Is this the toughest way to explore Australia?

FOR someone who loves to run, it sounded like fun. But Courtney Atkinson soon discovered that running up seven mountains was even harder than it sounded.

MARATHON man Courtney Atkinson has conquered seven of the country’s highest peaks in seven days in a whirlwind week of running and pain.

Although the 37-year-old’s ambition to do the “state eight” was thwarted by red tape, Atkinson managed a superhuman feat, running for 25-hours in total and burning the equivalent of 46 cheeseburgers along the way.

He ticked off seven mountains including Australia’s highest peak Mt Kosciuszko, Mt Bogong in Victoria and the inhospitable Mt Zeil in the Northern Territory, enduring weather extremes from snow to tropical rain and everything from leeches to brown snakes.

Courtney Atkinson on Mt Bartle Frere, during his week-long campaign to run up Australia's highest mountains. Picture: Wade Lewis for Red Bull

As the exclusive video by @lifebyluke show, Atkinson covered incredible distances, crisscrossing the country from north Queensland to Tasmania then over to Western Australia and back through the Northern Territory.

He suffered about 300 spinifex grass splinters and got locked in Mt Ossa national park, in an incident that almost derailed his tight schedule.

“It was supposed to be a 38km run (at Mt Ossa) but it ended up being 48km,” said Atkinson who is sponsored by Red Bull.

“To make matters worse when I finally made it out, the national park had been locked for the day.

“We had to go back in to find another way out.”

What took you so long? Skippy shows the way up Mt Ossa in Tasmania. Picture: Lucas Wilkinson

Although all of the mountains posed challenges, Atkinson nominated Mt Ossa, Mt Meharry in Western Australia and Mt Zeil as the toughest.

“We didn’t get to Meharry till quite late in the day, so I was running in the dark with just a headlamp and hoping I didn’t run into too many snakes,” he said.

“Mt Zeil was almost impossible to run because of the spinifex grass and rocks, so what I thought would take three hours, ended up taking six.”

Courtney Aktkinson running towards Mount Meharry in Newman, Western Australia. Picture: Erick and Ian Regnard for Red Bull

Doing Canberra’s Mt Bimberi and Mt Kosciuszko in one day was also much harder than the super fit running enthusiast expected.

“I hadn’t really added up all the kilometres I’d have to run and by the end of the day I was pretty banged up,” Atkinson said.

“It was a great way to see Australia, but the biggest thing for me was seeing what the human body can do.”

Perhaps one of the biggest surprises of the feat, was meeting a kangaroo near the top of Mt Ossa.

“It was virtually a vertical climb to get up there, so when I crested over the top and saw Skippy I thought there must be an easier way up,” he laughed.

Professor Bruce Prideaux from Central Queensland University’s Centre for Tourism and Regional Opportunities said “extreme feats” in the name of travel were becoming more common.

“They’ve always existed but these days they’re more accessible and more commercialised,” said Prof Prideaux.

“A good example is the Kokoda Trail which provides a personal challenge as well as a great travel experience.”