66 00:03:36,120 --> 00:03:40,080 Speaker 3: had a shot of the rifle the recoil hit my 67 00:03:40,480 --> 00:03:42,760 Speaker 3: you know, pulled on my finger, and I just felt 68 00:03:42,760 --> 00:03:45,120 Speaker 3: like I'd just been hit with a cane, you know, 69 00:03:45,320 --> 00:03:48,560 Speaker 3: just being cane across the end of the fingers, just 70 00:03:48,600 --> 00:03:51,480 Speaker 3: because it was so cold, and it was painful just 71 00:03:51,520 --> 00:03:54,040 Speaker 3: to fire that trigger, and just because the recoil on it, 72 00:03:55,440 --> 00:03:58,560 Speaker 3: and you know, then I felt to myself, you know, 73 00:03:59,120 --> 00:04:01,520 Speaker 3: I need to need to I need to go to 74 00:04:01,560 --> 00:04:03,120 Speaker 3: the toilet, I need to take a leak. 75 00:04:03,120 --> 00:04:05,440 Speaker 4: And here I am out in the middle of nowhere. 76 00:04:05,360 --> 00:04:09,680 Speaker 3: And so I'm so fill your hand, yeah, so yeah, yeah, 77 00:04:09,720 --> 00:04:11,960 Speaker 3: I couldn't feel I couldn't feel my hand inside two 78 00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:13,880 Speaker 3: sets of gloves and a set of mittens, and then 79 00:04:14,160 --> 00:04:16,279 Speaker 3: of course all the gear that you have on. I 80 00:04:16,360 --> 00:04:19,719 Speaker 3: started trying to find the zipper that had a little 81 00:04:19,760 --> 00:04:22,800 Speaker 3: bit of line on it attached to my fly of 82 00:04:22,839 --> 00:04:26,240 Speaker 3: my pants to try and do that. So I'm trying 83 00:04:26,279 --> 00:04:29,719 Speaker 3: to get this this, this glove off and then I'm 84 00:04:29,720 --> 00:04:32,359 Speaker 3: trying to find this zipper. And the more that I 85 00:04:32,400 --> 00:04:35,200 Speaker 3: was trying, the more urgent this moment became for me 86 00:04:35,360 --> 00:04:40,120 Speaker 3: to be able to urinate. And you know, I'm working away, 87 00:04:40,160 --> 00:04:41,880 Speaker 3: and the more I'm working away, the more I'm getting 88 00:04:42,000 --> 00:04:44,760 Speaker 3: anxious because I just had so many layers of clothing 89 00:04:44,800 --> 00:04:47,240 Speaker 3: and all the rest of it. This was just the start, 90 00:04:47,560 --> 00:04:49,839 Speaker 3: and I'm trying. I'm trying, and then I start, you know, 91 00:04:49,839 --> 00:04:52,640 Speaker 3: I start praying, please please please, you know, let me, 92 00:04:52,720 --> 00:04:55,080 Speaker 3: you know, please please please. 93 00:04:54,839 --> 00:04:57,600 Speaker 4: Hurry up, you know, I'm talking to myself. I'm talking 94 00:04:57,640 --> 00:04:58,160 Speaker 4: to myself. 95 00:04:58,560 --> 00:05:01,960 Speaker 3: And then I finally find the zipper, but it's too late, 96 00:05:02,120 --> 00:05:05,280 Speaker 3: and I ended up urinating down my leg, which anywhere 97 00:05:05,320 --> 00:05:08,080 Speaker 3: else suggest a funny thing for somebody to do, and 98 00:05:08,160 --> 00:05:11,640 Speaker 3: you don't think much about it. But up there, of course, 99 00:05:11,680 --> 00:05:14,919 Speaker 3: the water freezes on your legs straight away, so it 100 00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:17,800 Speaker 3: frozer turned to ice straight away, and I ended up 101 00:05:17,839 --> 00:05:20,359 Speaker 3: with this blister that started at my groin and finishing 102 00:05:20,440 --> 00:05:21,880 Speaker 3: my ankle all the way down. 103 00:05:22,080 --> 00:05:24,640 Speaker 4: And that was just the start for you even started. 104 00:05:24,800 --> 00:05:27,760 Speaker 3: That was the start, and I was just thinking to myself, 105 00:05:27,920 --> 00:05:30,240 Speaker 3: my god, what have I got myself into here? 106 00:05:30,400 --> 00:05:32,880 Speaker 4: So a great start, then, yeah, yeah, yeah. 107 00:05:32,960 --> 00:05:36,760 Speaker 3: So that was my first five minutes on the ice 108 00:05:36,960 --> 00:05:39,520 Speaker 3: of this journey that was going to take me thirty 109 00:05:39,600 --> 00:05:42,520 Speaker 3: nine days to get from the North Pole out to 110 00:05:42,560 --> 00:05:45,600 Speaker 3: the edge of out to Canada, out to ward Hunt Island, 111 00:05:46,360 --> 00:05:50,760 Speaker 3: and you know it was the start of such an 112 00:05:50,760 --> 00:05:55,680 Speaker 3: eirpeak conversation between myself and my guide and my camera man, 113 00:05:55,680 --> 00:05:58,880 Speaker 3: because you know, as you can imagine, I'd already paid 114 00:05:58,880 --> 00:06:01,359 Speaker 3: all my money up front. I paid money to the Russians, 115 00:06:01,400 --> 00:06:03,760 Speaker 3: I'd paid money to the guides, I'd paid money to 116 00:06:03,800 --> 00:06:07,080 Speaker 3: the camera and big, big dollars, you know, big dollars. 117 00:06:07,520 --> 00:06:10,640 Speaker 3: And it's like somebody claimbing everest. You know, the amount 118 00:06:10,680 --> 00:06:12,800 Speaker 3: of commitment that they put into it all. So it 119 00:06:12,839 --> 00:06:17,520 Speaker 3: didn't matter if things didn't work out five minutes into it. 120 00:06:17,720 --> 00:06:20,200 Speaker 3: They were happy to pull the plug and everybody go home. 121 00:06:20,279 --> 00:06:21,240 Speaker 3: They're already paid. 122 00:06:22,279 --> 00:06:25,599 Speaker 4: But for me, this was the commitment of my life. 123 00:06:25,640 --> 00:06:27,800 Speaker 3: I'd sold my house to try and cover off the 124 00:06:27,839 --> 00:06:30,200 Speaker 3: expenses to do this and to be there and to 125 00:06:30,240 --> 00:06:33,000 Speaker 3: do something nobody else on earth had ever done before. 126 00:06:33,880 --> 00:06:38,560 Speaker 3: And consequently I was faced with the reality of what 127 00:06:38,680 --> 00:06:42,520 Speaker 3: I'd taken on right from the very first moment. So look, 128 00:06:42,560 --> 00:06:44,680 Speaker 3: we got on with things, and we pushed on, but 129 00:06:44,760 --> 00:06:46,880 Speaker 3: there was many, many mishaps along the way. 130 00:06:47,480 --> 00:06:51,080 Speaker 4: How painful was it and how did you use that 131 00:06:51,120 --> 00:06:52,960 Speaker 4: pain to get through? I'll tell you one story, I'll 132 00:06:52,960 --> 00:06:55,760 Speaker 4: never forget it. I remember there was this one day. 133 00:06:55,760 --> 00:06:59,000 Speaker 3: It was a particularly tough day for me, and I 134 00:06:59,160 --> 00:07:02,080 Speaker 3: got I finally got inside my tent, and we had 135 00:07:02,160 --> 00:07:05,120 Speaker 3: like a neopremum face master when iver our face. We 136 00:07:05,240 --> 00:07:09,720 Speaker 3: had of course some hats, beanies, balaclavas all the rest 137 00:07:09,720 --> 00:07:12,320 Speaker 3: of the year, the goggles, everything that you needed to 138 00:07:12,600 --> 00:07:16,880 Speaker 3: keep the conditions away from your skin. I finally got 139 00:07:16,920 --> 00:07:20,360 Speaker 3: inside my tent that night. I when I say night, 140 00:07:20,360 --> 00:07:23,840 Speaker 3: it's twenty four hour sunlight. Of course dug some snow, 141 00:07:24,000 --> 00:07:26,160 Speaker 3: got some fresh snow to be able to boil up 142 00:07:26,240 --> 00:07:29,760 Speaker 3: for water. Finally got inside my tent, gone inside my 143 00:07:29,840 --> 00:07:33,400 Speaker 3: sleeping bag, and I remember I would peer out of 144 00:07:33,400 --> 00:07:36,000 Speaker 3: my sleeping bag and look at my jacket, my clothes 145 00:07:36,040 --> 00:07:38,760 Speaker 3: there inside the tent, and they were just covered in 146 00:07:38,840 --> 00:07:41,560 Speaker 3: snow and ice. And that was the stuff that you 147 00:07:41,600 --> 00:07:43,800 Speaker 3: were going to put on to get warm for the 148 00:07:43,840 --> 00:07:46,720 Speaker 3: start of the next day. So to look at that 149 00:07:46,880 --> 00:07:49,480 Speaker 3: and to think that the only sanctuary that I had 150 00:07:49,600 --> 00:07:54,000 Speaker 3: was inside my sleeping bag. And anyway, I'm inside this bag, 151 00:07:54,280 --> 00:07:57,560 Speaker 3: and the night seemed to go so fast. 152 00:07:57,600 --> 00:08:00,680 Speaker 4: It was ready the next morning. The wind was how outside. 153 00:08:00,720 --> 00:08:04,240 Speaker 3: And there's this incredible saying that they have, and it 154 00:08:04,320 --> 00:08:07,560 Speaker 3: is the storm is always loudest from inside the tent, 155 00:08:07,680 --> 00:08:10,640 Speaker 3: which basically means that whenever you take on anything life, 156 00:08:10,720 --> 00:08:13,920 Speaker 3: it always seems so much tougher until you actually get 157 00:08:13,920 --> 00:08:15,360 Speaker 3: out there and you start to do it. 158 00:08:15,920 --> 00:08:17,640 Speaker 4: And then when you get on, you get out there 159 00:08:17,680 --> 00:08:18,440 Speaker 4: and you get on with it. 160 00:08:18,480 --> 00:08:20,640 Speaker 3: Well, you know it is what it is, but you 161 00:08:20,680 --> 00:08:23,680 Speaker 3: accept it and it's not so bad as they're preempting 162 00:08:23,720 --> 00:08:28,360 Speaker 3: the fear of it all. So anyway, my crew were 163 00:08:28,480 --> 00:08:31,680 Speaker 3: packed up and ready to go, and I had overslept, 164 00:08:31,720 --> 00:08:35,160 Speaker 3: and I got up and I got out and I 165 00:08:35,200 --> 00:08:37,840 Speaker 3: started to get myself dressed, and I'm racing around my 166 00:08:37,960 --> 00:08:41,560 Speaker 3: tent and I'm looking for my knee Premu face mask, 167 00:08:41,640 --> 00:08:45,319 Speaker 3: and I couldn't find it anywhere. And in my haste 168 00:08:45,360 --> 00:08:49,280 Speaker 3: the day before, I didn't realize but it had come off. 169 00:08:49,559 --> 00:08:52,040 Speaker 3: I'd taken it off my face and I was grabbing 170 00:08:52,160 --> 00:08:54,520 Speaker 3: something out of my sled, and I'd left it on 171 00:08:54,559 --> 00:08:58,280 Speaker 3: the sled, which meant that the next morning I looked out, 172 00:08:58,320 --> 00:09:01,280 Speaker 3: I peered outside the tent and there was my face 173 00:09:01,360 --> 00:09:04,800 Speaker 3: mask covered in snow and ice at the end. I 174 00:09:04,920 --> 00:09:07,440 Speaker 3: quickly grabbed it and brought it back inside the tent, 175 00:09:07,480 --> 00:09:10,240 Speaker 3: and I tipped some warm water over the top of 176 00:09:10,280 --> 00:09:13,960 Speaker 3: it that I'd just boiled in the thermoce, and I 177 00:09:14,040 --> 00:09:16,240 Speaker 3: got some of the snow and ice off, and it 178 00:09:16,360 --> 00:09:18,559 Speaker 3: was still pretty hard, and I was jumping on it. 179 00:09:18,960 --> 00:09:20,720 Speaker 3: I put it on my face. As soon as I 180 00:09:20,800 --> 00:09:22,959 Speaker 3: put on my face, it just stuck to my face. 181 00:09:23,000 --> 00:09:25,440 Speaker 3: As soon as I went outside of the outside of 182 00:09:25,480 --> 00:09:30,360 Speaker 3: the tent and I packed everything up. That morning, after 183 00:09:30,440 --> 00:09:34,360 Speaker 3: two hours of traversing with our sleds pulling our sleds along, 184 00:09:34,679 --> 00:09:37,679 Speaker 3: we got behind this little bit of a nice crater 185 00:09:38,600 --> 00:09:42,120 Speaker 3: and the guys had pulled out the olive oil and 186 00:09:41,720 --> 00:09:44,040 Speaker 3: they got that out, and they got their little bit 187 00:09:44,080 --> 00:09:48,520 Speaker 3: of chocolate out, and they were having their break and 188 00:09:48,760 --> 00:09:52,120 Speaker 3: I was struggling to get this mask off my face 189 00:09:52,200 --> 00:09:55,160 Speaker 3: because it was stuck to my face, and the guys 190 00:09:55,160 --> 00:09:56,640 Speaker 3: are saying to me, come on, pat, you have to 191 00:09:56,679 --> 00:09:58,680 Speaker 3: hurry up. We've got to get gun, you know. And 192 00:09:58,840 --> 00:10:01,080 Speaker 3: I was trying to peel this thing off from my ear. 193 00:10:01,440 --> 00:10:04,959 Speaker 3: I couldn't get it around my ear and off, and 194 00:10:05,400 --> 00:10:08,439 Speaker 3: in my haste, I was even trying to push some 195 00:10:08,520 --> 00:10:11,680 Speaker 3: food up my nose, in through my nose to get 196 00:10:11,679 --> 00:10:14,280 Speaker 3: it into the back of my throat because my nose 197 00:10:14,320 --> 00:10:17,080 Speaker 3: had all ye siculs in it was difficult. 198 00:10:16,679 --> 00:10:18,720 Speaker 4: To get anything into there any other way. 199 00:10:19,240 --> 00:10:22,360 Speaker 3: So what I ended up doing was I ripped the mask, 200 00:10:22,440 --> 00:10:24,440 Speaker 3: and when I ripped the mask, all the skin came 201 00:10:24,480 --> 00:10:26,880 Speaker 3: off the front of my face and my nose from 202 00:10:26,880 --> 00:10:29,840 Speaker 3: one side to the other. Then my face started bleeding, 203 00:10:29,880 --> 00:10:33,240 Speaker 3: and then the bleed the blood congealed and froze on 204 00:10:33,280 --> 00:10:35,480 Speaker 3: my face straight away, and I could see the skin 205 00:10:35,559 --> 00:10:39,000 Speaker 3: on my mask. I grabbed the olive oil through back 206 00:10:39,040 --> 00:10:41,480 Speaker 3: as much as I could, and then I put the 207 00:10:41,559 --> 00:10:43,720 Speaker 3: mask back on my face. And I have to tell you, 208 00:10:43,760 --> 00:10:46,640 Speaker 3: for the rest of that day, my face just throbbed, 209 00:10:47,000 --> 00:10:51,240 Speaker 3: throbbed with pain, and I was in a world of hurt, 210 00:10:51,480 --> 00:10:53,920 Speaker 3: and I was wondering, you know, what the hell I 211 00:10:53,960 --> 00:10:55,880 Speaker 3: was doing there. You have to keep in mind, I 212 00:10:55,920 --> 00:10:57,960 Speaker 3: was only on day ten of a journey that was 213 00:10:58,000 --> 00:11:02,000 Speaker 3: going to take me almost twenty two thousand kilometers from 214 00:11:02,000 --> 00:11:03,840 Speaker 3: one end of the Earth down through to the other, 215 00:11:03,880 --> 00:11:06,840 Speaker 3: and was still in the North Pole, just on day 216 00:11:06,880 --> 00:11:09,360 Speaker 3: ten of a thirty nine day trek across the North 217 00:11:09,360 --> 00:11:12,880 Speaker 3: Pole itself, and so you know, I was dealing with 218 00:11:12,920 --> 00:11:16,160 Speaker 3: all of this. Then I just sort of pushed on. 219 00:11:16,320 --> 00:11:19,240 Speaker 3: I got inside my tent that night, and I was 220 00:11:19,240 --> 00:11:22,120 Speaker 3: thinking to myself. I was looking at the purb and 221 00:11:22,160 --> 00:11:25,679 Speaker 3: I was thinking so much about just pressing that button 222 00:11:25,720 --> 00:11:29,720 Speaker 3: and relieving this pain for good. And I'd come to 223 00:11:29,760 --> 00:11:34,560 Speaker 3: the realization that I would rather die than to quit. 224 00:11:35,360 --> 00:11:37,400 Speaker 3: And I know that's not a good thing to say, 225 00:11:37,440 --> 00:11:39,320 Speaker 3: and I know it's not a healthy thing for me 226 00:11:39,400 --> 00:11:41,320 Speaker 3: to be speaking to your listeners about, but I was 227 00:11:41,360 --> 00:11:44,360 Speaker 3: actually in that frame of mind. I just I felt 228 00:11:44,400 --> 00:11:47,000 Speaker 3: so committed to where I was and what I was 229 00:11:47,040 --> 00:11:50,280 Speaker 3: doing that I couldn't possibly give up. And I was 230 00:11:50,520 --> 00:11:55,320 Speaker 3: more prepared to just die than that happened. So with 231 00:11:55,400 --> 00:12:00,360 Speaker 3: that in mind, I grabbed my satellite phone. And things 232 00:12:00,400 --> 00:12:03,600 Speaker 3: don't always work, as you would know, but this was 233 00:12:03,640 --> 00:12:06,000 Speaker 3: a rare occasion, and I sent a message off to 234 00:12:06,080 --> 00:12:08,680 Speaker 3: both my daughter and my son that were both in 235 00:12:08,760 --> 00:12:11,520 Speaker 3: boarding school back in Australia, and I sent the same 236 00:12:11,600 --> 00:12:15,120 Speaker 3: message to both of them, and the message simply said, 237 00:12:15,920 --> 00:12:18,960 Speaker 3: this is Dad, I don't know how much more of 238 00:12:19,000 --> 00:12:21,760 Speaker 3: this I can take. I'm going through an incredible amount 239 00:12:21,760 --> 00:12:23,720 Speaker 3: of difficulty with this run. 240 00:12:24,120 --> 00:12:25,120 Speaker 4: I want you never to. 241 00:12:25,080 --> 00:12:29,160 Speaker 3: Forget to be a leader, because the world is looking 242 00:12:29,200 --> 00:12:34,240 Speaker 3: for people to lead. I love you goodbye, And that 243 00:12:34,400 --> 00:12:37,560 Speaker 3: was all I sent in the message. I sent it 244 00:12:37,559 --> 00:12:41,040 Speaker 3: off and I didn't expect an answer, and I was 245 00:12:41,120 --> 00:12:44,079 Speaker 3: thinking about just walking outside the tent, just laying down 246 00:12:44,080 --> 00:12:46,280 Speaker 3: in the snail and just closing my eyes. 247 00:12:48,720 --> 00:12:54,280 Speaker 4: I was just it was just so incredibly painful. Then 248 00:12:55,320 --> 00:13:00,160 Speaker 4: like a miracle, I actually got a reply, and a reply. 249 00:13:00,080 --> 00:13:03,640 Speaker 3: Came from my daughter, and my daughter said send me 250 00:13:03,679 --> 00:13:07,800 Speaker 3: back at the text message and said, my Dad, all 251 00:13:07,800 --> 00:13:10,960 Speaker 3: of my friends are watching you. I'm watching you. We 252 00:13:11,080 --> 00:13:13,720 Speaker 3: love you, we know you can do this. Please don't 253 00:13:13,720 --> 00:13:17,600 Speaker 3: give up. And then I just started crying my eyes out. 254 00:13:17,960 --> 00:13:20,280 Speaker 3: It brought me back to reality. What I had been 255 00:13:20,360 --> 00:13:24,720 Speaker 3: contemplating was not just It was a very selfish thing 256 00:13:24,760 --> 00:13:28,360 Speaker 3: to be thinking about, but I was in that much pain. 257 00:13:28,440 --> 00:13:32,080 Speaker 4: I didn't know any other way up. And then, as you. 258 00:13:32,080 --> 00:13:35,560 Speaker 3: Would know, boys and girls are completely different, my son 259 00:13:35,640 --> 00:13:39,840 Speaker 3: actually sent me back a message, and my son's message 260 00:13:39,920 --> 00:13:44,440 Speaker 3: was completely My son sent me back a message and said, Dad, 261 00:13:44,960 --> 00:13:48,840 Speaker 3: you're in the north Pole. Of course it's cold, man 262 00:13:48,960 --> 00:13:54,200 Speaker 3: up and I've. 263 00:13:52,920 --> 00:13:57,199 Speaker 2: An emotionals is completely different, completely different. 264 00:13:57,440 --> 00:13:59,840 Speaker 3: They both listened to the different things I told them 265 00:14:00,040 --> 00:14:02,559 Speaker 3: over the years. But I could not believe my son, 266 00:14:03,040 --> 00:14:06,600 Speaker 3: and I looked at this message and I thought, are 267 00:14:06,640 --> 00:14:09,520 Speaker 3: you for real? Like, do you have any idea what 268 00:14:09,720 --> 00:14:12,679 Speaker 3: I am going through? Any idea whatsoever? 269 00:14:13,320 --> 00:14:14,520 Speaker 5: And I remember. 270 00:14:14,240 --> 00:14:16,840 Speaker 3: Thinking so much about this thing. I just started to 271 00:14:16,880 --> 00:14:19,400 Speaker 3: get more and more angry. And I then as I 272 00:14:19,440 --> 00:14:22,000 Speaker 3: got angry, I started to heat up. And as I 273 00:14:22,040 --> 00:14:25,440 Speaker 3: started to heat up, the snow started melting from outside 274 00:14:25,480 --> 00:14:28,120 Speaker 3: the tent was coming through and inside the tent, so 275 00:14:28,440 --> 00:14:31,400 Speaker 3: it ended up being like it was raining inside the tent. 276 00:14:31,920 --> 00:14:35,200 Speaker 4: And I'm just getting more and more worked up. 277 00:14:35,280 --> 00:14:37,840 Speaker 6: I'm gonna give this kid a kick up the butt 278 00:14:37,880 --> 00:14:42,160 Speaker 6: when I get on, when I get home, when I 279 00:14:42,200 --> 00:14:45,240 Speaker 6: get home, And I went from not being able to 280 00:14:45,280 --> 00:14:47,080 Speaker 6: deal with this, not being able to do with this, 281 00:14:47,240 --> 00:14:49,480 Speaker 6: like I'm on a mission to make it through here. 282 00:14:49,600 --> 00:14:51,880 Speaker 4: Just out and get hard and prove something to that boy. 283 00:14:52,440 --> 00:14:55,920 Speaker 3: And you know that was exactly the kick in the 284 00:14:55,920 --> 00:15:00,280 Speaker 3: butt that I needed. I instead of feeling sorry for myself, 285 00:15:01,120 --> 00:15:03,360 Speaker 3: I just got on with the job. And as I say, 286 00:15:03,440 --> 00:15:05,800 Speaker 3: thirty nine days later made it through to Canada and 287 00:15:05,840 --> 00:15:11,600 Speaker 3: then pushed on from Canada, United States for America, Mexico, Nicarago, Guatemala, 288 00:15:11,840 --> 00:15:14,720 Speaker 3: Costa Rica, all the way down to Argentina through the 289 00:15:14,800 --> 00:15:18,120 Speaker 3: Darren Jungle and out the other side. Darren Jungle was 290 00:15:18,160 --> 00:15:21,520 Speaker 3: a very interesting part of the whole thing. Nineteen soldiers 291 00:15:21,720 --> 00:15:25,160 Speaker 3: which were part of a special forces unit that were 292 00:15:25,480 --> 00:15:29,840 Speaker 3: put together, yeah as escorts, combined by both the Colombian 293 00:15:29,880 --> 00:15:33,600 Speaker 3: and the Panamanian governments to get me through there. And 294 00:15:33,680 --> 00:15:35,440 Speaker 3: we went through the Darien and came out the other 295 00:15:35,480 --> 00:15:38,320 Speaker 3: side into Colombia and pushed on through Ecuador and all 296 00:15:38,360 --> 00:15:40,360 Speaker 3: the way down to the end. And then of course 297 00:15:40,400 --> 00:15:43,920 Speaker 3: when I reached Jesua, was flowing across to Union Glacier, 298 00:15:44,480 --> 00:15:47,760 Speaker 3: and from there hooked down around graand my sled hooked 299 00:15:47,760 --> 00:15:51,280 Speaker 3: down around into Hercules Inlet and made my way. 300 00:15:51,160 --> 00:15:53,880 Speaker 4: Up and into the South Parlimd. The rest is history. 301 00:15:53,920 --> 00:15:57,440 Speaker 3: Ten months later on I completed what I set out 302 00:15:57,480 --> 00:15:59,680 Speaker 3: to do, or because my son fired me up. 303 00:16:04,600 --> 00:16:07,480 Speaker 2: It's twenty twenty two and twenty one year old Ned 304 00:16:07,520 --> 00:16:10,560 Speaker 2: Brockman is noticing he's gained a little weight since he's 305 00:16:10,600 --> 00:16:13,920 Speaker 2: moved from his hometown in central New South Wales to Sydney. 306 00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:18,200 Speaker 2: The long hours working as an electrician and the weekend 307 00:16:18,240 --> 00:16:22,240 Speaker 2: spent partying are taking their toll, so he does what 308 00:16:22,360 --> 00:16:27,160 Speaker 2: most of us would do, he goes on a health kick. Specifically, 309 00:16:27,240 --> 00:16:30,960 Speaker 2: he starts running. In twenty twenty three, he ran almost 310 00:16:31,080 --> 00:16:34,600 Speaker 2: four thousand kilometers from Perth to Bondai Beach in just 311 00:16:34,760 --> 00:16:38,960 Speaker 2: over forty six days and raised two point six million 312 00:16:39,040 --> 00:16:42,000 Speaker 2: dollars for charity. 313 00:16:42,840 --> 00:16:45,680 Speaker 5: I started running to lose weight and I felt good. 314 00:16:45,760 --> 00:16:48,240 Speaker 7: And so I'm dipping my toe into this ultra running 315 00:16:48,240 --> 00:16:51,200 Speaker 7: world where there's you know, years and years and years 316 00:16:51,200 --> 00:16:54,360 Speaker 7: of history in it, right, yeah, and people like the 317 00:16:54,440 --> 00:16:57,600 Speaker 7: records of this and this person and the. 318 00:16:57,400 --> 00:17:00,280 Speaker 5: Holy grail of ultra running and who was suddenly there? 319 00:17:00,360 --> 00:17:03,320 Speaker 7: Yeah yeah, And I'm like, right, guys, I'm taking on 320 00:17:03,600 --> 00:17:06,000 Speaker 7: the fastest ever run across Australia. And it's like these 321 00:17:06,000 --> 00:17:09,400 Speaker 7: things have been done for tens of tens of years, right, 322 00:17:09,480 --> 00:17:11,240 Speaker 7: like nineteen seventy someone did it. 323 00:17:11,320 --> 00:17:12,280 Speaker 5: Yeah mate, it was. 324 00:17:13,200 --> 00:17:15,400 Speaker 7: And so just this eager, young twenty two year old 325 00:17:15,440 --> 00:17:17,680 Speaker 7: scream it to the world on Today Show, I'm doing this, 326 00:17:17,920 --> 00:17:21,000 Speaker 7: taking it on. I've only ever run one hundred k once. 327 00:17:22,200 --> 00:17:24,360 Speaker 7: I'm going to rune hundred k day across this country. 328 00:17:25,160 --> 00:17:26,960 Speaker 5: And I think it was a lot of like. 329 00:17:28,359 --> 00:17:30,480 Speaker 1: Yeah, of course, yeah, raise the eyebrown. 330 00:17:32,080 --> 00:17:34,280 Speaker 2: Yeah, yet full of himself yeah, give him a couple 331 00:17:34,320 --> 00:17:38,040 Speaker 2: of days and beyond his ass big time. Yeah, cheers, 332 00:17:38,080 --> 00:17:40,320 Speaker 2: thanks for your effort. Is a little bit of money 333 00:17:40,320 --> 00:17:42,680 Speaker 2: for charity one hundred percent and go and hide under 334 00:17:42,680 --> 00:17:43,040 Speaker 2: your rock. 335 00:17:43,240 --> 00:17:45,280 Speaker 5: Absolutely, this is this is good. 336 00:17:45,560 --> 00:17:48,800 Speaker 7: I'm I yeah, said out there, I'm in my only 337 00:17:48,800 --> 00:17:50,119 Speaker 7: sponsors at the time when I said I was going 338 00:17:50,200 --> 00:17:52,800 Speaker 7: to do it with Budge smuggling PUSSI socks hopped on 339 00:17:52,880 --> 00:17:55,560 Speaker 7: Today Show and my budget smugglers sitting between Carl Stefanovic 340 00:17:55,600 --> 00:17:57,960 Speaker 7: and Ali Today Show and go, I'm going to run 341 00:17:58,320 --> 00:18:00,639 Speaker 7: across Australia in forty three days and I'm going to 342 00:18:01,440 --> 00:18:04,600 Speaker 7: raise million dollars for homelessness because that's something I'm really 343 00:18:04,880 --> 00:18:07,960 Speaker 7: I've never been homeless, but it's something you're passionate about. 344 00:18:08,040 --> 00:18:10,640 Speaker 5: Yeah, how on earth are we got homeless people? Yeah, 345 00:18:10,680 --> 00:18:11,320 Speaker 5: that's something. 346 00:18:12,600 --> 00:18:14,439 Speaker 7: And I remember just like pulling it out there, and 347 00:18:14,480 --> 00:18:16,680 Speaker 7: that was again, up until that point, the most nerves 348 00:18:16,680 --> 00:18:17,879 Speaker 7: I'd ever been was when I said I'm gonna do 349 00:18:17,880 --> 00:18:20,960 Speaker 7: the fifty marathons. And then at that point in time 350 00:18:21,080 --> 00:18:23,360 Speaker 7: was the most nerves I'd ever been because again, that accountability. 351 00:18:23,440 --> 00:18:25,880 Speaker 7: It's like if you say you are who you are, 352 00:18:26,760 --> 00:18:29,119 Speaker 7: you're going to have to freaking die on your sword. 353 00:18:29,359 --> 00:18:30,080 Speaker 1: Yeah exactly. 354 00:18:30,119 --> 00:18:32,399 Speaker 2: You're putting out there, you're gonna have to lay on 355 00:18:32,440 --> 00:18:37,919 Speaker 2: it now like once you put it out there that yeah, 356 00:18:38,040 --> 00:18:39,679 Speaker 2: So you put yourself out there, you go on you 357 00:18:39,720 --> 00:18:41,800 Speaker 2: go on TV shows, You're going to talk me through 358 00:18:42,080 --> 00:18:45,560 Speaker 2: when you first realized, wow, this side of life is 359 00:18:45,560 --> 00:18:50,520 Speaker 2: is Yeah, it's it's funny when you're not to. 360 00:18:50,600 --> 00:18:54,119 Speaker 7: The height of what people kind of put you in. 361 00:18:54,160 --> 00:18:56,720 Speaker 7: When you're on the way up, especially here in Australia, 362 00:18:57,000 --> 00:18:59,040 Speaker 7: they're like, go for it, mate, you do your thing. 363 00:18:59,080 --> 00:19:01,639 Speaker 7: You know, this is awesome you you're not you're not 364 00:19:01,840 --> 00:19:04,600 Speaker 7: threatening their position. So it's like it's all good, go Maddy. 365 00:19:04,680 --> 00:19:07,920 Speaker 7: We we're all for you where you're amazing. Soon as 366 00:19:07,960 --> 00:19:09,760 Speaker 7: soon as you do do it and then you say 367 00:19:09,800 --> 00:19:14,480 Speaker 7: you're doing something else you are, they want to. 368 00:19:14,440 --> 00:19:17,240 Speaker 5: Pull you back. You but don't be that you, you know 369 00:19:17,280 --> 00:19:17,600 Speaker 5: what I. 370 00:19:17,480 --> 00:19:19,960 Speaker 7: Mean, like be who you are, but oh, don't be 371 00:19:20,040 --> 00:19:21,640 Speaker 7: who you are, like come back down. 372 00:19:23,000 --> 00:19:23,280 Speaker 2: For me. 373 00:19:23,359 --> 00:19:26,520 Speaker 7: It was it was very easy prior to now in 374 00:19:26,560 --> 00:19:28,200 Speaker 7: that it would just be a block and delete because 375 00:19:28,560 --> 00:19:30,919 Speaker 7: anyone willing to have a say on anything, it's like 376 00:19:30,920 --> 00:19:31,440 Speaker 7: block and delete. 377 00:19:31,960 --> 00:19:33,560 Speaker 5: I used to use it as fuel. I'm not gonna lie. 378 00:19:33,640 --> 00:19:35,000 Speaker 7: Used to put it up on the wall, say this 379 00:19:35,040 --> 00:19:37,320 Speaker 7: person said this. Wake up in the morning, look at it, 380 00:19:37,640 --> 00:19:39,440 Speaker 7: you go to sleep, look at you. And then I went, 381 00:19:39,560 --> 00:19:42,040 Speaker 7: that's not enough. That's not enough to get me through 382 00:19:42,080 --> 00:19:43,920 Speaker 7: this training block. That's not enough to get me through 383 00:19:44,280 --> 00:19:46,919 Speaker 7: those times where I haven't slept for four freaking weeks 384 00:19:46,920 --> 00:19:47,800 Speaker 7: more than an hour a night. 385 00:19:48,320 --> 00:19:51,399 Speaker 5: You know what that is? That's that being. 386 00:19:51,760 --> 00:19:54,520 Speaker 7: Someone with integrity, being that person of your word. That's 387 00:19:54,560 --> 00:19:57,280 Speaker 7: what's going to get you through that fucking another one 388 00:19:57,320 --> 00:20:00,920 Speaker 7: hundred K day. And so now it's like OK day, 389 00:20:01,040 --> 00:20:05,040 Speaker 7: yeah yeah, and so yeah, I put it out there, 390 00:20:05,160 --> 00:20:09,360 Speaker 7: ended up getting sponsors, got to the start line in Cotozo, 391 00:20:09,960 --> 00:20:11,840 Speaker 7: which is four thousand k from here, And. 392 00:20:11,760 --> 00:20:14,280 Speaker 1: How do you train for that? Not physically so much 393 00:20:14,440 --> 00:20:15,440 Speaker 1: was mentally. 394 00:20:15,720 --> 00:20:17,320 Speaker 7: You've almost got to be in a vault, like you've 395 00:20:17,320 --> 00:20:19,760 Speaker 7: got to put yourself in this kind of little and 396 00:20:19,840 --> 00:20:23,159 Speaker 7: anyone in that world must be playing a role, anyone 397 00:20:23,160 --> 00:20:27,879 Speaker 7: that isn't out just like sole focus. And then the 398 00:20:27,960 --> 00:20:31,280 Speaker 7: other thing is in that lead up, Shit's gonna happen, 399 00:20:31,359 --> 00:20:34,960 Speaker 7: you get injured. All these things. One thing I really held, 400 00:20:35,200 --> 00:20:35,560 Speaker 7: like I. 401 00:20:35,560 --> 00:20:36,960 Speaker 5: Keep saying this personal word. 402 00:20:37,000 --> 00:20:40,120 Speaker 7: But I would have these things where it's like, if 403 00:20:40,119 --> 00:20:42,440 Speaker 7: I thought of an ice bath, and this is prior 404 00:20:42,440 --> 00:20:45,240 Speaker 7: to ice bath being a super big fan, if I 405 00:20:45,240 --> 00:20:46,720 Speaker 7: thought of an ice bath, had to go hop in it. 406 00:20:46,760 --> 00:20:48,760 Speaker 7: So I'd wake up at eleven thirty at night think 407 00:20:48,760 --> 00:20:51,320 Speaker 7: about the ice bath, and I got fuck me. If 408 00:20:51,320 --> 00:20:54,640 Speaker 7: you go downstairs hop in the ice bath, well back up, 409 00:20:54,760 --> 00:20:58,119 Speaker 7: because because that was the thing I'd made, even to 410 00:20:58,160 --> 00:21:00,840 Speaker 7: the point of like a take away coffee cup, I 411 00:21:00,880 --> 00:21:03,280 Speaker 7: made a decision to never have a takeaway coffee cup, 412 00:21:03,720 --> 00:21:05,960 Speaker 7: and so no matter the scenario was in I. 413 00:21:05,880 --> 00:21:07,240 Speaker 5: Always had to have a dining cup. 414 00:21:07,840 --> 00:21:10,719 Speaker 7: And so just to that little because you said you're 415 00:21:10,760 --> 00:21:12,320 Speaker 7: gonna do it, don't let that slip, because when you 416 00:21:12,400 --> 00:21:14,600 Speaker 7: let that slip, you're gonna let these things slip down 417 00:21:14,640 --> 00:21:14,960 Speaker 7: the line. 418 00:21:15,200 --> 00:21:19,720 Speaker 2: Take me through the first day you start this run 419 00:21:19,800 --> 00:21:23,400 Speaker 2: from Perth to Bondai Beach. Yep, you've got this mammoth, 420 00:21:23,640 --> 00:21:25,960 Speaker 2: mammoth task ahead of you. 421 00:21:25,960 --> 00:21:27,880 Speaker 1: You wake up, what's the first thing you do. What's 422 00:21:27,880 --> 00:21:28,520 Speaker 1: going for your head? 423 00:21:28,720 --> 00:21:33,480 Speaker 7: I didn't sleep at all because you like, just get 424 00:21:33,520 --> 00:21:34,600 Speaker 7: me there, just get me started. 425 00:21:36,280 --> 00:21:38,480 Speaker 5: And I remember I drove the van down with. 426 00:21:38,520 --> 00:21:42,480 Speaker 7: Dad and my team in there and just blasted ac DC. 427 00:21:42,800 --> 00:21:44,800 Speaker 5: Yeah yeah back in black Man. 428 00:21:44,880 --> 00:21:48,080 Speaker 7: Yeah, just like heading down this thing at four am, 429 00:21:48,119 --> 00:21:49,800 Speaker 7: and I told everyone anyone who wanted. 430 00:21:49,680 --> 00:21:52,399 Speaker 5: To come down four forty five, I'll be off. I 431 00:21:52,440 --> 00:21:54,160 Speaker 5: didn't want to speak to any media. I just wanted 432 00:21:54,200 --> 00:21:56,080 Speaker 5: to get there, feel it, enjoy it. 433 00:21:57,440 --> 00:21:58,840 Speaker 7: And then yeah, I got down there and there was 434 00:21:58,840 --> 00:22:01,320 Speaker 7: probably like thirty forty people at quarter to five in 435 00:22:01,359 --> 00:22:01,720 Speaker 7: the morning. 436 00:22:02,200 --> 00:22:03,360 Speaker 5: I was like, this is pretty special. 437 00:22:04,600 --> 00:22:07,719 Speaker 7: I never had any intention of doing this, wanting to 438 00:22:07,800 --> 00:22:10,840 Speaker 7: become someone or wanting to, you know, somewhat be known. 439 00:22:10,880 --> 00:22:12,160 Speaker 5: It was only evident, live given. 440 00:22:12,520 --> 00:22:12,840 Speaker 2: Yeah. 441 00:22:12,880 --> 00:22:15,520 Speaker 7: Yeah, It's always been my thing, and so whatever came 442 00:22:15,560 --> 00:22:16,679 Speaker 7: of it was just going to come of it. 443 00:22:17,000 --> 00:22:19,200 Speaker 5: And yeah, so I left. 444 00:22:19,240 --> 00:22:21,720 Speaker 7: It was really really special leaving and then it was like, right, 445 00:22:21,720 --> 00:22:23,280 Speaker 7: we're on, We're finally I felt free. 446 00:22:23,480 --> 00:22:24,560 Speaker 5: I felt free. 447 00:22:24,400 --> 00:22:27,480 Speaker 1: Because you got you felt free. 448 00:22:27,800 --> 00:22:30,600 Speaker 5: That is my absolute answer to that is like, for 449 00:22:30,720 --> 00:22:33,040 Speaker 5: six months I was almost caged. Yeah, yeah, I got 450 00:22:33,000 --> 00:22:35,679 Speaker 5: a fucking lion, just like, let me out of this 451 00:22:35,800 --> 00:22:38,080 Speaker 5: freaking hell hole. I need to start, and I feel this. 452 00:22:38,040 --> 00:22:42,280 Speaker 1: Pain anticipating and unleash me. Yeah, got me. 453 00:22:42,400 --> 00:22:43,400 Speaker 5: Yeah, I'm finally here. 454 00:22:43,560 --> 00:22:48,560 Speaker 2: Let's feel every you know, layer of skin for every nerve, 455 00:22:48,720 --> 00:22:50,480 Speaker 2: every yeah, I know you mean yeah. 456 00:22:50,520 --> 00:22:52,159 Speaker 7: And then so I hit I hit fifty K, and 457 00:22:52,200 --> 00:22:54,040 Speaker 7: I was like, finally I'm in it. Like I'm feeling 458 00:22:54,040 --> 00:22:56,120 Speaker 7: a bit of a bit of pain, but like, okay, 459 00:22:56,119 --> 00:22:59,600 Speaker 7: we're good, We're ready to go. And then yeah, fifty 460 00:22:59,680 --> 00:23:01,360 Speaker 7: k on hundred k done, got it done, prett quick, 461 00:23:01,359 --> 00:23:02,680 Speaker 7: one hundred and three k that first day. 462 00:23:03,080 --> 00:23:04,520 Speaker 1: So how how long was that day for? 463 00:23:04,560 --> 00:23:10,439 Speaker 7: You say, roughly eleven and a half twelve hours, Yeah, 464 00:23:10,480 --> 00:23:14,679 Speaker 7: And I remember we got we finished the day and 465 00:23:14,760 --> 00:23:16,280 Speaker 7: everyone was just like kind of the team were kind 466 00:23:16,280 --> 00:23:17,800 Speaker 7: of celebrating, and because this is it was a very 467 00:23:17,800 --> 00:23:18,560 Speaker 7: cowboy operation. 468 00:23:18,640 --> 00:23:20,400 Speaker 5: It wasn't like well right. 469 00:23:20,600 --> 00:23:21,760 Speaker 1: You're just yeah, you've got the root. 470 00:23:21,960 --> 00:23:25,400 Speaker 7: Yeah, the full fuel stops, and you've got enough food 471 00:23:25,400 --> 00:23:28,760 Speaker 7: for the last full week. We'll get food along the way. 472 00:23:29,040 --> 00:23:30,600 Speaker 7: And then we got to the end of day one 473 00:23:30,680 --> 00:23:33,760 Speaker 7: and Dad's oh yeah sweet, and Gemma and all these 474 00:23:33,800 --> 00:23:35,480 Speaker 7: other everyone else was like, oh, you know, this is 475 00:23:35,520 --> 00:23:38,120 Speaker 7: great and we're still probably forty minutes before I even 476 00:23:38,119 --> 00:23:39,959 Speaker 7: got back to it was staying the night and I'm like, 477 00:23:40,000 --> 00:23:43,000 Speaker 7: this is digging into like food, time, shower, time, sleeping time, 478 00:23:43,560 --> 00:23:46,480 Speaker 7: and then I'm like, we're better get this sorted because 479 00:23:46,560 --> 00:23:48,879 Speaker 7: and then it just became like exactly like that. It 480 00:23:48,960 --> 00:23:50,960 Speaker 7: was like, hey, guys, we're going to get this ship. 481 00:23:51,200 --> 00:23:52,760 Speaker 7: Like when are you thinking about? 482 00:23:53,840 --> 00:23:56,199 Speaker 2: You weren't as organized as as it could have been, 483 00:23:56,240 --> 00:23:59,520 Speaker 2: where you're saving yourself minutes which are food. 484 00:24:00,800 --> 00:24:01,399 Speaker 1: Rest. 485 00:24:01,680 --> 00:24:03,679 Speaker 2: So as the time goes on, the days go on, 486 00:24:03,720 --> 00:24:05,200 Speaker 2: and you get more and more frustrated. 487 00:24:05,400 --> 00:24:08,800 Speaker 7: Well not frustrated, but I knew that time was of 488 00:24:08,840 --> 00:24:11,160 Speaker 7: the essence, like we had. My days were getting longer 489 00:24:11,200 --> 00:24:13,359 Speaker 7: because I was getting more sore and I was less 490 00:24:13,400 --> 00:24:15,760 Speaker 7: more tired, and I couldn't get as quick as I 491 00:24:15,800 --> 00:24:16,480 Speaker 7: could from A to B. 492 00:24:16,960 --> 00:24:18,360 Speaker 1: How did that affect you psychologically? 493 00:24:18,480 --> 00:24:20,680 Speaker 2: Yeah? Not great, because I'm very to the time. Yeah, 494 00:24:21,600 --> 00:24:23,920 Speaker 2: I'm focusing on the task ahead. You want to focus 495 00:24:23,960 --> 00:24:25,840 Speaker 2: on the task ahead. You want to hand yourself over 496 00:24:25,880 --> 00:24:27,880 Speaker 2: really and go, well, this is where you need to be, 497 00:24:27,960 --> 00:24:29,200 Speaker 2: here's your food, here's your thing. 498 00:24:29,240 --> 00:24:31,520 Speaker 1: Bang on, because I can focus on my money, so 499 00:24:31,600 --> 00:24:32,159 Speaker 1: you'll you'll. 500 00:24:32,200 --> 00:24:34,280 Speaker 7: Want to think about I'm a toddler, about how do 501 00:24:34,320 --> 00:24:35,879 Speaker 7: I get from A to b? Everything else would be 502 00:24:35,880 --> 00:24:38,680 Speaker 7: sawed and that is the role of it. And it 503 00:24:38,720 --> 00:24:41,119 Speaker 7: wasn't and not straight up. And then Mum got their 504 00:24:41,200 --> 00:24:42,040 Speaker 7: day three and it. 505 00:24:42,119 --> 00:24:43,640 Speaker 1: Was like mom was part of your crew. 506 00:24:43,760 --> 00:24:45,160 Speaker 5: Yeah, but she got their day three. 507 00:24:45,240 --> 00:24:49,159 Speaker 7: So the first three days were fucking chaos, fucking and 508 00:24:49,200 --> 00:24:50,639 Speaker 7: so Mom's just like leader. 509 00:24:50,720 --> 00:24:53,040 Speaker 5: Mom's a fucking leader. Yeah, she's just rocked up and 510 00:24:53,040 --> 00:24:54,320 Speaker 5: going right, this is what you're doing. 511 00:24:54,400 --> 00:24:57,000 Speaker 7: You're cleaning this, you're taking this, you're driving here, you're 512 00:24:57,080 --> 00:24:59,520 Speaker 7: getting this accommodation. 513 00:24:59,840 --> 00:25:01,159 Speaker 1: Se that you're super frustration. 514 00:25:01,280 --> 00:25:04,480 Speaker 2: Did she see that you're distracted rather than fru street? 515 00:25:04,600 --> 00:25:06,840 Speaker 2: Did she see that you're distracted and you're you're you're 516 00:25:06,880 --> 00:25:08,240 Speaker 2: you know, you're in a. 517 00:25:08,080 --> 00:25:09,359 Speaker 1: What I had space that you should be. 518 00:25:09,480 --> 00:25:12,080 Speaker 7: My energy is getting consumed by what these what everyone's 519 00:25:12,119 --> 00:25:13,320 Speaker 7: not doing as opposed to. 520 00:25:13,880 --> 00:25:14,840 Speaker 5: What I should have. 521 00:25:15,280 --> 00:25:19,400 Speaker 7: I'm taking up energy on other things, should be thinking. 522 00:25:19,400 --> 00:25:22,480 Speaker 7: People knows that, mate, She's yeah, she'll be there on 523 00:25:22,520 --> 00:25:23,320 Speaker 7: every event I ever do. 524 00:25:23,840 --> 00:25:26,359 Speaker 1: And what were you like for the first week. Let's 525 00:25:26,480 --> 00:25:27,280 Speaker 1: go back to that further. 526 00:25:27,359 --> 00:25:29,080 Speaker 5: What were you like that first week? 527 00:25:29,119 --> 00:25:31,160 Speaker 7: We got seven hundred and eight k in that first week, 528 00:25:32,280 --> 00:25:35,720 Speaker 7: and I like that as a small win. Was like, 529 00:25:36,400 --> 00:25:39,640 Speaker 7: I've just run seven hundred kilometers in a week. I've 530 00:25:39,680 --> 00:25:41,399 Speaker 7: never done that in my life because week ever was 531 00:25:41,400 --> 00:25:44,679 Speaker 7: three hundred k's. Had a pretty severe injury happened on 532 00:25:44,800 --> 00:25:51,040 Speaker 7: day eleven on my shin. I anterior tibialis basically had 533 00:25:51,440 --> 00:25:53,800 Speaker 7: Tino sign of ittis, so like a really bad tender iis. 534 00:25:53,960 --> 00:25:56,240 Speaker 5: Yeah, I could not. 535 00:25:56,320 --> 00:25:58,600 Speaker 7: Run, Like I can deal with pain pretty well, but 536 00:25:58,760 --> 00:25:59,960 Speaker 7: I just could not run. 537 00:26:00,080 --> 00:26:01,560 Speaker 1: How much pain were you in? Let's put it in 538 00:26:01,840 --> 00:26:03,720 Speaker 1: perspective for the listeners here. 539 00:26:04,200 --> 00:26:07,280 Speaker 7: By this day eleven, my mum was sitting there crying 540 00:26:07,320 --> 00:26:08,960 Speaker 7: at the thought I had to run again because she 541 00:26:08,960 --> 00:26:12,359 Speaker 7: could see the waddle and the dragging of feet and 542 00:26:12,400 --> 00:26:14,240 Speaker 7: the cracking of everything. 543 00:26:15,080 --> 00:26:17,240 Speaker 5: Yeah. I would wake up and I would just be like, 544 00:26:17,280 --> 00:26:18,119 Speaker 5: put me out as misery. 545 00:26:18,160 --> 00:26:21,879 Speaker 4: We'll get you through it. I'm alive, You're alive. 546 00:26:21,960 --> 00:26:25,560 Speaker 7: Gratitude, Yeah, I think I was finally in it. And 547 00:26:26,119 --> 00:26:28,240 Speaker 7: the cost I was willing to pay, the price I 548 00:26:28,240 --> 00:26:28,679 Speaker 7: was willing to. 549 00:26:28,680 --> 00:26:31,600 Speaker 5: Pay was whatever got thrown at me. So the fact that. 550 00:26:31,600 --> 00:26:33,919 Speaker 7: I'd wake up and each like a kid, you not 551 00:26:34,080 --> 00:26:36,080 Speaker 7: like my alarm would go off, I would not sleep right. 552 00:26:36,080 --> 00:26:38,520 Speaker 7: I'd be tossing turn the whole fucking night had ice 553 00:26:38,600 --> 00:26:42,480 Speaker 7: and Voltaire and herodoid cream all over every joint, clean 554 00:26:42,520 --> 00:26:44,679 Speaker 7: wrap all over it, trying to just really get it 555 00:26:44,760 --> 00:26:49,000 Speaker 7: to sweat and minimize anti inflammation, like anti inflammation. And 556 00:26:49,720 --> 00:26:51,760 Speaker 7: I would wake up in panic, like I would be 557 00:26:51,920 --> 00:26:56,000 Speaker 7: screaming and like stopping my watch, like because that's what 558 00:26:56,040 --> 00:26:57,680 Speaker 7: I was doing all day, just like pausing my watch 559 00:26:57,680 --> 00:26:59,280 Speaker 7: and getting out of the side of road. 560 00:26:59,040 --> 00:26:59,720 Speaker 5: Trains and all this. 561 00:27:00,040 --> 00:27:01,679 Speaker 7: And so I'd wake up at like two o'clock on 562 00:27:01,720 --> 00:27:05,119 Speaker 7: oh no, like, oh no, this is we have to 563 00:27:05,160 --> 00:27:08,119 Speaker 7: go again. And then no, we've got work two hours, okay, 564 00:27:08,760 --> 00:27:11,080 Speaker 7: wake up again, just panic because I just knew that 565 00:27:11,160 --> 00:27:13,960 Speaker 7: by when four I am here, it's like shoes are on, 566 00:27:14,560 --> 00:27:16,959 Speaker 7: You're experiencing another sixteen hours of torture. 567 00:27:17,560 --> 00:27:19,600 Speaker 2: This is phenomenal because I say when people ask me 568 00:27:19,640 --> 00:27:23,560 Speaker 2: the question, how do you succeed at an elite level? 569 00:27:23,720 --> 00:27:25,680 Speaker 2: How do you succeed at the top? And I ask 570 00:27:25,760 --> 00:27:28,159 Speaker 2: them one question, how much are you willing to sacrifice? 571 00:27:29,040 --> 00:27:32,359 Speaker 2: You know, yourself, your body, you know, how much are 572 00:27:32,400 --> 00:27:35,880 Speaker 2: you willing to sacrifice will determine how high you succeed 573 00:27:36,200 --> 00:27:38,560 Speaker 2: if you're willing to put everything on the line. And 574 00:27:38,600 --> 00:27:40,560 Speaker 2: that's what I'd done in the military. I was willing 575 00:27:40,560 --> 00:27:42,920 Speaker 2: to sacrifice my life to get the job done, and 576 00:27:42,960 --> 00:27:44,200 Speaker 2: that always got me through. 577 00:27:44,480 --> 00:27:45,000 Speaker 5: Yeah. 578 00:27:45,200 --> 00:27:48,960 Speaker 7: You know the only time I have ever been in 579 00:27:49,000 --> 00:27:52,520 Speaker 7: this conversation where I've gone back to that moment. 580 00:27:52,240 --> 00:27:54,720 Speaker 5: Because I reckon, I've switched it off. Yeah, I've actually 581 00:27:54,800 --> 00:27:57,560 Speaker 5: like trauma wall up. Yeah, forgotten about that. 582 00:27:57,800 --> 00:27:59,600 Speaker 7: The only other time I ever talked about like being 583 00:27:59,600 --> 00:28:02,280 Speaker 7: in bed on day eleven and just like rolling around 584 00:28:02,359 --> 00:28:04,800 Speaker 7: and seeing it's two am and freaking out was with 585 00:28:05,240 --> 00:28:07,680 Speaker 7: Goggins when I was having dinner with him and twenty 586 00:28:07,720 --> 00:28:11,000 Speaker 7: other people and everyone's trying to understand what he's saying about, 587 00:28:11,080 --> 00:28:12,920 Speaker 7: you know, because I know he doesn't talk about the 588 00:28:12,960 --> 00:28:15,080 Speaker 7: actual pain he was in on you know, his hell 589 00:28:15,080 --> 00:28:15,920 Speaker 7: weeks and all that stuff. 590 00:28:16,040 --> 00:28:18,160 Speaker 5: He just talks about references that I had to strap 591 00:28:18,200 --> 00:28:19,000 Speaker 5: up my legs whatever. 592 00:28:20,200 --> 00:28:21,720 Speaker 7: When I was sitting there having dinner with I go, 593 00:28:22,760 --> 00:28:25,440 Speaker 7: I can't really talk about it because most people will 594 00:28:25,440 --> 00:28:29,200 Speaker 7: not understand because they no one is the only way 595 00:28:29,240 --> 00:28:32,040 Speaker 7: you can agree with someone is if you've been in 596 00:28:32,040 --> 00:28:35,439 Speaker 7: a scenario like you you have an energy of like 597 00:28:35,600 --> 00:28:38,520 Speaker 7: I get what you're saying, and Goggins goes, you think 598 00:28:38,560 --> 00:28:39,719 Speaker 7: we're fucking masochists. 599 00:28:39,840 --> 00:28:42,080 Speaker 5: If if you heard what we actually went through to. 600 00:28:42,080 --> 00:28:44,800 Speaker 7: Go through that, and I was just like, yeah, that 601 00:28:44,840 --> 00:28:47,000 Speaker 7: makes sense, and that's just the other that's the other time, 602 00:28:47,240 --> 00:28:48,640 Speaker 7: only other time I ever brought that up. 603 00:28:49,040 --> 00:28:52,760 Speaker 5: I felt like I was borderline going to die. 604 00:28:53,120 --> 00:28:55,840 Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah, that's the only way I'd. 605 00:28:55,680 --> 00:28:58,320 Speaker 5: Never talk about that. I've never never spoken about any 606 00:28:58,600 --> 00:28:59,200 Speaker 5: podcast like. 607 00:28:59,200 --> 00:29:01,840 Speaker 7: That because people got a righter. 608 00:29:01,840 --> 00:29:04,520 Speaker 1: Yeah no, no, no, no, yeah. 609 00:29:03,960 --> 00:29:06,680 Speaker 7: And so I got this injury on like day eleven. 610 00:29:07,360 --> 00:29:09,000 Speaker 7: It was just like, righter, let's how do we fucking 611 00:29:09,040 --> 00:29:13,240 Speaker 7: sort this out? Because I'm not gonna stop it where 612 00:29:13,280 --> 00:29:15,080 Speaker 7: eleven days in, let's go, let's get it done. 613 00:29:15,240 --> 00:29:15,440 Speaker 8: Yeah. 614 00:29:15,480 --> 00:29:17,360 Speaker 5: And then the tides turn. 615 00:29:17,360 --> 00:29:20,120 Speaker 7: Like it's like the world's going You're not gonna get 616 00:29:20,160 --> 00:29:21,720 Speaker 7: this done. You're not gonna get this done. And You're like, yeah, 617 00:29:21,760 --> 00:29:23,680 Speaker 7: I am back me up against the wall. I am 618 00:29:23,680 --> 00:29:25,160 Speaker 7: the motherfucking storm. Let's go. 619 00:29:30,800 --> 00:29:34,520 Speaker 2: December five, twenty twenty four, twenty eight year old Jack 620 00:29:34,560 --> 00:29:37,480 Speaker 2: Picture is on the home stretch of an epic cross 621 00:29:37,520 --> 00:29:41,040 Speaker 2: country run as his feet hit the sandy short of Bondai. 622 00:29:41,320 --> 00:29:43,720 Speaker 2: He claims the record for the fastest brick to run 623 00:29:43,760 --> 00:29:48,280 Speaker 2: more than four thousand kilometers across Australia. Far from being 624 00:29:48,320 --> 00:29:51,920 Speaker 2: a professional athlete. Jack's motive for the journey was about 625 00:29:51,920 --> 00:29:52,760 Speaker 2: his mental health. 626 00:29:55,560 --> 00:29:58,960 Speaker 9: Actually got into ulture running probably about four or five 627 00:29:59,080 --> 00:30:03,080 Speaker 9: years ago by a complete accident. Actually, so in a 628 00:30:03,120 --> 00:30:06,240 Speaker 9: way it was I think it was a blessing in disguise, 629 00:30:06,360 --> 00:30:09,160 Speaker 9: because a friend of mine said, look, you're the only 630 00:30:09,240 --> 00:30:11,920 Speaker 9: crazy guy I know to run for twenty four hours. 631 00:30:12,800 --> 00:30:14,760 Speaker 9: I don't know anyone else that would just do it, 632 00:30:15,200 --> 00:30:17,480 Speaker 9: and I want you to do it with me. So 633 00:30:18,080 --> 00:30:20,360 Speaker 9: I got into ultra running that way to help a 634 00:30:20,400 --> 00:30:23,320 Speaker 9: friend out, and for me, it just felt I was 635 00:30:23,360 --> 00:30:25,880 Speaker 9: born to do this stuff because I had that mental 636 00:30:25,920 --> 00:30:30,200 Speaker 9: resilience and like you said, that psychological advantage over other people. 637 00:30:30,640 --> 00:30:33,360 Speaker 9: I felt this is perfect for me to use because 638 00:30:33,720 --> 00:30:35,960 Speaker 9: for me, this is a walk in the park. Like 639 00:30:36,880 --> 00:30:40,920 Speaker 9: running for twenty four hours is absolutely nothing on dealing 640 00:30:40,960 --> 00:30:42,920 Speaker 9: with your emotions for seventeen years. 641 00:30:42,960 --> 00:30:45,680 Speaker 8: This is nothing. I'd do this every day with my 642 00:30:45,680 --> 00:30:46,320 Speaker 8: eyes closed. 643 00:30:46,440 --> 00:30:46,640 Speaker 4: Right. 644 00:30:46,960 --> 00:30:50,160 Speaker 9: I was halfway through my first Ultra running for twenty 645 00:30:50,160 --> 00:30:52,120 Speaker 9: four hours, and I was already thinking of what I 646 00:30:52,120 --> 00:30:55,920 Speaker 9: could do next, and it just became something that you 647 00:30:55,960 --> 00:30:58,080 Speaker 9: know what, I just feel this is right for me. 648 00:30:59,480 --> 00:31:02,600 Speaker 8: And then yeah, like I said, I've done multiple ultures. 649 00:31:02,600 --> 00:31:06,000 Speaker 9: After that, I run one hundred and three miles, which 650 00:31:06,040 --> 00:31:08,640 Speaker 9: is about one hundred and sixty k. I ran across 651 00:31:08,680 --> 00:31:12,200 Speaker 9: two days with about five hours sleep. So I don't 652 00:31:12,240 --> 00:31:14,640 Speaker 9: believe anyone's born to do anything, but I think you 653 00:31:14,680 --> 00:31:17,600 Speaker 9: can become so good at something that people start to 654 00:31:17,600 --> 00:31:19,200 Speaker 9: think you are born to do something. 655 00:31:19,440 --> 00:31:21,240 Speaker 8: And that's what it was like for me. 656 00:31:22,320 --> 00:31:25,480 Speaker 9: People just message me, going, maybe you've never run a 657 00:31:25,480 --> 00:31:28,240 Speaker 9: marathon before and you're running fifty miles, sixty miles, one 658 00:31:28,320 --> 00:31:30,040 Speaker 9: hundred like, what's going on? And I said, I don't know. 659 00:31:30,080 --> 00:31:33,120 Speaker 9: I'm just letting my emotions almost take control of me. 660 00:31:33,160 --> 00:31:35,760 Speaker 9: I'm giving myself calm, but I'm just letting my emotions 661 00:31:35,800 --> 00:31:40,600 Speaker 9: drive my body. And it's hard because people ask me 662 00:31:40,640 --> 00:31:43,840 Speaker 9: for tips on running, and I find it very difficult 663 00:31:43,840 --> 00:31:45,640 Speaker 9: to give people tips because a part of me is 664 00:31:45,680 --> 00:31:47,400 Speaker 9: like this has all come from a bit of trauma. 665 00:31:47,720 --> 00:31:50,040 Speaker 8: This is not like, yeah, it's internal. 666 00:31:50,200 --> 00:31:54,360 Speaker 10: I can't help you run one hundred and sixty k 667 00:31:54,600 --> 00:31:57,760 Speaker 10: because you haven't had the upbringing I have, you know, 668 00:31:57,840 --> 00:32:00,520 Speaker 10: And I try and explain that to people and they, okay, 669 00:32:00,520 --> 00:32:02,240 Speaker 10: I said, you just got to find your purpose. 670 00:32:02,680 --> 00:32:05,239 Speaker 8: You've got to find your why that's the best That 671 00:32:05,360 --> 00:32:06,120 Speaker 8: is the best way. 672 00:32:06,720 --> 00:32:09,640 Speaker 2: How did Australia come about then, because it's not like 673 00:32:09,880 --> 00:32:13,200 Speaker 2: you just went from you know, dipping your toe. I 674 00:32:13,200 --> 00:32:15,280 Speaker 2: would say, not so much dipping your toe doing one 675 00:32:15,320 --> 00:32:18,640 Speaker 2: hundred miles or one hundred miles plus. But it literally 676 00:32:18,680 --> 00:32:24,160 Speaker 2: went from that, didn't it, to running four thousand kilometers? 677 00:32:24,200 --> 00:32:26,520 Speaker 2: Who put that idea in your head? Or did you 678 00:32:26,760 --> 00:32:27,800 Speaker 2: put it in your own head? 679 00:32:28,000 --> 00:32:31,520 Speaker 9: So it was a friend of mine, Josh, who's currently 680 00:32:31,560 --> 00:32:33,840 Speaker 9: actually at Sandhurst doing his training. 681 00:32:33,560 --> 00:32:34,200 Speaker 8: In the Armies. 682 00:32:34,360 --> 00:32:34,800 Speaker 1: How is he? 683 00:32:36,120 --> 00:32:39,280 Speaker 9: Yeah, yeah, he's he's a very very strong lad and 684 00:32:39,360 --> 00:32:41,160 Speaker 9: he wants to get into the parrots and he wants 685 00:32:41,240 --> 00:32:42,240 Speaker 9: to be He's doing so. 686 00:32:42,280 --> 00:32:43,960 Speaker 8: Well, you know, I'm very very proud of him. 687 00:32:44,000 --> 00:32:46,920 Speaker 9: But we got speaking and we said, look, look, I've 688 00:32:46,960 --> 00:32:49,000 Speaker 9: got a year before I've got to go into the army. 689 00:32:49,880 --> 00:32:53,360 Speaker 9: You've seeing you run one hundred miles is so called. 690 00:32:53,600 --> 00:32:55,800 Speaker 9: Let's do something together if you're up for it. So 691 00:32:56,480 --> 00:32:58,760 Speaker 9: we started discussing down the path of what we could 692 00:32:58,800 --> 00:33:03,040 Speaker 9: do and we had this idea of Australia. Right, we thought, 693 00:33:03,080 --> 00:33:05,000 Speaker 9: how are we going to plan for this scale? This 694 00:33:05,120 --> 00:33:07,800 Speaker 9: is this is a joke and we we'd done so 695 00:33:07,960 --> 00:33:10,600 Speaker 9: much social networking. We put so much of our own 696 00:33:10,600 --> 00:33:12,920 Speaker 9: money into this, and this is this is a problem. 697 00:33:12,960 --> 00:33:15,720 Speaker 9: This is this is like, you know, all these running 698 00:33:15,720 --> 00:33:19,200 Speaker 9: influencers get everything they want, everything paid for. You know, 699 00:33:19,240 --> 00:33:23,800 Speaker 9: they have all this opportunity, all reality TV stars, you know, 700 00:33:24,360 --> 00:33:26,520 Speaker 9: and there's just two young lads going, look, we want 701 00:33:26,560 --> 00:33:29,600 Speaker 9: to do this crazy run, you know. And to find 702 00:33:29,760 --> 00:33:32,520 Speaker 9: to find people that would aid back us, believe us 703 00:33:32,560 --> 00:33:35,520 Speaker 9: and help us was very very hard. So we basically 704 00:33:36,000 --> 00:33:38,960 Speaker 9: had friends that who had local businesses that gave us, 705 00:33:39,000 --> 00:33:40,480 Speaker 9: you know a bit of money here and there to 706 00:33:40,520 --> 00:33:43,040 Speaker 9: help us out, but we we funded most of it 707 00:33:43,120 --> 00:33:45,520 Speaker 9: each We thought, why not, let's just do it. 708 00:33:45,520 --> 00:33:47,520 Speaker 8: Lives too short, and. 709 00:33:47,520 --> 00:33:49,640 Speaker 9: Yeah, we got a four by four and we got 710 00:33:49,640 --> 00:33:51,920 Speaker 9: all our equipment and we got all our visas done 711 00:33:51,960 --> 00:33:55,560 Speaker 9: and the plan, originally the plan was to run the 712 00:33:55,600 --> 00:33:58,880 Speaker 9: whole perimeter of Australia. We wanted to become the first 713 00:33:58,880 --> 00:34:02,360 Speaker 9: British people to ever run the perimeter of Australia. We're 714 00:34:02,360 --> 00:34:06,440 Speaker 9: going to start and starting Darwin, all down the east coast, 715 00:34:07,000 --> 00:34:09,520 Speaker 9: all the way up to Adelaide, through the Perth, from 716 00:34:09,560 --> 00:34:11,479 Speaker 9: Perth to Darwin. We were going to be the first 717 00:34:11,480 --> 00:34:14,759 Speaker 9: Brits to ever do it, and we planned for that, 718 00:34:14,840 --> 00:34:17,120 Speaker 9: and then we had a horrific car accident. We lost 719 00:34:17,160 --> 00:34:19,760 Speaker 9: loads of money, loads of equipment, loads of time. 720 00:34:20,120 --> 00:34:22,080 Speaker 1: Where are you when you have this car crash? 721 00:34:22,239 --> 00:34:24,719 Speaker 9: So we flew into Melbourne, we picked our vehicle up 722 00:34:24,719 --> 00:34:27,720 Speaker 9: from Melbourne, and then we drove from Melbourne to Darwin 723 00:34:28,960 --> 00:34:30,839 Speaker 9: to pick up our videographer. 724 00:34:30,880 --> 00:34:32,120 Speaker 8: He was flying into Darwin. 725 00:34:32,719 --> 00:34:34,840 Speaker 9: So we were going to have a bit of a 726 00:34:34,880 --> 00:34:38,600 Speaker 9: road trip, you know, from Melbourne Darwin and then we'd 727 00:34:38,600 --> 00:34:42,520 Speaker 9: crack on. Basically, about three days after we landed, we're 728 00:34:42,560 --> 00:34:45,239 Speaker 9: driving down Murray Bridge. We get caught up in a 729 00:34:45,280 --> 00:34:48,960 Speaker 9: hoorific accident. We've had to swerve in the road. Our 730 00:34:49,040 --> 00:34:52,000 Speaker 9: trailers sort of lost control at the back. We're swerving 731 00:34:52,040 --> 00:34:54,640 Speaker 9: all over the road about eighty mile per hour. We 732 00:34:54,760 --> 00:34:59,480 Speaker 9: flipped about three or four times down the motorway and 733 00:34:59,560 --> 00:35:01,920 Speaker 9: landed in the grass and we all got out of 734 00:35:01,920 --> 00:35:04,640 Speaker 9: the car and luckily, somehow, you know, there was a 735 00:35:04,640 --> 00:35:06,480 Speaker 9: god looking at for us, because we all got out 736 00:35:06,480 --> 00:35:10,440 Speaker 9: of the car absolutely fine, no cuts, no bruises, no 737 00:35:10,520 --> 00:35:14,240 Speaker 9: breaking bones. And we looked at each other and thought, right, okay, everyone, okay. 738 00:35:15,239 --> 00:35:19,360 Speaker 9: Our stuff was destroyed like everything we spent thousands on 739 00:35:20,080 --> 00:35:25,000 Speaker 9: is gone, and me and Josh were sat there like, right, 740 00:35:25,719 --> 00:35:27,960 Speaker 9: can we get some money and borrow a sprinter? We 741 00:35:27,960 --> 00:35:30,600 Speaker 9: were still doing Australia. There was not like I'm coming home, 742 00:35:31,080 --> 00:35:33,120 Speaker 9: you know, I quit my job. I've spent every money 743 00:35:33,120 --> 00:35:36,560 Speaker 9: I had on this. I'm not coming home empty handed. 744 00:35:37,960 --> 00:35:42,160 Speaker 9: So we looked, and you know, it just we couldn't 745 00:35:42,320 --> 00:35:44,680 Speaker 9: with the money we lost, the time we lost to 746 00:35:44,680 --> 00:35:47,359 Speaker 9: try and get a new vehicle. We looked at our 747 00:35:47,480 --> 00:35:49,840 Speaker 9: route and because we lost so much money in time, 748 00:35:50,719 --> 00:35:52,840 Speaker 9: we worked out we probably would have got down to 749 00:35:52,880 --> 00:35:56,960 Speaker 9: Adelaide from Darwin running and then we'd run out of money. 750 00:35:57,960 --> 00:36:01,279 Speaker 9: So it was either we run from Darwin to Adelaide 751 00:36:01,520 --> 00:36:04,120 Speaker 9: and while we're running we try and get hold of 752 00:36:04,160 --> 00:36:06,279 Speaker 9: companies and say, look, can you fund us for the 753 00:36:06,360 --> 00:36:09,759 Speaker 9: rest of the trip, or we just basically have to 754 00:36:09,760 --> 00:36:12,839 Speaker 9: shut up shop and plan, plan something else. 755 00:36:12,960 --> 00:36:15,120 Speaker 2: There was no stage during that that you went, do 756 00:36:15,120 --> 00:36:18,160 Speaker 2: you know what, Let's just call it quits, let's go back, 757 00:36:18,280 --> 00:36:22,400 Speaker 2: let's reorganize, let's replan. It was it was that was 758 00:36:22,400 --> 00:36:24,160 Speaker 2: that decision made. As soon as you got out of 759 00:36:24,160 --> 00:36:26,399 Speaker 2: the car, You're like, all right, let's see what's going 760 00:36:26,440 --> 00:36:29,360 Speaker 2: on here? Right? This is destroyed, this is destroyed, but 761 00:36:29,440 --> 00:36:31,000 Speaker 2: we're here, so we're going to do something. 762 00:36:31,840 --> 00:36:33,480 Speaker 8: It was it was the adventure in. 763 00:36:33,480 --> 00:36:35,680 Speaker 1: Us and that attitude never never waving. 764 00:36:35,440 --> 00:36:39,480 Speaker 9: Never wa you know, like I said, wow, this with 765 00:36:39,640 --> 00:36:41,200 Speaker 9: BRIT's man, we're adventurers, you know. 766 00:36:41,280 --> 00:36:42,960 Speaker 8: We didn't want to come home. We wanted to we 767 00:36:43,000 --> 00:36:43,759 Speaker 8: wanted to carry on. 768 00:36:43,840 --> 00:36:46,959 Speaker 9: And we all sat down with my team and we said, 769 00:36:47,000 --> 00:36:50,839 Speaker 9: look like we've it was Josh and I's projects, so 770 00:36:50,880 --> 00:36:53,640 Speaker 9: our team, as much as they had suggestions, at the 771 00:36:53,760 --> 00:36:55,920 Speaker 9: end of the day, Josh and I said, look, this 772 00:36:56,040 --> 00:36:58,160 Speaker 9: is our project. We've put a lot of money into this. 773 00:36:58,880 --> 00:37:02,120 Speaker 9: We've done the mass. We can't do the perimeter. It's 774 00:37:02,160 --> 00:37:04,479 Speaker 9: just impossible to do. It's too much of a risk. 775 00:37:05,320 --> 00:37:08,000 Speaker 9: What we're going to do is we've looked and there's 776 00:37:08,000 --> 00:37:11,640 Speaker 9: a British record up for grabs. Right, we would have 777 00:37:11,680 --> 00:37:14,160 Speaker 9: done British history by becoming the first Britge And don't 778 00:37:14,160 --> 00:37:16,319 Speaker 9: get me wrong, someone would have beaten it eventually, but 779 00:37:16,360 --> 00:37:19,000 Speaker 9: we always would have been the first British people. So 780 00:37:19,160 --> 00:37:21,520 Speaker 9: now it was like, right now we're up a bit 781 00:37:21,520 --> 00:37:23,480 Speaker 9: of a race. Now we want to get this British 782 00:37:23,560 --> 00:37:26,319 Speaker 9: record from Perth to Sydney. This is what we're going 783 00:37:26,360 --> 00:37:30,640 Speaker 9: to have to do. So we basically sold everything we had. 784 00:37:30,800 --> 00:37:34,160 Speaker 9: We scrapped off four by four for literally like less. 785 00:37:33,960 --> 00:37:36,160 Speaker 8: Than a grand. It cost us ten grand to buy 786 00:37:37,360 --> 00:37:38,719 Speaker 8: that was messed up. 787 00:37:38,800 --> 00:37:41,640 Speaker 9: So we lost thousands like we lost thousands. And this 788 00:37:41,719 --> 00:37:45,839 Speaker 9: wasn't through sponsors. This was our own money. So we 789 00:37:45,880 --> 00:37:49,480 Speaker 9: rented a car. We drove from Darwin to Perth without stopping. 790 00:37:50,440 --> 00:37:54,080 Speaker 9: We all took turns driving, we didn't stop. Luckily, we 791 00:37:54,160 --> 00:37:56,799 Speaker 9: had some connections in Perth where we could stay for 792 00:37:56,840 --> 00:37:59,960 Speaker 9: four or five days. We got some money in from family, 793 00:38:00,960 --> 00:38:04,000 Speaker 9: we planned, we got food in, We rented a motor 794 00:38:04,040 --> 00:38:07,359 Speaker 9: home from Apollo Motor Vans and that was it. 795 00:38:07,400 --> 00:38:07,600 Speaker 8: Mate. 796 00:38:07,600 --> 00:38:10,439 Speaker 9: We parked up on Cooslow Beach and we just touched 797 00:38:10,480 --> 00:38:12,440 Speaker 9: the ocean at Cottslow Beach and said we're going to 798 00:38:12,520 --> 00:38:14,160 Speaker 9: touch the touch the sea at Bondi. 799 00:38:14,280 --> 00:38:14,920 Speaker 8: We're doing it. 800 00:38:15,560 --> 00:38:19,280 Speaker 9: Josh and I went off and we started doing forty 801 00:38:19,320 --> 00:38:21,880 Speaker 9: k days, fifty K days, sixty K days. We were 802 00:38:21,920 --> 00:38:25,120 Speaker 9: cranking it right up and we're doing we're doing seventy 803 00:38:25,120 --> 00:38:27,840 Speaker 9: five eighty k days in the heat through the nullerball, 804 00:38:28,719 --> 00:38:31,600 Speaker 9: through the hottest part of Australia in coming up to 805 00:38:31,640 --> 00:38:34,480 Speaker 9: their summer. You know, I was running on roads for 806 00:38:34,600 --> 00:38:36,759 Speaker 9: four or five hours in a row and I just 807 00:38:36,800 --> 00:38:40,840 Speaker 9: felt I was in the same spot. You know, it 808 00:38:40,960 --> 00:38:44,480 Speaker 9: was just insane. And this is when I was running 809 00:38:44,480 --> 00:38:47,640 Speaker 9: in a nullyball. I looked ahead of me and thought, 810 00:38:47,680 --> 00:38:49,759 Speaker 9: this is this is what I was fucking built for. 811 00:38:50,320 --> 00:38:53,919 Speaker 9: There's no one on this planet currently that I felt 812 00:38:53,960 --> 00:38:56,920 Speaker 9: at that time it just could outwork me. That was 813 00:38:56,960 --> 00:38:59,959 Speaker 9: the mindset I had. You know, no one on plane 814 00:39:00,200 --> 00:39:03,400 Speaker 9: Earth right now is running across the nuther Boar and 815 00:39:03,520 --> 00:39:06,920 Speaker 9: forty one degree heat for hours and hours and hours. 816 00:39:06,920 --> 00:39:07,239 Speaker 8: It's me. 817 00:39:07,360 --> 00:39:08,919 Speaker 9: There's no one on the planet that can not work 818 00:39:08,960 --> 00:39:12,120 Speaker 9: me currently. That's what I felt. And we got through 819 00:39:12,120 --> 00:39:14,319 Speaker 9: it and we we'd done it, and you know, we 820 00:39:14,400 --> 00:39:17,200 Speaker 9: had what we what our van was doing was was 821 00:39:17,280 --> 00:39:19,319 Speaker 9: driving twenty k up the road and we'd run to 822 00:39:19,400 --> 00:39:22,840 Speaker 9: the van and we restock our water, food and we 823 00:39:22,960 --> 00:39:23,600 Speaker 9: go off again. 824 00:39:23,840 --> 00:39:26,080 Speaker 1: So you'd have small reference points along the way that 825 00:39:26,120 --> 00:39:28,720 Speaker 1: you were working towards us. I suppose, you know, breaking 826 00:39:28,760 --> 00:39:31,320 Speaker 1: it down, which help. 827 00:39:31,200 --> 00:39:31,680 Speaker 8: Yeah, it did. 828 00:39:32,000 --> 00:39:34,480 Speaker 9: It broke it down, you know, like it was it 829 00:39:34,560 --> 00:39:36,840 Speaker 9: was seeing that van you're running for hours and you 830 00:39:36,880 --> 00:39:39,880 Speaker 9: see a tiny little white square in the distance and 831 00:39:39,880 --> 00:39:41,920 Speaker 9: you go, that's our van, that's our pickup point. 832 00:39:42,080 --> 00:39:44,840 Speaker 2: But you didn't have no physios of you, no nutritionists. No, 833 00:39:45,320 --> 00:39:47,719 Speaker 2: you were just living. What was your food? Like, what 834 00:39:48,040 --> 00:39:49,280 Speaker 2: food did you have? Crazy? 835 00:39:49,880 --> 00:39:56,040 Speaker 9: We were living off spam, pastas, noodles, tim tams, sour patch, 836 00:39:57,480 --> 00:40:02,560 Speaker 9: cowboys kim yeah, cowboys fuck you know, yeah. 837 00:40:02,160 --> 00:40:04,799 Speaker 1: You turned mate already, you've turned already. 838 00:40:04,840 --> 00:40:08,080 Speaker 9: Didn't have we didn't have a nutritionist, we didn't have 839 00:40:08,120 --> 00:40:11,320 Speaker 9: a physio. We didn't even have like an ice bas 840 00:40:11,440 --> 00:40:13,879 Speaker 9: We had nothing, right, And this is what I'm sure, 841 00:40:13,920 --> 00:40:17,200 Speaker 9: this is what I'm trying to I wish running influences 842 00:40:17,320 --> 00:40:22,920 Speaker 9: understood is that we had nothing, absolutely nothing. We were 843 00:40:22,960 --> 00:40:25,840 Speaker 9: trying to ask our family for more money just so 844 00:40:25,880 --> 00:40:27,880 Speaker 9: we could buy food minimalistic. 845 00:40:28,080 --> 00:40:31,480 Speaker 2: There was literally you were just self sustainable with with 846 00:40:31,520 --> 00:40:33,680 Speaker 2: a little bit of food. You had a you had 847 00:40:33,680 --> 00:40:34,799 Speaker 2: a checkpoint that you had to. 848 00:40:34,719 --> 00:40:38,680 Speaker 1: Get through through a vehicle. That who was driving the vehicle. 849 00:40:38,640 --> 00:40:39,440 Speaker 8: My friend Alaric. 850 00:40:39,560 --> 00:40:41,319 Speaker 9: He's a good friend of mine, so he came out 851 00:40:41,360 --> 00:40:44,080 Speaker 9: to be the videographer. He ended up being the driver, 852 00:40:44,360 --> 00:40:48,240 Speaker 9: the navigator, the chef, everything mate, he done, he done everything, 853 00:40:48,840 --> 00:40:52,480 Speaker 9: and and you know what it was? It was I 854 00:40:52,520 --> 00:40:56,400 Speaker 9: had I had some old trainers, mate, I had my 855 00:40:56,520 --> 00:41:00,120 Speaker 9: old roof in T shirts, a bucket hat, you know. 856 00:41:00,440 --> 00:41:03,879 Speaker 9: And I always I won't change. That's who I am. 857 00:41:03,960 --> 00:41:06,600 Speaker 9: I don't I don't come from a privileged background. I've 858 00:41:06,680 --> 00:41:09,480 Speaker 9: just come from a very normal family. I don't feel 859 00:41:09,480 --> 00:41:12,120 Speaker 9: the need to have all this. I've never been given 860 00:41:12,200 --> 00:41:14,719 Speaker 9: loads of expensive staff. I've just gone this is who 861 00:41:14,760 --> 00:41:16,560 Speaker 9: I am. I'm going to run my work uniform. I'm 862 00:41:16,560 --> 00:41:17,839 Speaker 9: going to run my Sunday league kit. 863 00:41:17,920 --> 00:41:19,320 Speaker 1: And where were you sleeping. 864 00:41:19,120 --> 00:41:19,640 Speaker 2: In the van? 865 00:41:19,719 --> 00:41:22,080 Speaker 8: Mate? I had had the double bed. 866 00:41:21,960 --> 00:41:23,879 Speaker 1: But sleep sleeping bag in the van? 867 00:41:24,040 --> 00:41:24,320 Speaker 8: Mate? 868 00:41:24,360 --> 00:41:25,879 Speaker 1: Did you get nice and cozy with Josh? 869 00:41:26,200 --> 00:41:26,399 Speaker 2: Mate? 870 00:41:26,440 --> 00:41:29,880 Speaker 9: Yeah, we had that van stunk a lot, you know, 871 00:41:30,160 --> 00:41:31,200 Speaker 9: stunk a lot and. 872 00:41:31,800 --> 00:41:35,560 Speaker 1: A mate, I can smell it from here. You feel free. 873 00:41:35,400 --> 00:41:38,480 Speaker 9: Big And luckily we had our own bed it because 874 00:41:38,480 --> 00:41:40,239 Speaker 9: it was a six man van, as three of us, 875 00:41:40,400 --> 00:41:43,080 Speaker 9: we had our own bed. But but when you didn't 876 00:41:43,120 --> 00:41:45,319 Speaker 9: get when you didn't get a camp site that had 877 00:41:45,480 --> 00:41:47,759 Speaker 9: a plugin system and it was a free camp and 878 00:41:48,040 --> 00:41:50,400 Speaker 9: there's no air on nothing, you know. 879 00:41:50,480 --> 00:41:53,000 Speaker 8: And but but it got to. 880 00:41:52,960 --> 00:41:56,239 Speaker 9: A point where We got maybe forty five days in 881 00:41:57,160 --> 00:41:59,680 Speaker 9: and Josh unfortunately had to pull out. 882 00:42:00,040 --> 00:42:01,680 Speaker 8: He had to start, he couldn't go on anymore. 883 00:42:01,960 --> 00:42:04,840 Speaker 9: And I thought, I'm doing it, and the world was 884 00:42:04,880 --> 00:42:07,640 Speaker 9: watching me because people were messaging me, going, mate, I've 885 00:42:07,680 --> 00:42:09,880 Speaker 9: just seen you on the news. I've just I'll followed 886 00:42:09,880 --> 00:42:14,200 Speaker 9: you on Strava like you are. You're you're just a builder, 887 00:42:14,600 --> 00:42:16,680 Speaker 9: You're just You're just a normal guy. You're not a 888 00:42:16,680 --> 00:42:20,840 Speaker 9: professional athlete, You're not what how how how? And I 889 00:42:20,920 --> 00:42:21,799 Speaker 9: just said I'm going to do it. 890 00:42:21,840 --> 00:42:22,560 Speaker 8: I'm going to do it. 891 00:42:22,600 --> 00:42:25,799 Speaker 9: And and my last checkpoint I got out of the 892 00:42:25,880 --> 00:42:29,799 Speaker 9: van knowing I had to run fifteen k and I've 893 00:42:29,840 --> 00:42:33,640 Speaker 9: done it, and I've done it, I've done it. So 894 00:42:33,680 --> 00:42:39,840 Speaker 9: I'm getting emotional already. Oh I'll go out of the van. 895 00:42:40,960 --> 00:42:47,359 Speaker 4: And oh, so good, mate, it's so good. 896 00:42:47,480 --> 00:42:50,480 Speaker 8: Put the Union jack around me and I put a 897 00:42:50,480 --> 00:42:51,759 Speaker 8: photo over my family with me. 898 00:42:53,760 --> 00:42:57,600 Speaker 9: I pushed on. I had nothing left. I had nothing left. 899 00:42:57,920 --> 00:42:58,839 Speaker 9: I had nothing left. 900 00:42:58,880 --> 00:43:01,719 Speaker 8: I was hallucinating up from some Tim towns, Timtom's mate. 901 00:43:01,760 --> 00:43:03,319 Speaker 8: They kept me alive, I swear they did. 902 00:43:03,360 --> 00:43:07,640 Speaker 9: And you know, I pushed on and I came down 903 00:43:07,719 --> 00:43:09,560 Speaker 9: the hill in Sydney, very very hilly. 904 00:43:09,560 --> 00:43:11,160 Speaker 8: I forgot how hilly Sydney. 905 00:43:10,880 --> 00:43:12,919 Speaker 9: Is or heard it was anyway, and I came down 906 00:43:12,920 --> 00:43:17,000 Speaker 9: this hill, I saw the ocean and Josh, you obviously 907 00:43:17,040 --> 00:43:17,680 Speaker 9: had to pull out. 908 00:43:17,760 --> 00:43:19,480 Speaker 8: I said, look, you're running the last couple of k 909 00:43:19,600 --> 00:43:21,719 Speaker 8: with me. Mate. We've done this together, you know, we 910 00:43:21,760 --> 00:43:23,560 Speaker 8: started together. We're going to finish together. 911 00:43:23,680 --> 00:43:26,520 Speaker 9: And he was still injured, but he couldn't walk, and 912 00:43:26,840 --> 00:43:29,680 Speaker 9: we ran the last couple of k together, and my 913 00:43:29,800 --> 00:43:34,920 Speaker 9: family were at the beach. Everyone was there, and I 914 00:43:34,960 --> 00:43:37,440 Speaker 9: went on the sand at Bon Dai and just looked 915 00:43:37,480 --> 00:43:40,360 Speaker 9: up at the scar and my dad and got a 916 00:43:40,440 --> 00:43:42,680 Speaker 9: dumb mate. I touched the ocean at Bon Dai and 917 00:43:42,800 --> 00:43:45,600 Speaker 9: done it and couldn't believe it. 918 00:43:46,560 --> 00:43:49,040 Speaker 2: Thanks so much for joining me on head Game. If 919 00:43:49,040 --> 00:43:52,160 Speaker 2: you enjoyed this episode, make sure you're subscribed so you 920 00:43:52,200 --> 00:43:55,360 Speaker 2: don't miss any of our incredible stories, and leave me 921 00:43:55,520 --> 00:43:57,760 Speaker 2: a review wherever you're listening. 922 00:43:58,360 --> 00:44:01,359 Speaker 1: I'm Aunt Middleton. Catch you again next time. 923 00:44:02,120 --> 00:44:07,040 Speaker 3: H m hmm