Sections
Highlight
Peter Edgerton
Friday, 23 May 2025, 11:09
Feeling somewhat smug with myself after a short but taxing spot of jogging this evening, I returned home and showered before turning on the radio to listen to the news. That's when I first heard about William Goodge, a man I have come to admire and envy in equal measure over the last couple of hours. Mr Goodge, you see, has just legged it all the way across Australia, from Perth to Bondi Beach, in a record time of thirty-five days. As I slowly digested the information, my 8km jaunt came to look just a little less impressive, not to say ridiculously wimpy.
Just to get all of this in some kind of perspective, we need to come to terms with the fact that William's feat involved running the equivalent of two-and-a-half marathons every single day for five weeks. Meanwhile, William's feet involved a random selection of toenails falling off and one particular toe rotting "for probably the past week". No, really, that's what he said afterwards.
He also tells us that such was his pain at some points along the route, he began to hallucinate, although we're not offered any detail as to the subject matter of his visions. If it's any help, when I hit 'the wall' after about five kilometres into my run, I began to think of cold pints of beer - maybe it was something along those lines.
The whole venture was undertaken in memory of William's mother, who died of cancer in 2018 while, at the same time, raising funds for the Cancer Council of Australia. He said his mum would have been proud of everything he'd done, adding 'She'd also be concerned', with not a little understatement.
Goodge was joined for the last five to ten kilometres of his 3800 kilometre, er, jog by hundreds of well-wishers who'd all come together to urge him over the finishing line. Actually, I think I could have helped with that bit, running behind the man of the moment yelling much-needed encouragement.
"Go on, William! We feel your pain! Well, ok, not your pain exactly, although I do, I think, have the beginnings of a small but persistent blister! Wrong type of socks!!"
It's undoubtedly good to be humbled by the derring-do of others from time to time and so it's hats off to William Goodge and his extraordinary achievement. Oh, did I mention that he's from Bedfordshire in the UK? Well, I suppose that would explain his indomitable mental strength - endurance training on a rainy Tuesday night in Luton would surely inspire a core of steel in the weakest of spirits.
Publicidad
Publicidad
Publicidad
Publicidad
Esta funcionalidad es exclusiva para registrados.
Reporta un error en esta noticia
Comentar es una ventaja exclusiva para registrados
¿Ya eres registrado?
Inicia sesiónNecesitas ser suscriptor para poder votar.