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adventureswithglen

24 Hours for ME

"24 Hours for ME" carried a dual significance for us:Shining a spotlight on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS) — a complex, deeply debilitating neuroimmune condition.Championing the essential nature of personal "me" time — recognizing that by nurturing our own well-being through self-care, we strengthen our capacity to support those in our lives who need it most.This project was deeply personal for Glen, whose family has been directly affected by ME. By pushing our own boundaries, our goal was to shine a light on the daily struggles of those living with ME and the urgent need for ongoing research and understanding. Running the iconic Bondi to Manly trail had been on our bucket list for a while. So, we came up with a simple, high-stakes challenge:Fly: Perth to Sydney. Run: The 80 km Bondi to Manly course. Return: Sydney to Perth. The Catch: Do the entire thing within a strict 24-hour window.Red-Eyes and Rushed Starts We set off from home on the evening of 20 September 2025, with Joanne dropping us at Perth Airport for the 11:55 PM Jetstar flight to Sydney. We had high hopes of snatching a little sleep on the way, but with only four hours in the air, we landed in Sydney at 6:00 AM feeling anything but rested! We were met at the airport by local running legend Ewan Horsburgh, who drove us straight out to Manly. We intentionally flipped the course to start from the point furthest from the airport, ensuring we wouldn't get stuck in afternoon traffic on our way back. After a quick change into our running gear, Ewan joined us for a short warm-up trot along the beachfront promenade at Manly as we made our way onto the first of many coastal trails. It was an absolute cracker of a day in Sydney—crystal clear blue skies and perfect temperatures for a long run. The Lost Phone Drama We’d covered about 5 km before meeting up with Ewan at the Barragula Lookout when panic struck: I didn't have my phone. We searched Ewan’s car without luck, so Ewan and I headed back to where we’d parked in Manly while Glen carried on ahead. Back in Manly, we searched high and low and were just about to give up when we checked a cafe across the road. Sure enough, someone had handed it in! It turned out my phone had slipped out of my pocket when I got out of the car earlier. The screen was covered in shattered glass, but miraculously, the phone still worked. Phew. (As it turned out, only the screen protector had shattered—best $50 I’ve ever spent. Though I did get a glass splinter in my thumb before realizing I could just peel the damaged protector off!) Reunited with the tech, we made our way to East Esplanade Park and the Manly Sailing Club to intercept Glen and resume the run together. Headlands, Mis-Steps, and Hungry Jack’s The route closely follows the headlands, offering endless stunning views. Ewan joined us for another stretch near Clontarf Reserve before we had to part ways, leaving Glen and me to tackle the rest of the journey on our own. Around the 25 km mark, disaster struck again. I had a bad mis-step and rolled my ankle severely on the edge of the path. A few choice words were shouted (loudly enough that an older lady across the road gave me a proper side-eye), followed by some serious grimacing. For a few tense minutes, I honestly thought that was the end of my run. But I sucked it up and pushed on—though, in hindsight, that wasn't the smartest move for my recovery over the following months! Crossing the Sydney Harbour Bridge, we hit Circular Quay and wolfed down some Hungry Jack’s before pushing on past the Opera House, Farm Cove, and Potts Point. By this stage, the phone detour and ankle delay meant we were running well behind our target time for the full 80 km route, so we began cutting a few corners to shorten the distance. The course is relentlessly undulating—if you’re not going uphill, you’re going down—but the silver lining was getting panoramic views from the top of every ridge. At one point, Glen mentioned he could easily see himself living in Sydney. We were definitely doing the grand highlights tour... who wouldn't want to live near Double Bay or Rose Bay? Plus, there were countless dogs to pat along the way, so Glen was well and truly in his happy place! The Final Stretch & The 24-Hour Clock Finally, we hit the last leg, tracking down the coastline past Dover Heights and into Bondi. After taking in one last set of amazing ocean views, we finished up at Bondi Park. We grabbed a quick shower, enjoyed a well-deserved beer at a beachfront cafe, and hailed an Uber back to the airport just in time for our 8:15 PM Virgin flight home. The flight departed on time, landing back in Perth at 11:30 PM. Goal achieved: Sydney and back in under 24 hours! Photo Gallery Sponsorship & Thanks This entire project—from the physical challenge to the creation of the upcoming documentary—was only possible thanks to an incredible support network. We extend our deepest gratitude to our official sponsors:ASICS Australia for keeping our feet covered in top-tier footwear.Ultra Series WA for their unwavering community backing.Tribe & Trail for their long-standing support, which has also personally assisted Glen's daughter, Lily.To every single person who donated to help us fund vital ME research through NCNED and bring the (eventual) documentary to life, and to everyone who shared our message and helped raise awareness—thank you. Your belief in this cause fuels our every step.

24h IGA Ultra

To prepare for our upcoming 24Hours for ME run, Glen came up with a slightly unhinged training idea: a route connecting 10 x 24-hour IGAs, with one strict rule. All of our run nutrition had to be bought en route, and we were required to consume something at every stop. Setting off at 7:00 PM on Saturday, we spent the night looping around the Swan River, living on a steady rotation of late-night snacks. By midnight, it became clear this was going to be a much bigger challenge for our stomachs than our legs. Still, fueling a night run on convenience store finds was the perfect mix of fun, suffering, and solid training. Was it the smartest strategy? Probably not. But it was an absolute blast and a great way to log some serious time on our feet.Stop Distance Location Glen AlexisSTARTManners Hill Park, Peppermint Grove1 12.5 The Good Grocer, Myaree Custard & Apple cup Chicken/Avacodo sushi roll2 +8 The Good Grocer, Canning Bridge Ham & cheese croissant Ham & cheese croissant3 +3 Preston Street iGA Ravioli & Chocolate Santa Japanese Iced double expresso4 +3 The Good Grocer, South Perth Blueberries & iced coffee Croissant & Red Bull5 +11 The Good Grocer, Mt Lawley(3rd best store) Mars bar & ginger beer Mars bar & Red Bull6 +4 The Good Grocer, Leederville Jelly cup w/ Fruit & Bundy ginger beer Jelly cup w/ Fruit & Bundy ginger beer7 +8 The Good Grocer, Boulevard Bounty & coconut water Pine/lime splice ice cream8 +6 The Good Grocer, Wembley(2nd best store) Overnight oats w/ Apple Fruit salad9 +5 The Good Grocer, Shenton Park Bacon scroll Croissant10 +4 Taylor Rd IGA(Best store) A huge rasberry/choc muffin & coffee Jam dony & coffeeFINISH +4 Manners Hill Park, Peppermint Grove Coffee & Cinnamon scoll Coffee & Cinnamon scollPhoto Gallery

Perth Postcode Challenge

The challenge In teams of two, visit as many Perth postcodes as you can (in either 6h or 12h) Sounds easy right? Well, we can't have that .... You'll gain or lose points according to the following rules +5 visit a new postcode-8 points for crossing between adjacent PC (i.e. 6031 to 6030)-8 points for visiting the same PC more than once+2 points for every donut shop (on approved list) visited.+1 point for every 2km travelled If you do this solo, points will be reduced by 33% You must record and upload your run to Strava by end of the day, and make your Strava activity accessible You may start from ANYWHERE within the Perth metro area. You may not use any mode of travel other than your feet - i.e. walking/running only. Train, bus, ferry, scooter, Uber is all strictly prohibited. No bikes. No skateboards. No rollerskates. No stilts. Unless we find a better map, then this one showing WA postcodes will be the default used for reviewing your activity - https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit... The run Glen had planned our route, apparently optimising it for maximum results, there was no possible way we could lose, or so I was told. We set out from South Fremantle, then straight into Fremantle for a stop for a famous Levis Donut at the Fremo Markets. Through White Guym Valley, Palmyra, Oconner, Willagee, Kardinya, Winthrop, Myaree, Booragoon, Alfred Cove, Ardross, Mount Pleasant, Brentwood, Rossmoyne, Bull Creek, Willletton, Riverton, Wilson, Waterford, Bentley, East Vic Park, Kensington, Vic Park, East Perth, Highgate, North Perth, Perth, West Leederville, West Perth, Subiaco and wrapping it up at Shenton Park. Many donuts were consumed! And while I can't speak for the other teams, I'm pretty sure they all had a great time too. The results The disorganisers wish to acknowledge the following winners of the 2024 Perth Postcode Challenge: In first place (men's 6h) was Mark & David ; they ate more donuts than anyone else, and their focussed approach to this event suggests they are a future-force to be reckoned with. So many donuts, so many km's. It's almost as-if they were taking the event seriously?! In first place (mixed team 6h) was Kirsten & Bryan ; so much focus on the true meaning of the event (posing in front of adult stores). In the post-race debrief, I heard that they were taking things quite seriously, to the point that Bryan was told to leave his shirt on for the whole day. What's with that: there were at least 40 points on the table for the first topless* photo during the run. Oh well. In first place (women's 6h team) was Sarah-Jane & Kelli ; a happier pair of runners you will never find. They were the only team to even attempt to bribe the organisers, and although the squished half of a rainbow donut left a lot to be desired, they showed a lot of potential (hint for future events: turkish delights are an automatic 10 point bonus ...) In first place (solo women, north of the river) is Harmony ; 10 bonus poins for trying, -10 points though for no actual donut photos. In first place (solo women, south of the river) is Fee. I don't think anyone has ever come first in a category with negative points before, but that "donut" picture you shared will forever be the pinnacle of how not to impress the RDs First place (solo men) is Chemie. Not really sure how far he went or how many donuts were eaten, but heck, he posted photos and played along, which we respect. First place (mens 12h) goes to the race organisers. Even if someone had actually, genuinely, beaten them, they wouldn't be recognised: there's an unwritten rule that the RDs cannot lose. Or maybe "you only get acknowledged if you bribe the RDs with Turkish Delights" or something like that. I dunno. Basically Glen was not happy to hear that Hoffy and co had scored so highly, I believe the rules will be updated in the future to be clearer about this. And finally, the real winners: everyone who played along during the day . We didn't get the kind of participation numbers that we'd hope for, but it was genuinely a fun way to spend the day. The weather was absolutely perfect, the donuts were delicious, and I think we all saw parts of Perth metro we'd not been before. Will we be back? Who knows ... Thanks all for being part of the group. Photo Gallery

Mole 2 Mole

Glen & I wrapped up 2023 on the eve of NYE with one slightly wacky run: 100km between North & South Mole lighthouses in Fremantle. Separated by less than 500m at the entrance to Fremantle harbour, we chose to run a slightly longer route! Running through the night, we followed the waterways inland, crossing Canning River in Shelly and the Swan River at Garret Rd. Starting just after 4pm on Saturday afternoon, with views of the open water, and the North Mole lighthouse "just across the river". There was no real plan in terms of time or pace, and we were both carrying fairly minimal food and water - the idea was to take advantage of whatever shops or servos we came across during the night to keep us going. The route required following rivers and estuaries of Perth, staying on the South until crossing for the return from Garret Rd. It was pretty darn warm when we started, and the heat through the night was oppressive. There wasn't really any relief until about 3am. Many highlights, including random fireworks, marriage proposals and the world’s best cinnamon scrolls for breakfast (I'll never forget those scrolls ... we could smell them from about 500m away, our stomachs churned and we were blown away at just how good they were!) This one liner from Glen really summed up the whole adventure - less than 1km from the end he said “bloody lighthouse still isn’t any closer than when we started!” Definitely capped of a great year of running adventures with friends new and old. Excited for what 2024 may bring , and looking forward to being fast asleep when the clock strikes midnight. Photo Gallery