Getting up and going for a run each morning is a goal a lot of people aspire to, but getting up every morning and running 50kms or more for 81 days straight, now that’s well and truly a next level goal.
Ultra marathon runner, William Burnett has set himself that goal and is currently running across Australia from Margaret River in Western Australia to Byron Bay on the far north coast of New South Wales, a trip that is expected to take 81 days.
When Will runs through Cobar today, on Day 64 of his journey, he’ll have covered more than 3,400km of his 4,500km run.
“I started on the 7th of September, it was my 34th birthday, and expect to finish the 27th November,” Will told The Cobar Weekly on Monday when we sat down with him for an interview after almost nine weeks of running more than 50kms each day.
Along the way he’s breaking records, including some Guinness World Records, but the main reason Will is running is to improve his health (both physical and mental).
It’s also to help improve the health of Australian Veterans and their families with the money he raises on the trip going to Veteran Support Force (VSF).
VSF was set up by a friend of Will’s, Heston Russell, to support Veterans and their families during the conduct of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide.
VSF helps Veterans and their families to navigate and understand the process, while proactively reaching out and supporting each other along the way.
“Not only does it support and fund Veterans transitioning, but it helps the families as well,” Will said.
A Veteran himself, Will served in the Royal Australian Airforce for 12 years and said during that time he experienced a lot of trauma to his body, both physically and mentally.
“When I left the military in 2017, I was medically discharged and I wasn’t aware of what kind of medical conditions I had.
“I knew that I was suffering from PTSD [Post Traumatic Stress Disorder] and depression, that was very evident,” he said.
“Physically I thought I was actually quite healthy.
“I’d been a high performer athletically and throughout my military career.
“I put myself through physical trainer instructor selection.
“So when I left I was like, ok I know my mental health is pretty bad and not in a good state but my physical health is ok—that was until I actually stopped.
“My job was always go, go, go and when I stopped, my nervous system just went ‘ah ok if we are going to stop then I’m going to let the body do what it needs to do’.
“Then all my physical injuries started to come through. I was suffering from Rheumatoid Arthritis and Osteo Arthritis, which can be debilitating.
“For me it was even scary to get out of bed in the morning.
“The doctors said I would never run again and potentially end up in a wheelchair before the age of 35,” Will said.
“I had three kids at that time.”
“So personally, I was like I can’t get to that place.
“The second part of that was I was sitting there and thought how many other Veterans in the world, let alone Australia, sit here, get that report and think “life’s over”
“I’ve come to find out that it’s a lot, it’s very high.
“And so why I get out of bed in the morning is to prove that you can heal your body.”
Will bypassed the medical system and opted for alternative medicines and holistic practices rather than medication or therapy.
Planning to run across Australia was three years in the making and two years of training.
Will said when he first approached his coach, “an Italian guy from Noosa, a Guinness World Record holder himself and a very prestigious ultra marathon runner” to help prepare him for the run, he said: “You have to be insane!”
Will assured him he was and that he was 100 per cent committed to the task.
“In the two years of coaching it was a matter of building up each week the volume of distance.
“I first started at 50k a week then 200 to 300k a week.”
While he aims to do 50+km each day (which earns him the Guinness Record for most consecutive ultra marathons), some days Will has decided to test himself a bit further and he’s done 65km and also 75km (which extended to 83km and that got him to the WA border).
And he has goals to run 100km and run for 24 hours, which he’s earmarked for the second last day of the journey, just before Byron Bay.
“Running is like this gigantic metaphor to say: I’m supposed to be in a wheelchair but right now I’m about to complete 4,500k across the country,” Will said.
“It’s supporting veterans that way and teaching them that life’s not over, you’ve still got this!”
The Cobar Services Club is planning a welcome for Will and his support crew (his wife, their two young children and two of their friends) with a Meet and Greet, barbecue and raffles at the Club today.
The public is welcome to go along from 4pm to chat to Will about his amazing journey.