Exclusive: Ultra-marathon runner Nedd Brockmann was in excruciating pain and felt like he was losing his mind on his 1600km run at Sydney Olympic Park, but he told 9News.com.au that he would have rather died on the athletic track than quit.
Just a few weeks ago Brockmann completed the mammoth 1000-mile run, or 1600 kilometres, in 12 days for Homeless Charity We Are Mobilise, raising $4.5 million for the cause.
One month on, Brockmann has told 9News.com.au that while on the run, he felt like he was trapped in a time loop.
“I literally felt like I was in the movie The Edge of Tomorrow… when Tom Cruise has to go through the same day, then he dies, restarts and goes again.
“I would run a master lap (12.8kms), finish, hop on the bed, then I’d wake up and nothing would have moved.
“The track was still there… (I was thinking) I’m in a loop and this is never-ending… get me the f— out of here.”
Despite that feeling, quitting was never an option for the 25-year-old.
”People think it comes down to… that you just got to find a few words or find something that will keep you going… But it’s well and truly the year prior to the event that you’re making that decision.
”You have to commit to decisions regardless of what they are… I would have died out there.”
He prepared by only allowing himself a warm shower if he had run over 100km that day, and committed to that decision for an entire year.
“It’s the middle of winter and I’m staring at the cold or hot tap… no one’s watching, it’s just me… but that was a decision that was made, that’s what I have to do.
While Brockmann’s mentality was strong, his body began deteriorating within days.
His average resting heart rate doubled from 40 to 82, his feet and toes were swollen and infected, he was battling a chest infection from day three and had pain radiating from his knees, ankles and shins.
“It’s almost like sandpaper in your feet every time you run,” Brockmann said.
He also wasn’t able to sleep, which seriously impacted his body’s ability to heal from the day of torment.
“I would get in bed and my heart rate would be up… I’d be lying there tweaking out about the fact that I wasn’t sleeping, then I have to go back out two hours later and run.”
He also said the live-streaming aspect of the run added an immense amount of pressure, making it “ten times harder” than his 2022 run across Australia.
“You could check in at any hour of the day to see if I was still moving… for you that’s great – but for me, it was almost like The Truman Show,” Brockmann said.
“I’m just this little Minion who’s doing this thing and everyone’s watching… I couldn’t leave it until it was done.
“That was a really hard thing to stomach.”
Brockmann said listening to music helped him through the run, as well as quick naps and food breaks.
When he finally crossed the finish line, he said the overwhelming feeling was relief.
“More so than joy or pride because I was in so much pain… so much more than I ever anticipated.”
Weeks later, his body still hasn’t fully recovered.
His resting heart rate is still too high, his knees are at 70 per cent mobility, and his joints still haven’t recovered.
“After the run, I lost five kilos… I was still eating but my body was chewing away at my body.
“My heart rate is still a bit higher for a bit longer than it normally is… just getting that checked out to make sure there’s no long-lasting damage.”
Brockmann says he’s now going to take some time to rest and be kind to himself, but he knows ultimately he’ll end up planning his next challenge sooner rather than later.
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Why? He says it comes down to his “zest for life”.
“I have this desire to push my limits and live this weird existence, that we all have on this planet, as fully as I can,” Brockmann said.
“I would hate to go through life just going through the motions and only living and feeling a six… I’d much rather feel a 10.
“And also feel the lulls of life as well because that means you’re living the whole existence.”
