Nedd Brockman

You can't make that decision to say, hey, guys, we've got to quickly sleep here. This record's gone. It's fine. So mum comes in and goes, get in this wheelchair. I'm walking to the shower. Get in the shower. You go to bed. I was like, okay. So thank fuck for mum. Because otherwise, like, I don't know what would have happened.

Or I would have gone out there and just tried to death march until I couldn't. And then, yeah, ended up getting a bit of a sleep, got about two hours that night and then woke up with a bit of, you know, umph in my step. And kind of like a bit of clarity that this is not about a record. You're 25. It's important to go for them.

I think shooting and hoping and putting everything into getting it is really important. But I think what you learn about yourself in continuing to finish what you set out to do is... 10 times more important than a flag in the ground to say I got it.

Canada. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, sorry.

I love that, dude. He just smiles through the most.

Yeah.

Um, I feel like anyone who takes these on are usually a bit older. They're usually, you know, 45, 50 have done, um, 25, 30 years of running prior only started, uh, three and a half, four years ago. So I think my naivety and stubbornness kind of go hand in hand. But yeah, then got to the start of this year and went, well, I'm going to do this, going to lock it in.

Not seeing anything. Exactly.

Yeah.

Yeah. A hundred percent. But it's like, yeah, I don't know. I also feel there's like a, Being in that mode of like, because I can imagine Ross's brain is quite like, Just constantly. Right. But when you're in that deprived sleep state, I feel that there's a lot more clarity, not when you're out of it. Right.

But like in that period of like, there is, there's nothing else that matters other than the task at hand. There's something so pure about that. Even though like I would wake up and go, Oh God, I've got to, I've got to go again.

Um, and even when I finished the run for the next 10 days, I would I'd been like napping. I'd finally nap. And then I'd wake up from like in this terror. You've got to do it again. That I've got to get up and get to lane eight. And mum's there saying, it's all good. And my physio's, it's fine, mate. You're not out there. I'm like, I know what you're saying. It's not computing.

Like, I appreciate you're telling me I'm here, but I feel like I owe another 170K to the people that are watching on the live stream telling me it's, you know what I mean? Like there was this. because you're so wired to get this thing done, you can't just switch that off once you're done. You know what I mean? You can't just go, oh, we're finished. This is fine. It's like a...

It's a very traumatic way.

What's happening? We're still going. Essentially, I said I need to work on an 18-hour, six-hour rest. So in that six hours, try and get four or three or two.

And I do a lot of stuff with homelessness and wanted to align the two and ended up finishing it in 12 and a half days, which throughout the period, throughout that time, I don't think I've ever felt as much pain as I did in that 12 and a half days.

Yeah, it was more just the fact that the lack of sleep thing was – there was no way I was finishing if I wasn't sleeping. You can't tough that out. What was the original time on, time off plan? Well, the first few days, 16, 8, and in that 8, there'd be 6 or 7 hours. I'm usually a pretty good sleeper, but for some reason, it just was the stress of the thing. Yeah, and you can't fight it.

Otherwise, you're just sitting there going – And then I would get out earlier and go again. And that's just like, not a, not a thing to do. So yeah, ended up 18 hours. Um, and I was probably, that's when the average dropped down a little bit on those days where I was like, we've just got to get this thing done.

But, um, I was pretty proud of the fact that I got through those next, you know, five days still averaging over 120, 130 K. And then I just. what I found and what I usually in these kind of events is like, I have some sort of fun. Like I have some sort of reprieve with family or with friends or with, you know, at dinner, we might be laughing about what happened or what I said or what someone did.

This time around, I didn't have one fricking second of it. And for me as someone who really like, uh, laughs about the crap that's going on and like really smiles about the crappy things, I just didn't even have that at all. And so I like, that was really hard for me.

And so the majority of the time, like even when we raised a million dollars on day nine and I looked up and I was like, it was the first time I went, oh my God, like you're actually doing something important and valuable to society and people are. Clearly inspired, so they're donating. And it was the first time I actually took a breath and going, oh, this is, what you're doing is insane.

None of it. Like not one bit. And then even the night before we finished, we'd raised like 700,000 that night. We were, I was 2.6 million before I'd finished. And then I just like took a breath in. There was, I don't know how many people in the stadium just there to watch. And I was like- you've got to kind of appreciate this because these moments don't happen all the time.

And, you know, I might get it five or six more times in my life where I die. Like I want to enjoy these moments. And then even after that, I'd seen all this, all this money raised. And I still was like, I've got another hundred K to go. And I had to like, just grit the teeth. That final day was a 26 hours nonstop, 160 K done. And I crossed the line and I punched that fucking wall.

I was just so angry. It was so, um, disheartening. Cause I, with the Oz run, like I just had so much joy throughout it as, as much as I had the suffering, I also had so much joy. Um, but I think off the back of this, I'm actually going to find out so much more about myself and, um, like things I've learned throughout going through something so hard and so lack of joy.

Yeah, it was, a lot of people ask that, like the, what's the physical side of things versus what's the mental preparation? I think, you know, obviously, as I said, I didn't get the record, so I didn't, probably wasn't physically prepared enough, but I don't think I will be forever. another 15, 20 years. And that's why.

Um, yeah, I'm like excited again. I'm yet to work what that is out yet, but I'm sure eventually I'll, I'll have that lesson.

I just lost who I was in it. Cause I'm, I am that happy jovial person and I'm, I'm usually bringing everyone up. And when, when I'm up, everyone's up in, especially in the support team. And I think I found that like, I was putting a lot more pressure on the crew than I needed to because of how much pain I was in.

So that I was angry that like, it wasn't as fun for everyone else involved where like, I feel like the Oz run was much more like that. Um, yeah. And then just, I think I was also extremely proud to have finished it, but I think that was masked a bit more by the. that it was just so fucking hard.

It was just so violently hard.

Yeah. I had, uh, so I had tenosynovitis in both shins, which is just like fluid around the tendon sheath, uh, anterior tibialis muscle. Um, so essentially- You've had that before, right? Yeah. I had it in the Aus run probably like 20 days in. Um, I had a day three on my right leg. And had to have a dictus band on that one for the rest of the run. A what? A dictus band.

So for people with drop foot, when they like walk into the bus or they can't pull their shin up, essentially their foot up, it's just a device that goes around the ankle and then a rubber band goes through your laces. And so when you lift your hip up, your foot comes up. Oh, right. And then you, yeah.

And so essentially we found that that worked on the- Because it takes the pressure off having to actually- Exactly. When you press off- Foot wise, your calf explodes and then it's down and that rubber band essentially just pulls your foot up. Yep. Pulls your foot up. And I felt that like that worked on the Oz run.

It's a, it's something, if it does go to crap, I can utilize this as a, as a plan to keep moving. Um, and we packed another one cause we thought maybe my shin will go on the left side and it did on day, day eight or nine. Um, so I'm running with like two big dictus bands, rubber bands, people like what's going on with these legs. Um, I just have weak shins apparently.

And again, that's another thing that. So over time you get stronger shins, you do these things. Um, and then my right knee, which I'm still dealing with a little bit, um, essentially I'd lost hip mobility. And so my. gate was off all of, you know, two centimeters. So when I'd land, my knee would land in every step. So about 400 K to go, I had that pain.

So I had to walk 200 meters, run 200 meters. Cause the end of the running of 200 meters, I, the pain was just so immense that I had to like walk to ease it. So for the next 400 K, it was just a walk, run, walk, run. Um, and yeah, it was quite funny when people came to run with me. I'm like, I've just got to explain this scenario.

Like Izzy, uh, Israel Adesanya flew in from, uh, Auckland the second last night. He's like ready to run with me, fully keen. I'm like, just so you know, mate, we're walking and running every 200 meters. He's like. Yep. All good, mate. No worries. But yeah, that, that I've had a like injection in that now just to kind of ease it. But it's all nothing structural, which is good. Bloods were all fine.

Of course, of course. And that's like, that's the game. But I feel like at 25, you're somewhat relatable to younger people and also older people. And it's not really running for me. That's the thing. It's just running is the tool I use to feel what I feel. And I have almost an ability to get people to watch, I guess. And so I can then push what I want to push by doing that.

Apart from like a bit of a gluten response, just because of the high amount of carb you're eating and the inflammation in the body. Those markers were a bit high, but iron was good. Everything was good. I was pretty cortisol fine. Liver, liver bit high from pain meds.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's quite an interesting thing, isn't it? Yeah, I was... I was a bit perplexed. We only took them seven days later. So I reckon in that period, there probably would have been a bit, but like, I kind of guess you don't want to take them right then and there.

I would be intrigued to take them throughout and seeing what they can do. I think they can do a little for lactate. Yeah. Yeah. Um, yeah, I mean, it is always interesting, but again, I just like it for the, uh, Just because I said I was going to do it. I don't, there's no, like, I'm not trying to prove anything to anyone.

It's like one of those ones where it's like, this is something I want to attack. Life is, you don't know what's coming tomorrow. So let's set this thing up. Let's do it. Let's get it done.

That's a good question. I want to dance. No, I'm not going to dance around this because it's like something that's, again, being 25, something I never thought I would have done. dealt with as much. There's purists in everything.

And I know for a fact that people in boxing and swimming and all those things that take on these events without the, I guess, resume of what is supposedly supposed to do in order to attack a thousand miles.

There you go. Perfect. Perfect. Fucking God. Don't put that on me. He's got a mullet too. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I was shocked when I first copped a bit of flack for a few things, but I'm always like, even your talk last night talking about like anyone who's spreading negativity and It is funny when you've never copped it that you think they are, they so, oh my God, they must be right.

Because, you know, I'm this, this lack of. this person I'm, I'm not capable, but that person he's, he's got it. He knows. Yeah. That, that person's assessment of me is, is bang on. Like all your close people around you tell you, love you. No, they can't be right. No, you're fine, mate. What you did. No, not a chance.

Who know you so well, but then the, the nuffy that said, oh, how dare you pause your watch for this amount of time? Cuz it doesn't reflect exactly what it is. Oh yeah, no, he's, he knows me in and out. It's interesting. I think we're, we're just so naturally drawn to make sure. I think innately that's us to want people to love us and want people to approve us and welcome us with open arms.

And so whether that be through helping homelessness or getting people up and moving in spite to do something.

Yeah, when I first went through that, I was like, I'm going, oh, fuck, how do I... You just lose so much of yourself by doing that. Like you become the most broad, have no backbone, stand for nothing if you're trying to be general and please everyone. So it's good that you have people that don't like you.

But if you're yourself and you have those people that violently love you and can't support you enough, like... As long as you can say it for that, and exactly as you said, these people are so insecure about themselves and so worried about what people think of them too, that they prefer to spit hate and anger.

In saying that, in the running world, I would say majority of people accept me and appreciate that what I'm doing is probably a bit dumb and not the road to take, but it's also one that I would not change for the world.

I would do the Oz run again 10 times over at 22 years old to continue to, like, I just want people to, I've said it for like the last probably three years, any keynote I've done, any speaking to anyone, I want people to live, like live, just make the most of it. Stop waiting. Stop getting on your phone. Stop. Just go and do the thing you've always wanted to do. Give.

So give without wanting anything in return. I think there's a lot of that where it's like, people want something from an exchange or want something from doing something. I feel like if you can just give and give your time or energy or a smile or money to someone or to whatever it is, um, that is a very rewarding existence. And then to get uncomfortable.

Exactly. Exactly. Yeah. Cause I don't like, even before the Oz run, right. The run across Australia, I didn't really know why I was doing it. I just wanted to, I wanted like, I wanted to feel what it would feel like to run across Australia. I wanted to feel like what it would feel like to run a hundred K a day.

I love the fact that you can intentionally put yourself in really hard scenarios and you'll find out things about yourself that you'll never have learned unless you did those things. If you did the hard things. Um, and so yeah, live, give, get uncomfortable. That's all I want. That's all my message is.

And if I can get people to hear that through what I do, regardless of that being running, swimming, kayaking, rock climbing, whatever I decide to do next. And I'm sure I'll keep ruffling feathers with that.

purists of the sport who can't stand the responses paying me what they're paying me or can't stand that i'm getting to speak at these events where like but it should be this guy because he's can run this really fast marathon time it's like i appreciate that and those people are incredible those i i could never match it with the elites of the elites in the marathon world or the ultra marathon world it might take me years to get there but i hope that i have a message that people can go

Yeah, that's cool. I like that. I appreciate that for what he is. And yeah, I don't want to get that mixed up with me being, I've never gone on the, I'm just attacking this thing because it's there and I feel like I'm capable of doing it. And off the run I did, it definitely shows that I am capable. I just have to do the years and years and years.

But by the time I'm able to do it, I'll probably want to do something else. So, yeah.

He's a good friend.

Yeah, the three peaks or four or five peaks.

40, 30.

48, 30. That was it. You're in 48 marathons, 30 days. That was it. Yeah. Yes. Yeah, I do.

Yeah.

People just want to hate it. And it's like, it's just such a, odd way to look at the world. And it's sad. And I think if you can look at it from that pity point of view, it's like, that's actually sad that you can't go, you know what? This bloke's been running. He's an ex-rugby player. He's hot as shit. He's getting deals from a fricking, you know, whatever it may be.

Um, and I'm not willing to just sit back and go, I'll wait till the right time because I think in life there is no right time. I think you just have to start these things. Um, And so, yeah, off the back of that, I didn't really know why or what was going to come of it.

And they can't just go, you know what? Good on you. You ran across America in 55 days. That's fucking incredible. Like give the man his flowers. Like let's not hate on people for. What's the response been to Russ Cook? I think relatively positive. And I'm sure he's copped it as anyone does.

He's so likable. He's just such a – you can't not like the guy. There's something wrong with you if you can't not like him. You have to like him. He's too just bubbly and funny and like – You don't know what's going to come out.

Yeah, to the full length. So from bottom of South Africa to top of Tunisia. Yeah, wherever the fuck it is.

And that's why so many people love Russ. Like they just want to just give me more Russ. Like when he was posting, you know, Day 300 of London. He's got his goggles on through the Sahara. Like that is, that's just, you know what that is? That's authenticity. That's him being him. And I think so many people want to be themselves, but don't know how.

And you've got this guy who's just so unapologetically himself and And that is, that's attractive and draws you in. And I feel like if we can all do that, that's where you don't have these people that are sad and miserable about their lives, but that's just, that's the way the world is. You're never going to change them. They've got to change themselves and.

And then I saw off the back of the Oz run that there was so many people just in Oz, I guess, that went, I was so inspired to run my first marathon or to speak to someone on the street or to whatever it may have been. I was like, I want to give people something like tangible to be able to put that inspiration into after I do something. And so off the back of this,

Yeah. I guess there's a part of that, but I still feel it, it, uh, grabbed a lot of people and went, Oh Jesus, we've got to like this. How is he still going? How is, you know, we've been drawn on live TikTok at 3am going, Oh, he's still moving. He's still moving. Like, I know, I know it got,

it definitely got through the message I wanted, but I think, yeah, potentially crossing and went, yeah, maybe, maybe if I got the record, it still wouldn't have been as important as the, what happened anyway. If I did, I still don't believe I would be going, I got this, like, I don't think that would be the message. I hope it wouldn't be that if, because as you said at the start, it's like,

Ross isn't better or worse than anyone because he's done something. He's a human being that's living his life the way he wants to live it.

Yeah. And it's- just cool and people.

How much prep have you done for those? Like what? Sorry. No, no, no, no. What, like how long was your, Preparation for a show of that, because you're so refined and so clear with what you were.

Yeah, but incredible, except for the Arthur Shackleton.

thousand mile run, I wanted to get people allowed to do their own thing as well. So I started, um, Ned's Uncomfortable Challenge, which was like, giving them their own 10 day thing that they can pick and choose to do something hard and feel what I feel. That was kind of like the hope.

Exactly. Yeah.

So the lead up to it was like quite intense because I've got this thing, I'm trying to run this like almost organization that's trying to help people move and raise money for mobilize homelessness. But then as well, train really hard for this thing that you can't give anything else but your undivided attention. And yeah,

I think as well, I took on this, I love that whole, what we just talked about. I reckon I took on this probably because I felt I almost had to, not for anything, but like I've told myself I'm doing this every two years and then I did it or I'd set up that I was going to do it. And so when I'm, in it, I'm like, why am I doing this?

Even though I know like I'm, there's intention behind it to do good and get people to move and for myself to experience what I experienced. But like in those moments of being in it, you be able to have that almost, um, you talked about last night, being just like be, and to sit in it and be like, how on earth after, you know,

all I've been through or whatever I've done, however, I got to this point where I'm running around a track where it's live streamed, where people are fundraising, where people are like, I find that a really cool thing in itself is that you've gotten yourself to a point in this life where you've chosen this road, this, this, this, and this you're here.

And there was like a few moments there where Tom, who met last night, he's next to me. And I'm like, why are we, like, what is happening? Like, what on earth have I done in my life to get me to a point where I'm going, I'm fucking doing this thing, regardless of what happens. And that in itself, by finishing that and having those questions, like, why are we here? Why are we doing this?

Still finishing that and still having those, you know, being angry. Like, again, as you said, it's like, maybe there's something in that next time is like, well, The next thing I do, whatever it may be, it's like you've got an ability to then make the people around you enjoy it. And you try and break it down so that each five hours you have a moment of reflection and go, well, you know what?

This is actually... But you never ever get to that by not experiencing this really shit 12 days. Exactly.

Yeah.

Of course. And like, you know, if I did that, if I broke the record and I did it in 10 days... And it was a seamless event. I did 16 hours of running. I got 160 done each 16 hours, got eight, seven hours sleep, beautiful meal, woke up every day and went again. It just wouldn't be what it is now, right? Like it just wouldn't be the, um, I guess message of like how to not give in.

And I think that's what I hope I can continue to show is that like, it's not about necessarily, you know, being I'm better or worse. It's about going forward. Commit and see the damn thing through because life on the other side of that, I think, is with a perspective of something really cool.

Yeah, yeah, it was.

I was still at Sparky, yeah.

It's like... Well, what's the way you perceive it? Exactly.

Completely agree. What, um, what's, what's your goal with not necessarily the podcast, but like more broadly when you started, I know it's definitely evolved and what you've, I'm assuming from when you started to now and what your hope with it all, but like, what is the hope? Where does it not end, but where does it go for you with the, cause I like I'm in this not, uh,

I wouldn't say it's definitely not a lonely chapter, but it's like one of those, you've kind of got an open door where you go, what, where do we take this? Because I have an ability to potentially inspire a heap of people or is it, is it to double down on something else? Is it business? Is it whatever? Like,

do you just go with it or do you have an intention behind where you want to go or what's the thing?

Oh, what a difficult- We've also made them through a lot of work, right?

But still- Yeah, I know what you're saying.

Yeah. I'm a bit traumatized, to be honest. So it's good. I'm excited to talk about it. As you said, I just haven't really chosen to do it because I guess I wanted to process it a bit. But, yeah, I ran 1,000 miles around a track in what was hoping to be 10 and a half days but ended up a bit longer than that just due to a few –

I like how much you are clearly inquisitive of so many people. It's a really cool trait. Thank you.

As in like kids or as in-

Okay.

For long, like the whole schooling.

Like, do you feel like some – I know kids should never be bullied, but for you, potentially, it may have aided in your pursuit now, I'm assuming? Absolutely, yeah. So is there an argument – not saying bullying isn't great, but like hard love and hard being – like onto that. I don't know.

There's something in it because I know so many of it, myself included, there was definitely bullying at school where I've, you know, you feel like ostracized or not a part of something or, um, laughter because of a certain thing. It's like that it a hundred percent sticks with you, but I also feel that like,

I was never, I was never badly, but it was also enough where you're like, well, maybe this will help me in, in some.

No, of course not. You're going to really appreciate this.

Yeah. There's always, that's, that was the biggest thing I've learned in the 50 marathons was like, I had to go to work for eight and a half hours. And everyone, as you said, everyone can relate to the fact that they got to go to work and then they get home and they go, right, now I just got to feed and, you know, whatever it may be, walk the dog.

That's, this is, I've got a whole booty goose. This is my whole desire behind this uncomfortable challenge thing I said at the start is like, I don't like, we don't need to be bullied to feel something hard to then go, Oh, I'll overcome that.

Yeah, we can. I mean that in the purest way, we should be throwing ourselves in these harder things in order to survive. you know, learn those lessons. And if you throw, do that, it's going to be, you're going to learn these things about yourself without, you know, being told your haircut shit or,

But then I was like, right, I had to run 42K in the afternoon and then also feed myself, also wash my clothes, also, you know, clean my sheets, whatever it may have been, right? So yeah, that kind of, but that was like, I'd only been running for six months at that point. Like, I didn't run at school. Like, I only played rugby and rode, but I never ran. So doing that was like a whole new world.

It's one thing.

It's very well put. I was almost, I was like, when you said come on the pod, I was excited initially. And then I went, oh. I don't know if I'm like, I had this, it wasn't that I wasn't, uh, ready or worthy. It was that I was like, am I ready to talk about what I feel or think because of the only, I know what I felt in that.

So to sit and talk with you, who you are, would be one of the best people to try and get it out, like get it out of me. But yeah. That is like, again, you can only associate it with something you've ever, you've done. And so then I'm like, oh, do I, do I really want to do this? Because I want to be able to get to a point where I can explain it to people in the best way possible.

So that to me is like, it's a lot of writing. That's a lot of speaking to people. It's a lot of like hearing how same with a keynote or a speaking is like, well, that didn't work well. So I'm going to say it this way. And so I was a bit like nervous about the fact that I might come off as like – it might go straight over people's heads.

But I'm like, it's a really cool digital diary of my – Where were you at that time? Yeah. And so in five years' time, I might laugh about some of the things I've said because I'm like, what the fuck was that? And I'm sure your first bloody podcast, you're going, what on earth was I saying?

But I think that's what's really freaking cool about this is like if I do look back at it and I do look and go – Well, that's what I was thinking at the time and that's what I felt and that's what... It's accurate. Yeah, it was exactly right. There's nothing... I'm not hiding anything here. I'm not trying to say I'm something else. It's like it is just what I am.

Thank you for having me. It was a fun night. I didn't know what to expect, as I told you last night, but I feel like a lot of people felt a lot in that room. When I saw you, it felt like all the energy was on you. It's quite an intense, I think, environment, that stuff. But yeah, it was really cool. I loved to hear all the questions and the answers. It was great. Thank you. Yeah.

And I think that's a really cool... Isn't it strange that authenticity is something you need to practice?

Yeah, that it, yes, in this, yes, 100%. Like, how can you, yeah.

To file in line and just go, oh, well, I'll do what they do. Exactly, yeah.

It's not as jarring. It's not as like, oh, why is he posting about this? Exactly. Yeah, yeah. I think that's the other thing with the running thing is like I don't – running is just the tool I use. It's not like – And so when I'm doing this thing and being myself, I think that's why it's so jarring for some people.

Cause they're like, this is not how you meant to be running around a track for a thousand mile. You meant to be doing it like this. This is how they've always done it. And it's like, well, it's not really me. And to find, I think exactly right. You have to remove everything and find out like, I don't want to be a sparky. This is like, I want to do this. I want to find this.

And that's why I think it will change over time. It's like, this will come. I will be really excited. And that's what I will start pushing. Like,

Yep.

I drove home from the track. So I'd been that whole 26 hours because my old man is farmer like through and through. He's like, we live six hours from him, the family farm. And he has no idea about directions around the city. And I'm like wheeling in my wheelchair up to my, up to my ute, hop in. He starts going to the driver's seat. I'm like, no, no, no, no. I hop in.

I just knew he'd asked me for a freaking directions the whole way home. So I was like, I'm driving, turned ACDC on and drove home. For six hours? No, no, no, no. Back to, into Sydney from where I, where I did the track run was like 30 minute drive into the east of Sydney. Where were you? Um, and yeah, but when I got home, I was like, I was just in shock.

Like I sat for about two hours after the run in the room that we got ready for each day.

28 hours, yeah. From 4 a.m. it was now like, yeah, 8 a.m. the next morning. I'm sitting there just like, there was massive blister on my calf from all the tape because my leg was essentially strapped up to be like a crutch because I was just like stumpy, like couldn't move it. And then my knee was cooked, everything.

I'm just sitting there like, first breath I took over the whole 12 and a half days of like- sigh of relief, the sigh of like... It wasn't even... It was no post-run endorphins. There was no like... It was just... pure and utter relief that it was over and that I could take a moment to go, oh my God, what just happened guys?

It's evolved. Very cowboy at the start of this kind of four years. The Oz run, I would say, is still very cowboy. Like, I'll be fine. I'll tough it out. And I learned a lot through that, especially. When I started this, I always have a coach, deal with a nutritionist.

Um, so then went home late on the couch and I just was in this like tweaking out stage for like 12 hours, I reckon, just like in and out, in and out. And there'd be food in front of me and I'd go to sleep and I'm like, oh, late night. Um, and then I, I did not sleep well for the next seven days. I would, I would nap a lot. Um, and I'm very like, I have to move every day.

Like I have to get my body up and do an hour of something. Otherwise I'm like, uh, you know, it's not good. Get, if I say in the afternoon, I haven't done something, I'm like, So this is nasty. I don't know why. It's just, it's just in me. It's not like a, like I can control it, but I feel much better for doing it.

So I'm like now three, four days of not doing any exercise and I've just done so much to get in to turn off is near impossible. Um, so in bed, yeah, I'd just be up all night staring at the ceiling and then I'd finally get a sleep on the couch and that's when I'd wake up just like, It's a really, really hard thing to explain because you're like, you know, it's all okay.

And everyone right around you saying it is fine. It is fine. Yet you're like, I don't trust you. Like I'm a, I'm literally trying to do this thing and it's not done. I'd had it on the Oz run where I had like road trains. Cause they were constantly on the like trucks, big trucks, big trailers. Um, they were constantly on the highway.

And I'd, I reckon I'd run past a hundred of them each day over the hundred K. We get into one of the roadhouses where I'd sleep for the night and the whole night I just have these road trains coming at me and I'd be like spitting at the wall because I was spitting so much because there's so much dust in my mouth throughout the whole run. So I'd be like, okay.

like road train, I'd jump and then I'd like spit at the wall. And I'm like, I'm in a room. I can't spit at walls. Or like I'd wake up in like a panic. And so I kind of knew what to expect this time around. I knew that this would happen. And I kind of like weirdly enjoyed it. Like when do you get to that point where you actually get to feel those things because of what you've done to yourself?

And then- That's what I really like in this period now is that I know I'm going to crash for certain. I know there'll be a point where I'm a bit lost. I've, you know, devoted my life to this pursuit of this thing with no real plans after it. And I kind of give myself that time now because you can't have ups without downs. You can't have downs without ups. I... love feeling those downs.

Like I love feeling that because I know when I do process what just happened, I'll be so much prouder and so much more grateful about the $5 million we raised, you know, like it's those things. I don't think you can feel the beauty of those without this kind of really downtime and I'm, I'm okay.

Um, but I think there's something very valuable in just doing it and being like having to find out yourself what works, what doesn't. Yes, there is people who have done the research and they know. So it's like, you need to lean on them when you don't and haven't found what you can find throughout your own training.

I know how to deal with those, but it is, it is one of those things that I think people kind of push away. is like, oh, I can't feel terrible. I need to like, I think lean into it. The way you lean into feeling good and finishing, you should lean into like, why is my head like this? Why am I feeling these things? What's this emotion? I love those like more than anything.

I just can't. I mean, I can. If I intentionally wanted to do it, I would be able to do it. But I just haven't given myself the AOK to do it.

Uh, but the physical, I guess my lead up, the biggest thing I probably did was strength training and a lot of it. Like you can't. A lot of people try and run the Ks before the event and realize that they got injured throughout the process or they tried to climb too quick because the almost insurmountable achievement there is like too big.

I think there's a lot, way too much getting assessed. Yes.

Do you feel like you've got like a just, you need to do things or do you feel like you're at peace with whatever happens, this way we go, life's good?

what their environments were. Exactly.

That's what I love about that. I don't know who it was on your pod when you talk about the, you know, you might be 98% right. Yes, Richard Reeves. Yeah. And then the 2% right is something that you should still listen to. Like people being certain on something that is – Potentially not so certain is an odd way to- Share the truth between us. Yeah. I love that so much.

It was a really good way to be.

I haven't really spoken about it to many people. I think it has evoked- It's allowed people to start conversation about this topic. And- I'm the least, I would like to say toxic human being. I'm not at all. And the fact that, you know, my mother was my immediate support person shows that like I can't really, like she is, I would love Jill to speak to my mother. Like that would be amazing.

We have to make sure we hit those Ks so we know we can do it. Where strength training, I think, gives you that. Time under tension, but then running on heavy legs and running on, you know, sore calves, whatever it may be, allows you to kind of feel what it feels like to back to back a longer day after a longer day after a longer day.

I think it was quite opportunistic. I think it was like a bit of a click-baity kind of article. But yeah, I think it's allowed – people to question and there is the, the Jim bro, uh, I must be tough. I must not deal with emotions. I must be stoic and no one, you know, do not talk about emotions.

There's that side of things that's, that needs to probably be addressed a bit more, but then there's the, like, we also don't need to be too aware of our emotions all the time. I think you need to be aware, but use them to your benefit and, and be, um, Yeah. I mean, I don't, I just don't want to, I don't want to get too into that. I understand. Yeah.

But I just think, um, I've got nothing against Jill. I'm sure she's amazing. I didn't read too much of the article. I just saw it. I just knew it was a...

But nothing can emulate or simulate what running 160K after 160K feels like. It's like just X level.

Yeah. And they rock up to their family and they're inspired and ready to go. Yeah. Like, yeah, I think it's, I just, there was a friend of mine shared an article that talked about the Jill Stark article and me, and then just framed it in a really like, well, what is different to...

Ned Brockman running a thousand miles and screaming because he's in pain or being happy because he finished another day to Jessica Watson, who sailed around the world and being excited. And like, what's the difference? We're men and women, we're pursuing something hard and we're showing ourselves. I'm not, I'm not saying be tough, be a man.

I'm saying be tough, do an uncomfortable challenge, go and sleep on the street, speak to someone on the street. This is not gender toxic masculinity related at all. This is, do hard things because you will grow. Yeah. And to, to paint it with that brush is just so out of context.

Oh, we like just as part of the uncomfortable challenge, people signed up and said, well, I'm going to go on street, sleep on the street and see what it feels like for 10 days.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And, and speaking to people on the street for 10 days or, um, no, like all those things, but that was, yeah, someone did.

Um, the, fact that we're all human beings and I feel like no one ever wants to be homeless. No one's chosen to be homeless. They're whatever, for whatever reason, they've ended up there. A lot of homelessness is a lot out of their control. I've been fortunate enough to have the backing, like my family there. And if something goes wrong, I can always rely on them.

And you can only really feel that after day one.

A lot of people don't have anyone to rely on. And then they go down a path of, you know, it just,

For me, I feel for these people because they didn't have the same access to things that I had throughout my upbringing and even in education or, yeah, you know, all those things that I just feel we all should have the ability to know we have a roof over our head, a shower at night and a good bit of tucker to eat every day. So that for me, I just like, I want to bring awareness to it.

I don't know how to fix it. I don't know how to... solve homelessness, but what I do know is if we can make enough noise about it and get people seeing each other, regardless of status, wealth, all those things, seeing each other as human beings, I think that's why I chose homelessness because.

I think by being in the front of the public eye and having that voice, you can get everyone involved and go, well, this is something we can, we can help. Is it a big problem in Australia? Uh, it's nowhere near as a state. When I went over there, I was like blown away. It was crazy in LA and yeah, it's, I was, I was crying all the time. I was like, this is fucked up. Like, this is sad, but.

Uh, it is 126,000 in Australia. Every, uh, sleeping rough. Yeah. So that, that doesn't mean on the street, but that means car, uh, couch surfing. Um, yeah, I mean, I'm just, I'm compassionate for that because I don't like, I would hate to see someone I know personally in that scenario. And I, as I said, we're all human beings. We all have, we all should have the same access to things.

And I think, um, We're also, we have access to so much. So why can't we help those people?

Okay.

Yeah. And I think, Like with Mobilize, the charity I'm working with, it's really exciting. We're seeing like... the noise created from this, then it's now going, oh, government's got to get involved because it's almost too loud to not take on.

Yeah. So the goal, I actually got injured prior to the, to the start, got eight weeks out and I had a bit of a shin overload cause I, um, I guess probably overdid it a bit. The strength was up, but. The, the K's I was trying to hit 200 K a week, roughly with three big strength training days.

So they're getting behind it now because of what we've done and the funding, and it's going to become this, hopefully, it's like we've started something that gets people off the street and gets people into safe housing, into kids into school, things like that, where, you know, you're seeing a mother with a child who's living out of a car or like that stuff is,

Why is it taking this? Yeah, exactly.

You know what I mean? It's very cool.

Is homelessness just the entirety of your... It's not necessarily like this is it, right? It's like, I would say the... Through what I've done now, my passion is definitely getting people moving and live, give, and get uncomfortable. I think that's the big message. But right now, the homelessness thing, I want to end it. I want to get people – Like I want to see the change happen in real time.

So that's why I want, I don't, I don't want to be an ultra runner that goes, I'm going to raise for this one this time because it's five of the month. Like I'm, I genuinely care about homelessness. And the thing with these guys too, is they work with everyone. It's not them trying to fix it. It's them going, we want to work with everyone who's already.

So it's like, whether it's orange sky, like people who clean clothes or haircuts or all these things that are already established.

Yeah. And they go, here's, we've got the funding. Here you go. Let's help. Let's help. Let's do this.

Yeah. It's really, really cool. So it's not about them being the ones who've done it. It's them helping and facilitating everyone else who's helping as well. Wow. And the funding because of the, there's no red tape. It's not caught up in government stuff. It's, This is funding from the 55,000 people who donated and the big corpies who got behind it. It's like, here we go, go nuts.

And hopefully that through the uncomfortable challenge every year, people just like Movember, right? That's the goal. I want it to be, I want everyone doing it in October. I want everyone doing an uncomfortable challenge because it's like that time of the year where we go, oh yeah, that's where we do this hard thing and we raise money for people who need it. It's like.

And I think I just hit it a little bit, but I was so close to the event that I was like, I've got all these sponsors, this uncomfortable challenge, the fundraising, all these things were there and I knew I couldn't pull out. So it was like. Never right time. You must do what you said. Let's just try and work out the best way.

Calling it Nucktober. Ned's uncomfortable challenge, October. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. I want it. I want it. Like, that's my goal. And that's, again, that might be the next thing I go into is like, let's build this thing out. So it becomes this ingrained in the nation psyche. Like, and I love shooting for the stars. I love like taking on a challenge that might be impossible, but in the pursuit of it, I think is a pretty cool, whatever happens.

It can't, it can't be bad, the result.

Appreciate it, man. I've really, really enjoyed today and I appreciate you. Thanks for last night. And yeah, you're a good man.

Yeah, just Ned Brockman, Ned's Uncomfortable Challenge on Instagram. I mean... social media is a necessary evil for these things. I, uh, if I could, I do mean this, if I could not be on social media, um, and still raise the money, inspire and, you know, there's a commercial aspect to things. So you have to, um, do what you have to do.

But if I could do that without social media, no one would fucking know who I was, but it's a necessary evil and it's the game we all play.

Exactly. Being on Instagram. Well worth it.

Probably being a bit under ready for it, but still completed it in 12 and a half days. Fastest person to ever do it since I've been alive, which is a pretty cool stat. I've only been alive for 25 years, so there's a few guys did it before that, but yeah, ended up 130K a day around a 400 meter athletics track for 12 and a half days.

Um, a lot of physioing, a lot of praying, uh, not on, not on my knees cause that was all of it. And then I, I would, yeah, got to the, got to the start line, essentially went, had a pretty severe injury from the get go. Um, and the goal was to run 160 a day.

for 10 days, ideally we knew that wasn't probably gonna go to plan after about day three or four, but that's what we deal with when it happens. Um, got day one, did it in 16 hours. That was kind of the goal. Get it 10K done every hour.

Yeah. And so each lap I would each lane, I would do two laps in lane one, two laps in lane two, two laps in lane three, all the way to lane eight, come back to lane one. So that would be 12.8K.

Yeah. Because just doing 4,000 laps of lane one is like almost completely unachievable in my mind where like... Lane one twice, lane two twice, lane three twice.

So it was like, that was a master lap. So two laps, lane one, two laps, lane two, all the way to lane eight.

So that was one master lap. Had to do 125 master laps.

Lane four on the way out. All the way back home, like after the three quarters of the way. Why? So it was like lane four on the way that the start wasn't good because you still had, and like the tiny little bit of distance each lane further out adds up. So when you're over that and you're heading the way out, it's like, oh, I've only got two in lane five now.

which means I've only got three more lanes, which essentially if I just run for like two minutes, I've got two laps. Two laps. Oh, cool. I'm done. And then like at the end of each master lap, I would eat or lay down, get a rub down or just quickly turn around and go.

Every master lap. So I would go that way and then come back. That's a really nice setup. Yeah.

But then by day four, the master laps, it's like, Why did I choose to do this?

I don't know. It was almost like this. What's the movie with... Tom Cruise in it where he keeps getting through and then he dies and he has to restart and go again.

Tomorrow we'll be on something. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. I fucking love that movie. Yeah. He dies and keeps waking up in this workshop or whatever. Yeah. So I would like finish a master lap and I'm so exhausted. Like after day three, day two was 20 hours. Day three was 21 hours. Of running.

And then I, so, and to keep the record, I was like, right, I've got to shift that to 12 hours running, two hours resting, two hours sleeping. And in that two hours resting, I was still getting in the shower, eating. So I had like an hour of sleep and I'd wake up and I'm like, oh, that's right. I've got 12 hours of running right now. And so that's what would happen.

I would get to the physio bed after a master lap and nothing would move. Like I'd, I'd wake up and it was the exact same thing. Like I just kept seeing like. The, my shoes there, mom hadn't moved. No one had like done anything. And on the Oz run, what was nice was like, you'd see a different scene. You'd see different cars. You'd see different people.

But here it was like, I'd wake up, I'd see a blue track. I'd say like the physio table where it was, the food hasn't moved. And I'm like, I'm in a fucking loop here. What is happening? Like, yeah, you are. I was like, how do I get out of this? And it's like, the only way out is through, like the only way out is to get this thing done.

A culmination of a few things. I ran across Australia two years ago and kind of felt this desire to want to keep doing these things and push my body. The more discomfort you put yourself through, the better of a person or, you know, more of a person you become.

And the only way to get this thing done is to put one foot in front of the other. But when you're like day four and you still got a thousand kilometers to go, that's like terrifying.

Yeah. I felt quite strong up until about day three. Daylight savings changed. So we went forward an hour, which really fucked my head up. Oh, fuck. You did it across daylight savings. Yeah, on day, end of day three. So that was like, oh no, we've lost an hour, even though we hadn't. Yes.

Yeah. And I'm like, no, no, no. Yeah. And the idea behind the 16 hours was I started at 4pm on day one. And, um, wanted to go throughout the night. So it wasn't as hot because here on the track, if you get a hot day, it's like five degrees hotter. And so that after day one, I slept throughout the day, had like my, my eight sleep, had my, um, like the room was blacked out. Everything was great.

Yeah. And then after that, I realized, which I tried to do in my training was like sleep being cooked and your heart rate being up and how do we get those things down? But yeah. Yeah, that, I was that stressed, that built up about this whole event. So like after day one, I'm just like, oh God, I got another, you know, 900 miles to go. And so after day one, sleep just never came.

Like I just couldn't sleep. So as we discussed last night, like sleep is one of, if not the most important thing for recovery, right? And if you can't even get two of it a night, um, if the wheels are going to fall off, if you like it or not, you can try and tough it out all you like. And I was doing my best to do that.

But, um, day five was when I actually haven't really spoken about this to anyone. I, except for like the immediate crew, I got to the end of day five, uh, or day five, six hours, I'd hit 810 kilometers. So I was over halfway. pretty well on track, but I wasn't really making decisions very well. And I'd started to lose that like almost consciousness.

Like I wasn't really there with everyone, even though they were right around me. And mum was like, like, she's like, do you want to eat? I couldn't even work out if I wanted to make the call to eat. Like I wanted someone to say, you must eat, you must rest, you must drink, you must change your shoes. I just didn't have it in me. And so we got to this point where mum's like, you either run or

or go to bed. I'm going to call, go to bed. And I went right at 45 minutes. I'm going to go to bed 45 minutes, hopped in bed with my shoes on, clothes on. It's after like a 12 hour day. I'm laying on my bed and I, my heart rate was at like 110. That's me resting. I'm laying there. I just feel it in my throat. My ears were like pulsing. My eyes were like forcing out of my head. And I'm like, okay.

This could be how I, how I go. I reckon like genuinely thought this is it because like the sleep deprivation thing becomes gnarly, but if you can nap and you can switch it off a little bit, there's like little tricks you can play and you know, ultra runners do that all the time. But over that kind of period, it starts to, I think, go the opposite way and like you start to die.

Um, and off the back of that, I knew I wanted to do something every one or two years and, uh, thought about running across the length of the UK, uh, was to hear a lot of people have done that, uh, bit too hilly for me. So I chose, uh, stupidly a thousand miles around a track. Um, and yeah, I didn't really think too much about it. I don't really think too much about these things.

Um, and so I'm laying in bed, my throat's like closing up, my nose is bleeding and And I go, mom, can you stay out the door? I'm like, not sure what's going to happen here. Like I'm pretty concerned about like my health. 20 minutes later, I'm like freaking out. Mom, mom, mom. She's like, not there. She's like left.

She's having crisis talks with the team because she's watched me go, I'm going to die and going, we need to get him to bed. He needs to sleep. And we need to like, make sure this, because essentially I was trying to get this record so bad. It was like a wounded dog going, I need to like kill or be killed. Right. And when you're in that mode, you've done what you've done already to get there.