After setting out on September 1st from Cottesloe Beach in Western Australia, Nedd Brockmann finally arrived onto Campbell Parade before hitting the home straight of Bondi Beach.
It had taken him 46-days to get there. In the time in between, he had suffered a litany of injuries ranging from mangled tendons to maggots growing in his toes. But none of that bothered the 23-year-old, after he managed to raise close to $1.5 million for homelessness charity We Are Mobilise.
“I feel like if you were to MRI my lower body, there’d be multiple diagnoses going down,” he wrote on Instagram during the latter stages of his cross-country trek.
“The hip is holding on by the skin of its teeth and the feet feel like they’ve been hit with a hammer from all angles.
“It’s wild out here, I keep laughing in disbelief of how far we have come in such a short time yet internally scream at the thought of another 600+ km week.”
The bold initiative was first generated out of Brockmann’s unease with the homelessness problem gripping Sydney, after the former Forbes native moved to the city and witnessed it firsthand.
“Every Tuesday, I was travelling into Ultimo to go to TAFE and I’d always see 10 or so homeless people doing it tough on the streets,” he told Man of Many back in 2020.
“It’s the most humbling experience. Your mindset changes and you feel like you’ve just got to help.”
This is exactly what Brockmann has been doing ever since with his increasingly more difficult challenges that he sets himself culminating in the near 4,000-kilometre journey.
Each day he was faced with the task of running nearly 100km while battling into 50km per hour headwinds - beginning at around 5am and running for roughly 10 hours per day, every day.
Thousands greeting Nedd Brockman as he wends his way to Bondi after his 4000km run across Australia. Has there been a greater feat of human endurance by an Australian? All for the homeless. Raised $1.5 million. Australian of the year?
— Robert Craddock (@craddock_cmail) October 17, 2022
Brockmann missed out on the all-time record set by German ultra-marathon runner Achim Heukemes, who journeyed across Australia in 43 days back in 2005. Although remarkably, he actually only started doing long-distance running during the Covid pandemic.
Yet it’s not the first mind-boggling feat the electrician has been able to accomplish. He also completed 50 marathons in 50 days a few years earlier in support of the Red Cross charity organisation, while still maintaining his regular hours as a sparky.
Fast-forward a couple of years and Brockmann wanted to up the stakes and the money he wanted to raise, as he drew attention towards the issue of homelessness in Australia.
During his journey he was accompanied by a small team of supporters including his parents, girlfriend and his physio.
“There have been some extremely gruelling and heart wrenching times but Nedd’s energy is what we feed off I guess which has been really interesting to experience,” his mum Kylie told 2GB Radio.
Despite plenty doubting his ability to complete the run, Brockmann was steadfast in his belief he would show up in Bondi having travelled across the country on foot.
“Before I even started, the majority of people were saying there’s not a chance you can do that,” he told A Current Affair last month.
When he reached his final destination on Monday, he was greeted by a sea of people who packed the promenade to cheer Brockmann on, with the larrikin finally reaching the Bondi Surf Life Saving Club.
“I am absolutely blown away,” he said as he addressed the crowd.
“It has taken a lot and a lot to get through here. I don’t think I can explain the depths I’ve had to go to.
“To have all this support is absolutely mind-blowing. I am speechless. Thank you.”
To donate visit neddsrecordrun.com
