Nedd Brockmann completes 1,600km run | Image: Marty Rowney/Bursty

The Emotional Moment Nedd Brockmann Completed His Gruelling $2 Million Run

Nick Hall
By Nick Hall - News

Published:

Readtime: 3 min

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Australian cult hero Nedd Brockmann has completed the final leg of his gruelling 1,600-kilometre run to raise money for homelessness charity, We Are Mobilise. The 25-year-old crossed the line in front of a packed crowd at the Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Centre just after 6am on Wednesday, more than 12 days after he first set off on the ‘Uncomfortable Challenge’. Through the mammoth run, Brockmann raised more than $2.6 million for the organisation, which provides outreach programs for people experiencing homelessness across Australia.

While Brockmann’s original goal was to break the world record of 1,600 kilometres in 10 days, injuries have held the runner back. Over the course of the 3,760-lap challenge, Brockmann battled fatigue, sleep deprivation, tendinitis and loss of function in his right tibialis anterior. At one point, his injuries became so severe that he had to be taken back to the course in a wheelchair. Even a severe thunderstorm that struck Sydney on Monday did not deter the runner, who was eating and sleeping at the athletes’ centre beside the track.

“I’ve had no function of my right ant tib (tibialis anterior) since the end of day three, so I’ve been snapping dictus band rubbers left right and centre,” Brockmann wrote on Instagram. “No sleep because the tendinitis everywhere punches me in the throat come rest time. The feet have swollen three sizes due to the rain/track. It’s healthy stuff.”

Nedd Brockmann completes 1,600km run | Image: Marty Rowney/Bursty
Nedd Brockmann completes 1,600km run | Image: Marty Rowney/Bursty

Bravely, the athlete pushed on. Brockmann’s time of 12 days, 13 hours, 16 minutes, and 45 seconds fell agonisingly short of the record, however, he was successful in raising $2.6 million for Australians experiencing homelessness. Remarkably, Brockmann’s final leg lasted a whopping 27 hours, with the long-distance runner going straight through Tuesday. The heartache was worth it, with the final day of the race generating over $770,000 in donations, the largest single-day figure since the beginning of the challenge.

The 25-year-old’s Herculean effort comes just a few years after he first rose to fame by running from Perth to Bondi Beach. The 4,000km run lasted 47 days, with Brockmann live-streaming a large portion of the trek on social media. The event became a global phenomenon, surging donations and transforming the former electrician from Forbes into a household name. When he completed the journey, more than 10,000 spectators were on hand to welcome him home, embracing his mission to battle youth homelessness.

With another challenge under his belt, Brockmann is now encouraging Australians to follow suit, in their own unique way. The athlete has challenged Aussies to raise money for Mobilise with their own ‘Uncomfortable Challenge’ by picking something that makes them uncomfortable and sticking with it for 10 days straight.

Nedd Brockmann completes 1,600km run | Image: Marty Rowney/Bursty
Nedd Brockmann completes 1,600km run | Image: Marty Rowney/Bursty
Nedd Brockmann completes 1,600km run | Image: Marty Rowney/Bursty
Nedd Brockmann completes 1,600km run | Image: Marty Rowney/Bursty
Nedd Brockmann completes 1,600km run | Image: Marty Rowney/Bursty
Nedd Brockmann completes 1,600km run | Image: Marty Rowney/Bursty
Nedd Brockmann completes 1,600km run | Image: Marty Rowney/Bursty
Nedd Brockmann completes 1,600km run | Image: Marty Rowney/Bursty
Nedd Brockmann completes 1,600km run | Image: Marty Rowney/Bursty
Nedd Brockmann completes 1,600km run | Image: Marty Rowney/Bursty
Nedd Brockmann completes 1,600km run | Image: Marty Rowney/Bursty
Nedd Brockmann completes 1,600km run | Image: Marty Rowney/Bursty
Nick Hall

Editor-in-Chief

Nick Hall

Nick Hall is an award-winning journalist and the current Editor-in-Chief of Man of Many. With an extensive background in the media industry, he specialises in feature writing, lifestyle and entertainment content. Nick is a former Mumbrella Publish Awards ‘Editor of ...