Ned Brockman’s extreme world record chasing run at Homebush

Ned Brockman wasn’t content with running from Perth to Bondi in 2022. Now the NSW country boy with a distinctive blond mullet has a new extreme challenge in Sydney, with sports stars running by his side and a TikTok army cheering him on.

In the last eight days, Nedd Brockmann has run more than 1150 kilometres, raised almost $1 million to fight homelessness and his shoe size has jumped from 9.5 to 12.

That’s how much the former sparky turned long distance runner’s feet have ballooned from the painstaking effort of running an average of 400 laps of Sydney Olympic Park’s 400m athletics track each day.

He may not reach his ultimate goal — to break the world record for the fastest time to cover 1000 miles (1600km) on foot — but he’s already captured the imagination, and respect, of millions of people across the world.

It was only two years ago that the 25-year-old country boy with the distinctive blonde mullet, with no athletics background, made another audacious bid — to run across Australia faster than anyone had done before.

He fell short, but that didn’t stop thousands from cheering his arrival at Bondi Beach after the epic 3800km charity run from Cottlesloe Beach in Perth.

Parents Ian and Kylie are equal parts proud, and terrified, as they watch their youngest son again push his body to the absolute limit.

“Watching him cross Australia, and seeing all the injuries he suffered, was really hard and I think a little bit of that trauma lingers,” Mr Brockmann said. “You just want to wrap him up and take him home.

“But he won’t stop — he hates injustice, he always has — and that’s why he’s pushing himself to the extreme in the hope it encourages others to challenge themselves to help others too.”

Nedd Brockmann’s parents Ian and Kylie Brockmann have travelled from the family home in Forbes to support Nedd on his Uncomfortable Challenge, attempting to run 1000 miles in 10 days. Picture: Richard Dobson

While the conditions at Homebush are far more controlled, the experience has somehow been more harrowing for mum Kylie.

“When he was running across Australia we would drive 20km in a van and wait till he caught up with us,” she said.

“The intensity of this is very different as we’re watching his every move — seeing his pain and fatigue as he pounds away each minute on the track.

“It’s hard to watch because he’s mine, but sometimes I sit back and am just in awe — what he’s doing just blows my mind and I know that he is such a special person.”

Millions of others are in awe following his progress too.

By 9am on Saturday, there’d been over 2.1 million views — and some 50,000 messages of support — of his TikTok livestream plus over 15 million views on his social channels.

It’s not always been easy viewing — his pain is evident as he struggles on, his feet taped up to contain the swelling and blisters, sometimes collapsing on the ground, groaning in pain, vomiting.

“I’m just going to go until I’m like, cactus,” he says in one video; in others he still manages a smile.

Australian cricket captain Pat Cummins joined Brockmann for a few laps at Sydney Olympic Park on Friday morning. He’s had other supporters, including boxer Harry Garside, run alongside him in support in the past week. Picture: Richard Dobson

It’s hard going now, he’s reserving his energy for the track not for speaking, but at the start he shared his mindset.

“Who knows what happens on this run, who knows what happens in this life. One minute you’re here, next minute you’re gone. Grab it by the plums, do shit that scares the living hell out of you and do things for others. You never know what may happen.”

Brockmann has found a kindred spirit in Noah Yang, the founder of We are Mobilise, the homelessness charity he raised more than $2 million for in his cross country run in 2022, which is also the recipient of funds from this latest challenge.

The charity started in 2016 in Melbourne with a group of mates taking donated loaves of bread to people sleeping rough on the street, before expanding to Sydney, Canberra and Brisbane.

Its mission aligned with Brockman, who had pledged to help those without support after moving from Forbes to Sydney and witnessing the number of people without a home.

“Nedd wanted to support a grassroots charity like our where you can see the impact, and so he called me and we quickly found we had a very similar shared energy, and we shared a passion for doing things differently,” Yang said.

“We had no idea and no expectations of how that first run would go, but it was unsurprising that Australians loved Nedd because of the person he is.

“It was the first time I’d seen so many people galvanised in such a way to help a cause. We know people care, but it just needed someone like Nedd to bring them on that journey.

“He’s an incredible bloke, so endearing, who is doing what everyone else would love to do — to dream big and work relentlessly no matter what it takes, and what it costs, to help others.”

The runner’s pain is evident on day five of the challenge — with all his highs and lows viewed by millions on his social channels. Picture: Marty Rowney/Bursty

The charity has been able to help so many thanks to Brockmann — and have been able to also think big — introducing a new charitable concept to Australia - direct cash transfers.

“We have established five direct giving programs where we give funding direct to people in particular need,” he said.

“It goes against the stereotypes of what happens when you give people cash direct — but we’ve developed a sustainable program that’s really working.”

Yang has been part of Brockman’s support team since he started the challenge in the late afternoon on October 3.

It seems unlikely now he’ll break the current Guinness World Record of 10 days, 10 hours, 30 minutes and 36 seconds, set by Greek ultra marathon runner Yiannis Kouros in 1988.

But he won’t stop trying — and will run the distance regardless.

The team also consists of his physio Alex Bell, whose every professional instinct would be to tell him to stop, to rest.

“I supported him during his run across Australia, where he endured so much, but seeing him come into Bondi was a memory I’ll never forget,” he said.

“Seeing his energy fed by the crowd, and seeing how much support there was for him to tackle and finish such an incredible feat, was amazing.”

The hard, grippy, surface of the Sydney track hasn’t done Brockmann any favours and Bell is constantly problem-solving to ease his pain.

Whether it’s dry needling, applying ice or topical anti-inflammatories, taping problem areas — or simply fitting a larger shoe.

Brockmann is pushing his body to the limits for the challenge. Picture: Marty Rowney/Bursty

“It’s incredible seeing someone put their body on the line to really make a difference in this world,” Bell said.

“I’ve worked with elite athletes but I’ve never seen someone do what Nedd does, it’s challenged my beliefs of what’s possible with the human body, especially with pain.”

It’s inspired many watching on-screen — while many have also visited the Sydney track this week to watch Brockmann in action.

IT workers Micky Campbell and Felipe Larrota work nearby, and have been following his journey.

“I’ve followed him since he ran from Perth to Sydney,” Campbell said. “I was there at the Bondi finish line.

“So I couldn’t miss coming here to show my friend what an amazing attitude and approach this guy has - he’s phenomenal.”

Hayden Knight from Newcastle and his friend Stella George have also followed Nedd’s achievements.

“He’s incredibly selfless,” Knight said. “It’s pretty surreal to be here watching him - he’s just got an aura about him.”

Sydney mum Colette Grieve brought her son Ciaran, 10, and his mate Max to cheer Brockmann on.

“It’s nice to show the kids someone who has so much resilience,’ she said. “I can’t imagine how he’s feeling but he just keeps going.”

“He just keeps running,” Ciaran said. “I don’t know how he does it - he really inspires me.”

Brockmann would have to have run the distance by 3am Monday morning to beat the world record. It may not happen. But the magic already has.

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Originally published as Ned Brockman’s extreme world record chasing run at Homebush