Nedd Brockmann reveals the awful mental and physical toll of his insane 1600km run – as startling video reveals how much agony he was in
- Nedd Brockmann has had to deal with several injuries over the past twelve days
- Says he didn’t have a single moment of joy during the grueling run
- Widely praised for raising $2.7 million for homelessness charity
After completing a 1,600 km fundraising campaign to fight homelessness in just 12 days, an emotional Nedd Brockmann has opened up about the terrible effects it has had on his body and mind.
Brockmann crossed the finish line at 6.15am on Wednesday, having completed the distance by running 4,000 laps of the Sydney Olympic Park athletics track in just over 12.5 days.
He began his epic effort on October 3, aiming to break the world record of running 1,600km in 10 days, while raising money for the homeless charity We Are Mobilise.
Although injuries and the resulting crippling pain prevented him from breaking the record, Brockmann – who famously ran from Perth to Sydney in 47 days – still managed to raise more than $2.7 million for the cause.
He burst into tears as he completed his final lap around Sydney Olympic Park before hugging his mother Kylie and father Ian.
After running the equivalent of more than 38 marathons in less than two weeks, the cult hero fell to the ground.
“I’m pretty overwhelmed, I haven’t had any fun in the last 12 days,” Brockmann said on a TikTok livestream.
“Usually I can find some joy and some moments of reprieve in these things, but I actually noticed there wasn’t a minute of that.
Nedd Brockmann battled injuries throughout the run (pictured with his shins taped and nipples taped to prevent chafing)
The Australian long-distance legend says he had no fun as he battled a series of painful injuries for 12 days
‘When I was getting ready in the shower, I was wasting time. When I sat on the physio table I wasted time. There was never any peace.
‘The last twelve and a half days have without a doubt been the hardest of my life, ten times harder than the flight through Oz.
“I’m just glad I’m done.”
Brockmann suffered a serious injury to a muscle around his shin in August that affected his preparation, and the same injury reoccurred just three days after the challenge.
Soon his other shin started to bother him, his feet were so swollen that he had grown three shoe sizes, and “tendonitis all over” caused him to shuffle.
The former electrician had a host of celebrity guests at the event, including Olympic champion Jess Fox, UFC fighter Israel Adesanya and boxer Harry Garside among the athletes running by his side.
Brockmann also invited Year 9 student Hugo Russell to run a lap with him after the boy was banned from running by Australia’s top athletics body because he has a form of dwarfism.
Brockmann suffered a serious shin injury in August that flared up just three days after the challenge, leaving him in pain
His feet swelled so much that he grew three shoe sizes, making something as simple as standing up incredibly painful
Australian writer Jill Stark faced strong backlash for labeling Brockmann’s run as “toxic masculinity rebranded.”
She argued that the charity runner’s inspirational performance reflected men’s tendency to label their struggles with mental health issues as ‘toughness’.
While she applauded Brockmann’s “admirable work” to raise money for charity, Stark said she was also concerned about the way men view torment as an opportunity to prove themselves.
His official time for the run was 12 days, 13 hours and 45 seconds, making him the second-fastest Australian to run 1,000 miles, and placing him in the top 10 in the world over the distance.
“I’ve never experienced anything like this before,” he said as he lay on the track after the race.
‘I’m damn proud of that.’