Sydney, Australia – British endurance runner William Goodge has announced that he has completed the fastest-ever recorded run across Australia, finishing a punishing 3,800km trek in just 35 days.

Goodge, 31, began his transcontinental journey on April 15, departing from Perth’s Cottesloe Beach and arriving at the finish line at Bondi Beach in Sydney on Monday. Averaging roughly 100km per day—the equivalent of two-and-a-half marathons—his feat is now pending verification by Guinness World Records.

Originally from Bedfordshire in England, Goodge dedicated the journey to his late mother, Amanda, who died from cancer in 2018. He has used his run to raise awareness and funds for cancer charities across the UK, United States, and Australia.

“This is the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” Goodge told BBC Breakfast just a day after finishing. Along the way, he battled extreme desert heat, a dust storm, rotting feet, bone pain, and hallucinations. "The Nullabor Plain was relentless," he said, referring to the vast, remote stretch of land between Western and South Australia.

Despite the physical toll, he said he felt “surprisingly comfortable” at the end of the journey. In an emotional tribute, he laid flowers at Bondi Beach in honour of his mother. “She would be proud of everything I’ve done. She was the most special person in my life,” he told The Guardian Australia.

Goodge’s team has stood firm amid questions from some in the running community about the tracking data from his run. His agent told Canadian Running that Goodge “stands by every step” of the record attempt.

If certified, Goodge will have broken the previous record set by Chris Turnbull in 2023, who completed the same route in 39 days. Australian Nedd Brockmann held the mark before that, completing the run in 47 days.

Goodge also holds a previous endurance title as the fastest British man to run across the United States, covering the Los Angeles to New York route in 55 days.

Throughout his journey across Australia, he says he encountered almost all of the country’s iconic wildlife—"mostly as roadkill"—and traversed some of the most remote landscapes on Earth.

For Goodge, it wasn’t just about speed or records. “When things got dark, I thought about how my mum handled her illness—with strength and grace. That got me through.”


By WafricNews Desk.