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After completing a 1,600km run to raise money to fight homelessness in just 12 days, the emotional Nedd Brockmann told of the terrible effects this disease had on his body and mind.
Brockmann crossed the finish line at 6:15 a.m. on Wednesday, completing 4,000 laps of the Sydney Olympic Park Athletics Track in just over 12.5 days.
He began his extraordinary effort on October 3, aiming to break the world record for running 1,600km in 10 days, while also raising money for homelessness charity We Are Mobilise.
Although injuries and the resulting crippling pain prevented him from breaking the record, Brockmann – who famously escaped from Pert to Sydney in 47 days – managed to raise more than $2.7 million for the cause.
He broke down in tears as he completed the final lap around Sydney's Olympic Park before hugging mum Kylie and dad Ian.
After running the equivalent of over 38 marathons in less than two weeks, the iconic hero fell to the ground.
“I've been pretty overwhelmed, I haven't had any fun in the last 12 days,” Brockmann said in an interview on the TikTok live stream.
“I usually find some joy and moments of respite in things like this, but there really wasn't a minute like that.
Nedd Brockmann struggled with injuries throughout the race (pictured with his shins tied and his nipples taped to avoid chafing)
Australian long-distance running legend says he wasn't having any fun as he struggled with a series of painful injuries for 12 days
“If I was getting ready in the shower, I was wasting my time. If I was lying on the physiotherapy table, I would be wasting my time. There was never peace.
“The last 12 and a half days have been without a doubt the hardest of my life, 10 times harder than running through Oz.
“I'm just delighted to have done it already.”
In August, Brockmann suffered a serious shin muscle injury that affected his preparations, and the same injury recurred just three days before the competition.
Soon his second shin began to bother him, his feet swelled so much that he had to wear shoes three sizes larger, and “tendonitis everywhere” forced him to shuffle.
The former electrician had his own celebrity guests at the event, with former Olympic champion Jess Fox, UFC fighter Israel Adesanya and boxer Harry Garside among the athletes who ran alongside him.
So Brockmann invited ninth-year student Hugo Russell to run a lap with him after Australia's top athletics organization banned the boy from running because of a form of dwarfism.
Brockmann suffered a serious shin injury in August, which worsened just three days into the challenge and left him in agony
His feet swollen so much that he went up three shoe sizes, making something as simple as just standing up incredibly painful.
Australian writer Jill Stark faced heavy criticism for calling Brockmann's run “a transformation of toxic masculinity”.
She claimed the charity runner's inspiring feat reflected the tendency for men to rename their struggles with mental health issues as “toughness”.
While praising Brockmann's “wonderful job” in raising money for charity, Stark expressed concern about the way men view suffering as an opportunity to prove themselves.
His official running time 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 ten best in the world for the distance.
“I've never experienced anything like this before,” he said, lying on the track after the race.
“I'm damn proud of it.”
