British runner breaks record crossing Australia for mom

“In tough moments, I thought about my mom—what she was like, and how she encouraged me.”

Driven by the memory of his late mother, British ultramarathon runner William Goodge has set a new world record by running across Australia in just 35 days. Goodge, 31, lost his mother to cancer in 2018 and has since dedicated his endurance challenges to her memory.

According to the BBC, Goodge began his run on April 15 at Cottesloe Beach on Australia’s west coast and reached Bondi Beach on the east coast on May 19. He covered more than 3,800 kilometers, averaging over 100 kilometers a day. His time beat the previous trans-Australia record by four days.

A former fashion model, Goodge turned to long-distance running as a way to cope with his grief. He has since become an ultramarathon athlete, raising funds for cancer-related charities through extreme challenges.

Goodge had previously completed runs across the United States, from Los Angeles to New York, and around Italy’s Lake Como. But he described the Australian run as his most physically and mentally grueling experience yet. Along the way, he lost a toenail and came close to losing a toe due to infection.

“Every day felt like a never-ending nightmare,” he said. “But I thought about my mom and everything she went through with cancer. She’d be proud of everything I’ve done.”


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