A Kiwi bloke has tied a world record for putting the body through absolute hell, all in the name of supporting mental health,
Sam Harvey ran for 101 hours straight, covering 677 km in the Australian Masters Backyard Ultra at Dead Cow Gully in Queensland. Before the race, Harvey set up a Givealittle page to raise money that he would send to Mike King’s ‘I Am Hope’ charity.
Harvey was taking part in what’s called a backyard ultramarathon race. Participants in such a race run a 6.7km lap per hour, only resting in the time between finishing a lap and the new hour starting.
The race finishes when just one runner is left, and they complete a lap by themselves.
Harvey was one of the last two participants left, alongside Australian Phil Gore. They both managed to tie the world record on the 101st lap.
However, Harvey had been fighting a chest infection for the last eight hours and pulled out at the start of the 102nd lap. Stuff reports that race officials actually wanted him to stop running, but ol’ mate kept on going so Gore could break the record. What a bloke.
“I almost collapsed on the course and was lying back at the start screaming for breath,” Harvey said after the race. “But if I hadn’t been sick, I was planning on still being running tonight.”
In a social media post after the race, Harvey said he’s always had something like this in him, and he’s stoked to actualise it.
“I have a special ability of not quitting, and that's what saw us take down the world record of 677 km today,” he wrote.
“I can now officially say that I have done something bigger than myself.”
Currently, the running mad lad’s Givealittle page has raised over $7,000 for the incredible ‘I Am Hope’ foundation, just 3k off the goal of $10,000.
If you can, go on and help him reach that goal, he’s definitely earned it.
