British ultrarunner William Goodge is chasing his most ambitious feat yet—a transcontinental speed record for the fastest run across Australia, from Perth to Sydney. Covering 3,800 km (the equivalent of 90 marathons) in just 35 days, Goodge hopes to surpass the 2023 record set by Australian Chris Turnbull.
Goodge is no stranger to transcontinental challenges. In 2018, he turned to running as a way to cope with the loss of his mother to cancer —and ultimately, to honour her memory. In the years since, he’s become the fastest British man to run across the U.S., and has finished a marathon in every county in England, often using his efforts to raise money and awareness for cancer research.
As a former Rugby Sevens player, Goodge’s career shifted after suffering multiple concussions. During his recovery, while navigating grief, he discovered running as an emotional outlet to deal with the loss of his mom. “I didn’t start with any plan,” he says. “I was always frustrated or angry when I ran. I found it was just my way to deal with any emotion.”
What started as a coping mechanism quickly turned into ultra challenges. In 2019, Goodge ran 55 miles a day for 16 consecutive days during his run the length of the U.K., which was timed to coincide with what would have been his mother’s 54th birthday. He recalls his first challenge as “total self-destruction,” pushing through severe ankle pain with the help of a close friend and fellow ultrarunner Robbie Balenger. “Robbie told me to push through, and my mind and body would figure it out,” Goodge says. “His advice changed everything for me.”
Balenger remains a key figure in Goodge’s life, even helping him with this transcontinental challenge. “He feels like an older brother to me—just inspires me so much,” he says.
The 31-year-old’s decision to run across Australia has emotional ties. A vacation at age 11 marked the first time Goodge left Europe with his parents. At 18, he returned to travel the country for six months. Now, he’s back with one focus: to conquer its vast (and harsh) landscape on foot. The heat and desert terrain of Australia alone can pose a brutal challenge to anyone, but it’s one he feels prepared for. “A lot of the ultramarathons I’ve done have been in the desert,” he says, citing his 11th-place finish at last year’s Moab 240.
This new challenge, dubbed Run Across Australia: The Record, began on April 15 at Cottesloe Beach in Perth, from there he’ll run more than 100 kilometres each day until he reaches Bondi Beach in Sydney. To prepare, Goodge trained for six months in South Africa, where he logged between 45 and 85 miles a week, focusing on running efficiency rather than volume. “The key for my training was to not overdo it,” he explains. “We did a lot of tempo work and double threshold efforts [instead of longer efforts] to make me more efficient across long distances.”
Despite the tall (or long) task, Goodge has kept the logistics of his challenge surprisingly simple. He says the route was planned “hitting the walk button” on Google Maps from Cottesloe Beach in Perth to Bondi Beach in Sydney. “Planning fuel and aid stations is the hardest part, but you kind of figure those things out as you go,” laughs Goodge.
In preparation for his Australia run, Goodge ran across Japan in February and March. That particular journey brought on a lot of emotion—seeing the cherry blossoms, a moment he had always wanted to share with his mother: “Being there, with her in my head, meant the world.”
As for what he’s looking forward to most in Australia, Goodge is candid. “It’s finding my own self-destruction,” he says. “I want to question everything—why I’m here, what I’m doing it for. I do these challenges to learn more about myself and see what I’m made of.”
If successful, he already has his eye on what might come next. “I’ve leaned into the heat,” he says. “But I think I need to test myself in the cold. I’m curious how my body would respond.”
For those interested in following Goodge’s journey, you can track his run on Strava, visit his website, or follow his live updates via Garmin InReach.
