At 6 am on April 15, British endurance runner William Goodge set off from Cottesloe Beach in Perth. His goal: to run across the Australian continent in record time.
He wants to cover the 3,867km in just 35 days, a full four days faster than Chris Turnbull’s previous 2023 record. To stay on track, Goodge needs to run about 110km every day. The record attempt is a year in the making.
The planned route from Perth to Sydney. Photo: Google Maps/The Record Down Under
For Goodge, running started as an outlet for his grief, after his mother passed away from cancer in 2017. The obsession quickly grew, and by 2019, he successfully ran the length of the UK. Two years later, he ran across America. His current run is fundraising for three cancer charities.
A crowd of supporters cheered Goodge on as he began early in the morning. Photo: William Goodge
The road so far
William Goodge’s progress can be tracked online, with live updates through his InReach device. At the moment of writing, he’s covered 533km of the total 3,867km, and hasn’t reported issues which might derail his attempt.
It’s still early days, but in addition to his strong motivation, Goodge has a dedicated support team. Australian Dean Bartlett is Goodge’s right hand man, whose brother Mark spent a year traveling the planned route and scouting locations. The extensive media coverage of Goodge’s attempt, from his live-tracking to upcoming YouTube content, is thanks to Diego Garcia from L.A. Handling the physical side is Goodge’s friend and coach, Jason Brooks. Graham Goodge, William’s father, rounds out the team as driver.
