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fatass
The Salvado Trail
The Salvado Trail (also known as the Pilgrim Trail and the Camino Salvado) was inspired by the memory of Dom Rosendo Salvado, the Benedictine monk who founded the town of New Norcia in 1847. It covers 174km of urban and bush trails, starting at St Joseph's in Subiaco and finishing at the Benedictine Monastery in New Norcia. It traverses multiple national & regional parks, including Walyunga NP, Avon Valley NP, Moondyne Nature Reserve & Julimar State Forest. Over the past 10 years, I've had thoughts of running this trail end to end, having first becoming aware of it back in 2012 when Bernadette Benson blogged about her self-supported multi-day fast-hike. An idea started to form earlier this year that this would be a good way to motivate myself to rediscover my running groove (ahead of some European races in August & September). With the help of super-coach Rob Donkersloot (who himself has run this trail over multiple days, in both directions!), I rebuilt my fitness with some really solid training through April and the first half of May. Unfortunately, towards the end of May a few niggles started, including return of shin splints in my left leg, leading to a focus on rest & rehab. Then a very painful lower-back in the week prior had me questioning whether this would be possible, but thankfully that resolved itself just in time. I'd registered the route on the Fastest Known Times (FKT) website thinking that if I completed it I could claim the Fattest or First Known Time by being the first (that I'm aware of) to get in done in a single end to end effort. I'd driven most of the route over the previous couple of months and also run the first 42km in training, so felt like I had a pretty good idea of what to expect. Harmony very graciously offered to crew me through the journey, and I got the (not so) new Pajero all decked out for the trip. Subiaco to Bells Rapids (0-42km) I lucked out with it being the perfect day for a run, the sky was clear and the rain had gone away. But it was also the shortest day of the year and bloody cold! Well before the sun was up, I caught the train to Subiaco, just about freezing to death as I made my way from one line to the other in Perth. Arriving at Subiaco Square (adjacent to the starting point) a little earlier than anticipated I had some time to relax, snacking on a on a croissant and cappuccino in an attempt to get warm. I made my way over to St Joseph's, took a couple of photos inside and out, and got underway at 8.30am. The plan was to run on my own until ~42km, meeting super-crew Harmony at Bells Rapids. I had run this section back in early May as part of my training, but the scenery still blows me away. Making my way along the railway line until reaching the city, then following Hay St through the mall, passing St Georges Cathedral (by Royal Perth Hospital), through Wellington Square and the East Perth inlet. I then followed the northern riverside path through Maylands, Ashfield and Bassendean (where some impressive mcMansions can be seen!) Crossing the Swan River at Guildford Rd, then through Stiring Square and by St Matthew's Church, and heading onto West Swan Rd passing the Seminary Chapel of Saint Charles Borromeo. From here, it's a long steady slog North before eventually turning East and crossing the river. Harmony and Juliet appeared unexpectedly which was a nice suprise! Had a quick chat, but wasn't in need of anything at the time. With the plan to meet up again at Bells, Harmony took Juliet off to school. After crossing Gt Northern Hwy, there was a long bitumen stretch parallel to the railway line before passing the horse at Brigadoon and onto Cathederal Ave into Bells Rapids. Harmony met me here, and I changed into trail shoes while grabbing a bag of cheezels. I was aware at this point that I'd become quite dehydrated over the previous 5h, but the impact of that hadn't quite caught up with me (I was still feeling pretty bouncy!) Bells Rapids to Shady Hills (42-55km) This is a lovely section of trails. From Bells, I followed the river until arriving at the first carpark in Walyunga National Park. It's only a few km, pretty flat but requires a fair bit of attention - having just run for 5h+ on bitumen, I took plenty of care to avoid tripping. We hadn't had a lot of rain in the previous week meaning this section was fairly dry, but had there been a lot of rainfall I would have needed to use the adjacent fire trail (which is really hilly). Nearing Walyunga, the trail had been dug up following the fires last December, and rather than being narrow and twisty there is now a wide fire break / trail to follow. I met Harmony at Walyunga and topped off my supplies. Then the fatigue really started to hit me here. Making my way through Walyunga meant a few decent hill climbs - these are hills that I'm really familiar with but I don't often find myself hitting them with 50km in the legs already. It was a struggle, and for the first time I started questioning my life choices! There was a lot of walking, even on the downhills, and I realised that I really needed to get some calories in. As I emerged into Shady Hills, Harmony was waiting for me on the roadside and made me a fabulous chicken and salad wrap. I probably should have had this back at Bells! Shady Hills to Avon Valley NP entry (55-70km) Leaving the bush tracks, this next section was a mix of bitumen road and horse trails. It's undulating, but very runnable until the final climb to AVNP: the elevation profile shows it being a gentle downhill until that last climb. If only my legs had been in the mood to run. It was a bit of a slog to be honest. The initial bitumen stretch through Shady Hills was quite busy with more cars than I'd expected (being late-afternoon, it was probably people coming home from work). Out of Shady Hills, it's onto a sandy bridle trail section - that was mostly runnable (ha), and was grateful that for the most part the sand wasn't too soft. Then, onto probably the only "bad" section of the entire trail with several km's of running on the roadside. It had been a frequent topic of conversation between myself and Harmony that this was a leg to be really cautious about. The sun was going down and it was getting late in the day, but as it turned out, I saw very few cars and had nothing to worry about! Harmony met me along here with a Macca's cheeseburger which I very graciously accepted (and then struggled, big time, to eat it). I still wasn't on top of my dehydration issue from earlier in the day, and was trying to drink as much water as I could. Reaching the bottom of the climb to AVNP, I took a break, changing my shirt and getting into some warmer clothing. By now the sun was down so on went the headtorch. I ditched my backpack and opted to run with a handheld bottle for a bit. Urgh --- that hill. It'd be a good one for training for Coast to Kosci! An unrelenting climb at around 10%, I was knackered. Fair to say I was grateful to get that done. I met Harmony half way up for a water top-up and again at the very top, where it was time for something warm to eat. It was time to say goodbye to the bitumen. By this point it was really dark and getting damn cold. Avon Vally NP (70-84km) The wheels unfortunately really started falling off through this section. Which is a shame - because it was super-runnable. This entire section is a nice wide 4wd dirt track full of puddles (requiring some caution at this time of year, some are deep!) Harmony met me every few km, where I'd sit down for a drink or something to eat. Mentally, I was struggling. Something about it being dark by 6pm made it seem like I'd been on my feet for much, much longer. I had managed to re-hydrate myself really well (perhaps too well), and was moving along slowly. After a few stops at the car, I was on the last ~3k section to the edge of the park when the shin pain decided to re-appear. It went from the occasional ping to "nah mate, you can't run on this" almost immediately. I kept trying to change it up from a walk to a shuffle, but the pain would return and I was immediately back in Spain last year when that adventure came to an end. I wasn't able to maintain enough movement to keep warm, and by the time I met up again with Harmony, decided it wasn't really worth pushing on further: we were around half-way, and while I could maybe have maintained a 5-6kph pace and got it done, I decided it wasn't worth taking the risk of a more significant injury ahead of adventures in Europe in a few months time. A little bit of a disappointing result, but such is life. I'll be back to try it again in the near future :-) In the end, I covered 85.37km in 12:47. A huge thanks to Harmony for accompanying me through the day. Photo Gallery
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
555 (2024)
Time to give the 555 route another crack (read more about the origin of this route, and my first attempt at running it, check out this blog entry! I first attempted it over the Christmas/NY break in 2019/20, but succumbed to the heat. At the time, some locals in one town suggested that April might be a better time to try it - cooler conditions and all that. So, without too much preparation, I made plans to run this during the school holidays in April of 2024. I was fortunate to recruit some helpers for the first few days and would meet Joanne & the kids in Katanning at the end of the 4th day, where they would accompany me to the end. Day One - Friday 29/3/24 78.39km in 11:47 Joanne brought me to the city for an early start at Yagan Square, getting underway at 5.58am. I ran alone for the first 27km before meeting Rachel in Parkerville who accompanied me to the end of the day (finishing about 2.5km before Clackline). Rachel then very kindly drove me all the way home for a good night's rest! ###Day Two - Saturday 30/3/24 71.34km in 11:01 Jo dropped me at Rob D's house early in the morning, and we made our way to the point where I'd finished the night before. After passing through Clackline, I took Rob's suggestion to slightly modify the route and instead taking some farm roads, cutting a corner off the Spencer Brook road section. Although a couple of kms were saved, it was fairly undulating but filled with great views. We passed through York, and then wrapped up the day in Beverley, staying at a small tavern. Day Three - Sunday 31/3/24 70.88km in 11:16 Another early start! Rob handed me off to Kelli & SJ mid-morning, who remained with me through the day. Had a great surprise during the day with Shannon & Darlene popping up out of the blue, and we shared some chips, a cold drink and a few laughs in Pingelly. Wrapped up the day in Popanyinning, before being driven down to Narrogin where three three of us stayed in a small chalet at the local caravan park. I was feeling really fatigued by this point. My quads, calfs and adductors were really feeling it. Unfortunately, I didn't get a great night's sleep. Day Four - Monday 1/4/24 47.3km in 7:17 Kelli & SJ drove me back to yesterday's finishing location, and I got the day underway. Mid morning, Randy took over support-duties. We stopped in Narrogin for an early lunch, and spent a good while chatting and catching up on life events. Then, a further 10km down the road, my achilles decided enough was enough, and I was unable to run any further. The heavy vehicle traffic had become crazy by this point (triple road trains every five minutes), and there was very little road shoulder. So, each time a road train approached, I was moving off the road and experiencing a lot of camber, which I think really triggered the achilles issue (along with the overall fatigue and poor sleep from the night before). I had to hobble around 4km to meet up again w/ Randy. I called it for the day, and Randy drove me to Katanning where I met up with Jo and the kids (we had rented a huge house there for a few days, which was to act as their base). The following day it became clear that getting underway again wasn't an option, so I called it all off. Overall, 267km completed over four days, made it to around the half-way point. It was a fabulous experience, and I spent the next week relaxing and holidaying with Jo and the kids which turned out to be a great decision. 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
555 (2019/20)
In November 2015, Rob proposed a run from Perth to Albany, via Clackline and Bluff Knoll, mostly following the Great Southern Highway, as a training event ahead of his attempt at the 500km Vol State ultra. Initially over 600km, Bluff Knoll was dropped from the route (due to the risk of a fatigued runner falling off!) an the overall distance reduced to approximately 555km. Rather than setting a fixed route, Rob set down some rules for the journey, which I’ve ammeded slightly:You cannot travel along, or cross over Albany HighwayYou cannot travel along or cross over Great Eastern Highway to shorten the journey if it significantly shortens the race distanceYou must pass through ClacklineBut Why? I’d wanted to do something epic for ages. The last couple of years, I’ve had injuries and setbacks with my running. As I write this today, even though this journey seems crazy and insurmountable and maybe even impossible, I feel strong enough to give it a go. I’d rather try and fail than sit on my butt wondering what might have been. 2019 has been a bit of an emotional rollercoaster both at home and at work. If I can’t clear my mind through ten days of mindless perambulating (and truck dodging) then there’s really no hope for me! This is not a fundraiser. I’m not trying to raise awareness of anything. I’m just doing this for some type-f fun Day One - Perth to Wundowie 26/12/2019, 62.76km in 11:54 Joanne dropped me off at Yagan Square in the centre of Perth at the crack of dawn. We took a few photos, then at 6am on the dot I set off. I was joined by a few friends, including Hoffy, Michelle and Mel on their bikes. First half was easy. But then the sun engaged beast mode and it was a real slog. I stopped off at Maccas in Swan View for some cold drinks, ice and a bite to eat, and then again at the Stoneville IGA. Was desperate for food and a cold drink at Chidlow, but everything was closed. So had a siesta instead to allow my heart rate to come down (was racing and weak, so probably early signs of overdoing it in the heat). As I'd decided to be "self-dependant", I veered off Kep Track at Wooroloo and headed to the motel at the old El Caballo site. After checking in, I wandered over to the servo and demolished a huge burger and a few cold drinks. Lesson learned for upcoming days: carry some calories don’t be depending on shops and pubs! Day 1 Gallery Day Two - Wundowie towards York 27/12/2019, 56.25km in 10:44 Hard to put into words the ups and downs of Day 2. I didn’t get a great night’s sleep at El Caballo, waking several times through the night. I was definitely dehydrated after day one, and focussed on getting a clear wee before starting again … a lot of water was consumed in the evening and overnight, and I eventually celebrated just before hitting the road. Although I felt ok when I woke at 3am, I definitely wasn’t refreshed. After covering up my blisters and adding some Engo patches to the hot spots in my shoes, I shoved everything back into my pack, grabbed a large choc milk from the fridge, and was on the road at 4am. Pitch black walking along Great Eastern Highway was certainly an interesting experience, but thankfully not too much traffic at the time. I turned left after not too long to head back to the Kep Track, thinking to myself how nice it was to be out at that time of the morning and not to have to worry about sunscreen and hydration etc. Though it was really humid at the time. 10km later, I patted my leg semi-automatically to check for my money and cards, only to feel nothing there. Ahhh, that’s right. As I was attempting to fall asleep last night I had this thought that I should put my money somewhere safe in case my room was broken into, so left it in the bedside drawer. Doh! Well, not much I could do at that point, I could hopefully use Apple Pay at the bakery to buy some breakfast when I got there. Thankfully that worked (the lady behind the counter had no idea what I meant by Apple Pay, but the terminal looked modern, so I took my chances!) One sausage roll and a gatorade later, I was back on the track. Once again, first half of the day went well (in the cool of the morning). I made it a real focus to consume a lot more liquid in the early parts of the day, and can report that I was wizzing every 30minutes or so, which was a relief. Sorry if that’s TMI, but it was a big deal for me! Kelli & Kirsten had arranged to meet me at Clackline, and attempted to retrieve my money from the motel on their way up. We had a bit of a miscommunication about where to find the key, so that didn’t work out! I did eventually get it back though after phoning reception a little later in the day, and Jo collected it on the way past. HUGE thanks to Kirsten & Kelli for providing support from Clackline, both running and providing the best hot-weather mobile aid-station a person could hope for! You ladies are my heros, thank you so much! It was super-awesome to throw my pack in the car and just carry a water bottle – we managed to run a few bits, though for the most part it was just walking. During the 16km to Spencers Brook it really heated up a lot — in the 30min between car stops, the water in my hand bottle would go from super cold to room temperature warm. At Spencers Brook we had a little picnic, with Zooper Doopers, chips, water melon, chocolate, the list goes on. It was awesome. I had been expecting them to leave me at that point, but they volunteered to continue along for another few hours which was so super appreciated. The day continued to get warmer, with the highlight being the little bubbles of bitumen forming in the road as it melted. In the end, the heat stopped my progress. Temperature jumped from 33 to 38/39 degrees within a few km, and I was getting a bit delirious. Joanne had taken over road-side duties from K&K and she expressed her concern about me continuing in the heat. Although I had been determined to finish out the day despite the heat just a half hour earlier, her worry (and my fragile mind!) saw me jump in the air conditioned car without too much hesitation. I ended up pulling out 11km before reaching York. We headed to Lake Leschenaultia for a cool down, and then home for a good night’s rest. Calf is sore af, resulting in a bit of a swagger when I walk. Will try to get that sorted before re-assessing if I’ll continuing from Day 4. I set myself a pre-condition of not running in 30+ degree days; Saturday was forecast to be 37 degrees, with a 33km section in the afternoon with no opportunity for ice or refilling water. After today’s experience in the heat, I knew that was not something I could realistically achieve without vehicle support along the way. Day 2 Gallery Day Three - Brookton to Cuballing - 29/12/2019 58.45km in 11:52 This is Day Four, but actually Day Three … I called today (Day 3) off (York to Brookton), due to a 33km section in the afternoon with no water stops and a forecast max of 37. After the first two days I realised that I need a lot more water during the heat of the day than I’d planned for (was thinking 500ml/hr for 5h, but day two I was drinking over 1l/hr, and I just don’t have capacity to carry that much and keep it cold). Plus, anything over 30 degrees, on the road, in the heat, is just plain dumb. I would not have made it far past Clackline without the wonderful support of Kelli & Kirsten, two absolute legends. Thank you ladies for the great company, motivation, ice, cold water & all-round best hot-weather aid station a person could ask for. I spent the night in Brookton at "The Brookton" hotel. It was being renovated by a couple, beautiful building and they were doing a great job. I think I was the only gueset that night, and was very fortunate to be invited to join the owners for a roast dinner - they fed me so very well! So, to Day Four (Day Three!) – so much better today. Got my shoes sorted (thanks Annabel for the good catch, and Glen for the quick fix). More running today with the nice flat roads. Had wonderful support from the amazing Melanee. Need to eat and sleep. Soo tired. Day 3 Gallery Day Four - Cuballing to Piesseville - 30/12/2019 50.12km in 8:14 I definitely didn’t hydrate well overnight, and felt a little rough for first two hours to Narrogin. Took a couple of attempts to find some open toilets, and after locating the Italian grocer, had a bite to eat. Once the council cleaner had chased me off with his noisy leaf blower, I headed out again towards Highbury, with Melanee joining me just after I left town. It was super awesome to throw my pack into her truck and just have the one carry bottle. Mel met me every 5km or so, sometimes I’d just grab more water and keep moving, other times would stop for a 10min chat, throw on sunscreen, or have a quick bite to eat: it had a bit of a C2K feel about it, with aid available from crew at regular intervals! The day started very early, waking at 3am (15min before alarm darnit) after a shocking night’s sleep at the Cuballing Tavern. While the food there was good, the noise and the quality of the room and shower facilities were pretty basic, and I never sleep well in a new bed. During this stretch I received a call from Water Corporation, as I’d reported a leak along the pipeline early Sunday morning. The fellow was trying to locate it, and although I’d provided precise location via phone (including “200m north of the brook named xxxx”), I couldn’t for the life of me remember the details. I hope he found it … The story though is that during the previous afternoon, a cyclist had stopped me for a chat on the side of the road … and it turns out it was the same guy: probably the only person I’ve spoken with on this trip so far who hasn’t called me insane, crazy or stupid ! The final few km into Highbury (30km mark) I was feeling pretty flat, but after an ice cream sandwich and a banana (and a long chat to the local shopkeeper about his 90s era POS terminal which looked to me like it’d been written in Clipper), the next 20km flew by quickly. Speaking of those 20km, the amount of litter by the side of the road was terrible. The main culprits being flavoured milk & gatorade plastic bottles. If I had been counting, it would have been several hundred, easily. Our plan today had been to keep moving until midday, and then call it. My groin has been feeling pretty sore and I had no intention of pushing things too hard. Conveniently, Piesseville was about 49km into the journey, so I added a little out and back to round it out to 50km I’m taking a couple of days off and will resume on Thursday to complete the journey from Tenterden to Albany, hopefully in the company of Shannon & Justin. I’m not going to hit 555km, it’ll end up being around 333km, which is ok by me. This has been a great journey of self-discovery! Day 4 Gallery Day 5 - Cranbrook to Porongorup - 2/1/2020 64.68km in 11:12 Longest day so far, and probably the best! Started at 5am from the wonderful Nanna Vick’s Cafe accomodation, after sharing a meal the night before with John-Marianne Barton who stayed at the nearby caravan park. The weather was much milder today, peaking around 23 degrees with the sun playing hide n seek behind clouds for most of the morning. I was through the first 25km to Kendenup on my own before John & Marianne joined me a little after 8.30am, and surprised myself by doing a lot more running with the pack on than I had previously (I hardly notice it on my back now: with water it’s probably 8kg). Morning tea consisted of a half sandwich of egg and tomato and a ginger beer, heaven! The next 30km was just me rolling along the road meeting J&M every 5k for a water top up and the occasional bite to eat – I am finding that whenever I start getting down it’s a good sign that food is required Towards midday the weather got gusty and wet. This was just after I’d spotted (and almost stood on) my first snake of the trip – a 1.5m dugite smack bang in the middle of the dirt road. Pretty sure he was more scared than me and slithered off into the bush while I did my impression of a scarecrow trying to dunk a basketball. The rain was nice though, and with the wind quite chilly, I was encouraged to keep running when I could so as to stay warm! When we reached 55km it was time for lunch, and headed to Mt Barker bakery for the obligatory pie and dessert, before completing the last 10km or so to Porongorup. Once again I felt a little sad during the last hour that the day was coming to an end, as it had been a great one, and joked about continuing to Albany without stopping! I’ve managed to score a family room at the Porongorup Village Inn: double bed, seperate full kitchen and en-suite, for $45! Totally awesome, though the walls are quite thin. Tomorrow we finish the journey to Albany, with a 6am start accompanied by Justin & Shannon. 50k to go — my feet will be pleased when it’s done! The weather is looking really cool, and probably a touch wet, so great for running. Day 5 Gallery Day Six - Porongorup to Albany - 3/1/2020 51.69km in 8:55 Lying in bed the previous night I could hear rain falling until midnight, and wasn’t particularly looking forward to the idea of a full day of running in the rain. It did eventually stop though and my spirits were buoyed. Justin & Shannon were ready and waiting for me as I emerged at just after 6am, and we sat around chatting for a while as Justin took some more shots of the area from his drone. I wasn’t in any hurry, for a change, knowing that the sun wasn’t going to be a challenge today, and we started a little later with Justin by my side and Shannon crewing from the car. The road was narrow, windy and narrow for the first 10k or so with beautiful views of the Porongorups to our right and farms to the left, and the Stirlings off in the distance. There’s nothing nicer than the smell of morning dew on the trees and the first couple of hours seemed to tick by quickly. Once out of the Porongorups we joined a busy road, playing dodge with grain & fire trucks – there wasn’t much of an edge to the road so a lot of time was spent running on the gravel gradient. We played enjoyed a game of “sunshine or squall” with rain rolling through at regular intervals. I was fortunate to have a rain jacket, S&J however powered through the rain without complaint (though I did seek shelter with Shannon in a local community hall when one particularly unpleasant squall came through!) Also had a big headwind the whole way – great for keeping cool, but tough to run into at times. The day seemed to tick by quickly – I felt in no rush to finish, so we walked, talked and ate a lot, while seeking out the “xx km to Albany” signs, counting down through 35, 30, 25 … etc until reaching King River roadhouse and enjoying some hot food. Then it was 12k to go, and we looked and looked for the 10k sign, never to be found (sad face) It was pretty exciting to suddenly see commercial buildings on the outskirts of Albany, and before we knew it Justin and I were climbing up steep roads and then even steeper trail towards the Anzac memorial, followed by steps at the very end! No stopping us now it was two steps at a time until the memorial was reached, placed my hand on it, stopped the watch and let out a wee smile! Wow! What a journey. Done!! Couldn’t be happier. Sure, it wasn’t the full 555km solo originally planned in 9 days, instead ended up with 344km across 6 days. Was super privileged to enjoy support from some wonderful friends along the way: I can’t thank you guys enough for helping out as you did – Kelli and Kirsten on day two, Melanee on days three and four, John & Marianne on day five, and Shannon & Justin on day six. Couldn’t have done it without you guys, or without that of my wife Joanne and my wonderful kids. And every day I learnt something new about myself – the power of mind over body, the ability of the body to recover and keep moving, how to treat blisters the right way, and so much more. Thanks all for being part of this journey. Your comments over the last 10 days were so supportive and motivating. I doubt I’d have returned after the first couple of days if I’d not felt so much positive feedback and motivation from this group. I never felt pressured, but I did feel empowered to keep on trying! Day 6 Gallery