Fran Hurndall to attempt world record by running from Perth to Sydney and raise money for DV victims
When Fran Hurndall starts running from Cottesloe Beach on Thursday, her sights set on Sydney as she covers the equivalent of three marathons a day, she knows that intense mental and physical pain awaits.
But propelling her forward as she covers 110km for a gruelling 12 to 14 hours each day is the strength of survivors of domestic violence, such as her sister.
Ms Hurndall is attempting to break a world record as the first woman to run the 3800km from Perth to Sydney in under 40 days — but raising awareness and funds for domestic violence support in Australia is the target that means the most to her.
Her goal is to make $1 million for RizeUp Australia, which provides life-saving support for families impacted by domestic abuse. By doing so, she is also giving a voice to her sister.
'In 2024, I found out my sister in the UK had been suffering in a domestic violence relationship, we had no idea and she was trying to raise a child under five,' Ms Hurndall said.
'She escaped in the middle of the night and luckily she had somewhere safe to go, but so many people don't get that opportunity.
'The most beautiful thing is that by doing this run I've given my sister a voice to start her healing journey and that's what I hope others will be able to do.'
Ms Hurndall is a former professional soccer player, who was scouted by Arsenal Ladies at 13 and represented England at 15.
Now based in Australia, in 2023 she set a Guinness World Record by dribbling a soccer ball 1000km from the Gold Coast to Sydney, while raising funds for Women Sport Australia.
Before taking off from Cottesloe on Thursday, she said this latest feat would be her most challenging.
The journey will take her through the Nullarbor Plain and the Great Victoria desert in south-central Australia, burning an average of 8000 calories a day and going through more than 10 pairs of shoes as she runs for up to 14 hours a day.
'There is going to be a lot of pain but 70 per cent of this is a mental game,' she said.
'Running 110km a day is nothing compared to being in a domestic violence relationship, so that's the mindset that I've taken.
'I think in a weird way, part of me is going do die on this trip and I'm going to be a completely different person at the end, but that person is going to be stronger on the other side.'
Ms Hurndall will be supported by a logistics team in two vans providing food and water, and a trailer for sleeping.
She will also have the support of partner Natalie Gidas, who works in police forensics and has investigated numerous domestic violence and homicide cases, including the murder of Hannah Clarke and her children in Queensland in 2020.
Besides raising money, Ms Hurndall hopes to bring widespread attention to the issue of domestic violence.
'I just want to ... make it easier for people to talk about these things and for people to get help when when they need it,' she said.
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The Advertiser
19-05-2025
- The Advertiser
Man becomes fastest runner to cross Australia on foot
An ultra-endurance athlete has just smashed the world record for running across Australia after spending more than a month on foot. Spurred on by his mother's battle with cancer, and with his father by his side, William Goodge crossed the finish line in Sydney just after 4pm on Monday. It brings an end to 35 days of pounding the pavement, striding the equivalent of two and a half marathons per day. That's four days quicker than previous record holder, Chris Turnbull, who completed the 3800km feat in 39 days in 2023. The 31-year-old Brit crossed the finish line at Bondi Beach, making his massive run a new Guinness World Record. Mr Goodge set out from Cottlesloe Beach in Perth on April 15, averaging more than 100km per day at about seven and a half minutes per kilometre. "Done a run in Centennial Park," he said in a video posted to social media just moments before finishing. "What's up!?" he shouted to the hundreds of runners behind him who turned out to run the last five and 10 kilometres with him. "It's obviously been quite the journey ... we start before the sun comes up and finish when the sun's gone down," he previously told AAP. "I've seen every one of your famous animals, other than sharks and crocodiles, but unfortunately, a lot of them have been dead on the side of the road." After crossing the line he was handed a bunch of flowers which he placed at the shoreline in memory of his late mother who passed away from cancer in 2018. "She was the most special person in my life ... she passed away seven and a half years ago to cancer," he said. Throughout the run, Mr Goodge has raised money for the Cancer Council of Australia in honour of his mother Amanda. Mr Goodge said he used his grief and the strength his mother showed while fighting the disease to motivate him to do something positive instead of "waving the white flag". "She would be proud of everything I've done. She'd also be concerned," he said with a chuckle. The punishing run has tested Mr Goodge. "The first nine days trying to sort of acclimatise to what I was doing was a big challenge," he previously said. "I wasn't sleeping at night and I had deep pain in my bones and things like hip flexors ... and mentally I was tossing and turning throughout the night, hallucinating a little bit, which isn't that fun." Mr Goodge said he suffered multiple injuries as he crossed the country, including toenails falling off and one toe that's "been rotting for the past probably a week". "Ironically, the knees have felt OK. They've been very solid," he said. Mr Goodge, who celebrated his birthday on the Nullarbor Plain during the run, is also the fastest Brit to run across the US. An ultra-endurance athlete has just smashed the world record for running across Australia after spending more than a month on foot. Spurred on by his mother's battle with cancer, and with his father by his side, William Goodge crossed the finish line in Sydney just after 4pm on Monday. It brings an end to 35 days of pounding the pavement, striding the equivalent of two and a half marathons per day. That's four days quicker than previous record holder, Chris Turnbull, who completed the 3800km feat in 39 days in 2023. The 31-year-old Brit crossed the finish line at Bondi Beach, making his massive run a new Guinness World Record. Mr Goodge set out from Cottlesloe Beach in Perth on April 15, averaging more than 100km per day at about seven and a half minutes per kilometre. "Done a run in Centennial Park," he said in a video posted to social media just moments before finishing. "What's up!?" he shouted to the hundreds of runners behind him who turned out to run the last five and 10 kilometres with him. "It's obviously been quite the journey ... we start before the sun comes up and finish when the sun's gone down," he previously told AAP. "I've seen every one of your famous animals, other than sharks and crocodiles, but unfortunately, a lot of them have been dead on the side of the road." After crossing the line he was handed a bunch of flowers which he placed at the shoreline in memory of his late mother who passed away from cancer in 2018. "She was the most special person in my life ... she passed away seven and a half years ago to cancer," he said. Throughout the run, Mr Goodge has raised money for the Cancer Council of Australia in honour of his mother Amanda. Mr Goodge said he used his grief and the strength his mother showed while fighting the disease to motivate him to do something positive instead of "waving the white flag". "She would be proud of everything I've done. She'd also be concerned," he said with a chuckle. The punishing run has tested Mr Goodge. "The first nine days trying to sort of acclimatise to what I was doing was a big challenge," he previously said. "I wasn't sleeping at night and I had deep pain in my bones and things like hip flexors ... and mentally I was tossing and turning throughout the night, hallucinating a little bit, which isn't that fun." Mr Goodge said he suffered multiple injuries as he crossed the country, including toenails falling off and one toe that's "been rotting for the past probably a week". "Ironically, the knees have felt OK. They've been very solid," he said. Mr Goodge, who celebrated his birthday on the Nullarbor Plain during the run, is also the fastest Brit to run across the US. An ultra-endurance athlete has just smashed the world record for running across Australia after spending more than a month on foot. Spurred on by his mother's battle with cancer, and with his father by his side, William Goodge crossed the finish line in Sydney just after 4pm on Monday. It brings an end to 35 days of pounding the pavement, striding the equivalent of two and a half marathons per day. That's four days quicker than previous record holder, Chris Turnbull, who completed the 3800km feat in 39 days in 2023. The 31-year-old Brit crossed the finish line at Bondi Beach, making his massive run a new Guinness World Record. Mr Goodge set out from Cottlesloe Beach in Perth on April 15, averaging more than 100km per day at about seven and a half minutes per kilometre. "Done a run in Centennial Park," he said in a video posted to social media just moments before finishing. "What's up!?" he shouted to the hundreds of runners behind him who turned out to run the last five and 10 kilometres with him. "It's obviously been quite the journey ... we start before the sun comes up and finish when the sun's gone down," he previously told AAP. "I've seen every one of your famous animals, other than sharks and crocodiles, but unfortunately, a lot of them have been dead on the side of the road." After crossing the line he was handed a bunch of flowers which he placed at the shoreline in memory of his late mother who passed away from cancer in 2018. "She was the most special person in my life ... she passed away seven and a half years ago to cancer," he said. Throughout the run, Mr Goodge has raised money for the Cancer Council of Australia in honour of his mother Amanda. Mr Goodge said he used his grief and the strength his mother showed while fighting the disease to motivate him to do something positive instead of "waving the white flag". "She would be proud of everything I've done. She'd also be concerned," he said with a chuckle. The punishing run has tested Mr Goodge. "The first nine days trying to sort of acclimatise to what I was doing was a big challenge," he previously said. "I wasn't sleeping at night and I had deep pain in my bones and things like hip flexors ... and mentally I was tossing and turning throughout the night, hallucinating a little bit, which isn't that fun." Mr Goodge said he suffered multiple injuries as he crossed the country, including toenails falling off and one toe that's "been rotting for the past probably a week". "Ironically, the knees have felt OK. They've been very solid," he said. Mr Goodge, who celebrated his birthday on the Nullarbor Plain during the run, is also the fastest Brit to run across the US. An ultra-endurance athlete has just smashed the world record for running across Australia after spending more than a month on foot. Spurred on by his mother's battle with cancer, and with his father by his side, William Goodge crossed the finish line in Sydney just after 4pm on Monday. It brings an end to 35 days of pounding the pavement, striding the equivalent of two and a half marathons per day. That's four days quicker than previous record holder, Chris Turnbull, who completed the 3800km feat in 39 days in 2023. The 31-year-old Brit crossed the finish line at Bondi Beach, making his massive run a new Guinness World Record. Mr Goodge set out from Cottlesloe Beach in Perth on April 15, averaging more than 100km per day at about seven and a half minutes per kilometre. "Done a run in Centennial Park," he said in a video posted to social media just moments before finishing. "What's up!?" he shouted to the hundreds of runners behind him who turned out to run the last five and 10 kilometres with him. "It's obviously been quite the journey ... we start before the sun comes up and finish when the sun's gone down," he previously told AAP. "I've seen every one of your famous animals, other than sharks and crocodiles, but unfortunately, a lot of them have been dead on the side of the road." After crossing the line he was handed a bunch of flowers which he placed at the shoreline in memory of his late mother who passed away from cancer in 2018. "She was the most special person in my life ... she passed away seven and a half years ago to cancer," he said. Throughout the run, Mr Goodge has raised money for the Cancer Council of Australia in honour of his mother Amanda. Mr Goodge said he used his grief and the strength his mother showed while fighting the disease to motivate him to do something positive instead of "waving the white flag". "She would be proud of everything I've done. She'd also be concerned," he said with a chuckle. The punishing run has tested Mr Goodge. "The first nine days trying to sort of acclimatise to what I was doing was a big challenge," he previously said. "I wasn't sleeping at night and I had deep pain in my bones and things like hip flexors ... and mentally I was tossing and turning throughout the night, hallucinating a little bit, which isn't that fun." Mr Goodge said he suffered multiple injuries as he crossed the country, including toenails falling off and one toe that's "been rotting for the past probably a week". "Ironically, the knees have felt OK. They've been very solid," he said. Mr Goodge, who celebrated his birthday on the Nullarbor Plain during the run, is also the fastest Brit to run across the US.
The Advertiser
18-05-2025
- The Advertiser
Trans-Australia run world record set to topple
Spurred on by his mother's battle with cancer, an ultra-endurance British athlete is on track to smash the world record for running across Australia. William Goodge has a spring in his step as he nears Sydney, having crossed the country in 35 days, striding the equivalent of two and a half marathons per day. That's four days quicker than the current record holder, Chris Turnbull, who completed the 3800km feat in 39 days in 2023. "Everything's feeling really good," he told AAP from the Hume Highway outside the harbour city. "The end really is in sight ... we've done the hard graft, and now it's a nice let's just say easy job downhill." The 31-year-old is set to cross the finish line at Bondi Beach on Monday, making his massive run a new Guinness World Record. Mr Goodge set out from Cottlesloe Beach in Perth on April 15, averaging more than 100km per day at about seven and a half minutes per kilometre. "It's obviously been quite the journey ... we start before the sun comes up and finish when the sun's gone down," he said. "I've seen every one of your famous animals, other than sharks and crocodiles, but unfortunately, a lot of them have been dead on the side of the road." Throughout the run, Mr Goodge has raised money for the Cancer Council of Australia in honour of his mother Amanda, who passed away from cancer in 2018. "She was the most special person in my life ... she passed away seven and a half years ago to cancer," he said. Mr Goodge said he used his grief and the strength his mother showed while fighting the disease to motivate him to do something positive instead of "waving the white flag". "She would be proud of everything I've done. She'd also be concerned," he said with a chuckle. Although upbeat as he closed in on his goal, the punishing run has tested Mr Goodge. "The first nine days trying to sort of acclimatise to what I was doing was a big challenge," he said. "I wasn't sleeping at night and I had deep pain in my bones and things like hip flexors ... and mentally I was tossing and turning throughout the night, hallucinating a little bit, which isn't that fun." Mr Goodge said he suffered multiple injuries as he crossed the country, including toenails falling off and one toe that's "been rotting for the past probably a week". "Ironically, the knees have felt OK. They've been very solid," he said. Mr Goodge, who celebrated his birthday on the Nullarbor Plain during the run, is also the fastest Brit to run across the US. Runners are invited to run Mr Goodge's final 5km and 10km as he approaches Bondi Beach about 5pm. Spurred on by his mother's battle with cancer, an ultra-endurance British athlete is on track to smash the world record for running across Australia. William Goodge has a spring in his step as he nears Sydney, having crossed the country in 35 days, striding the equivalent of two and a half marathons per day. That's four days quicker than the current record holder, Chris Turnbull, who completed the 3800km feat in 39 days in 2023. "Everything's feeling really good," he told AAP from the Hume Highway outside the harbour city. "The end really is in sight ... we've done the hard graft, and now it's a nice let's just say easy job downhill." The 31-year-old is set to cross the finish line at Bondi Beach on Monday, making his massive run a new Guinness World Record. Mr Goodge set out from Cottlesloe Beach in Perth on April 15, averaging more than 100km per day at about seven and a half minutes per kilometre. "It's obviously been quite the journey ... we start before the sun comes up and finish when the sun's gone down," he said. "I've seen every one of your famous animals, other than sharks and crocodiles, but unfortunately, a lot of them have been dead on the side of the road." Throughout the run, Mr Goodge has raised money for the Cancer Council of Australia in honour of his mother Amanda, who passed away from cancer in 2018. "She was the most special person in my life ... she passed away seven and a half years ago to cancer," he said. Mr Goodge said he used his grief and the strength his mother showed while fighting the disease to motivate him to do something positive instead of "waving the white flag". "She would be proud of everything I've done. She'd also be concerned," he said with a chuckle. Although upbeat as he closed in on his goal, the punishing run has tested Mr Goodge. "The first nine days trying to sort of acclimatise to what I was doing was a big challenge," he said. "I wasn't sleeping at night and I had deep pain in my bones and things like hip flexors ... and mentally I was tossing and turning throughout the night, hallucinating a little bit, which isn't that fun." Mr Goodge said he suffered multiple injuries as he crossed the country, including toenails falling off and one toe that's "been rotting for the past probably a week". "Ironically, the knees have felt OK. They've been very solid," he said. Mr Goodge, who celebrated his birthday on the Nullarbor Plain during the run, is also the fastest Brit to run across the US. Runners are invited to run Mr Goodge's final 5km and 10km as he approaches Bondi Beach about 5pm. Spurred on by his mother's battle with cancer, an ultra-endurance British athlete is on track to smash the world record for running across Australia. William Goodge has a spring in his step as he nears Sydney, having crossed the country in 35 days, striding the equivalent of two and a half marathons per day. That's four days quicker than the current record holder, Chris Turnbull, who completed the 3800km feat in 39 days in 2023. "Everything's feeling really good," he told AAP from the Hume Highway outside the harbour city. "The end really is in sight ... we've done the hard graft, and now it's a nice let's just say easy job downhill." The 31-year-old is set to cross the finish line at Bondi Beach on Monday, making his massive run a new Guinness World Record. Mr Goodge set out from Cottlesloe Beach in Perth on April 15, averaging more than 100km per day at about seven and a half minutes per kilometre. "It's obviously been quite the journey ... we start before the sun comes up and finish when the sun's gone down," he said. "I've seen every one of your famous animals, other than sharks and crocodiles, but unfortunately, a lot of them have been dead on the side of the road." Throughout the run, Mr Goodge has raised money for the Cancer Council of Australia in honour of his mother Amanda, who passed away from cancer in 2018. "She was the most special person in my life ... she passed away seven and a half years ago to cancer," he said. Mr Goodge said he used his grief and the strength his mother showed while fighting the disease to motivate him to do something positive instead of "waving the white flag". "She would be proud of everything I've done. She'd also be concerned," he said with a chuckle. Although upbeat as he closed in on his goal, the punishing run has tested Mr Goodge. "The first nine days trying to sort of acclimatise to what I was doing was a big challenge," he said. "I wasn't sleeping at night and I had deep pain in my bones and things like hip flexors ... and mentally I was tossing and turning throughout the night, hallucinating a little bit, which isn't that fun." Mr Goodge said he suffered multiple injuries as he crossed the country, including toenails falling off and one toe that's "been rotting for the past probably a week". "Ironically, the knees have felt OK. They've been very solid," he said. Mr Goodge, who celebrated his birthday on the Nullarbor Plain during the run, is also the fastest Brit to run across the US. Runners are invited to run Mr Goodge's final 5km and 10km as he approaches Bondi Beach about 5pm. Spurred on by his mother's battle with cancer, an ultra-endurance British athlete is on track to smash the world record for running across Australia. William Goodge has a spring in his step as he nears Sydney, having crossed the country in 35 days, striding the equivalent of two and a half marathons per day. That's four days quicker than the current record holder, Chris Turnbull, who completed the 3800km feat in 39 days in 2023. "Everything's feeling really good," he told AAP from the Hume Highway outside the harbour city. "The end really is in sight ... we've done the hard graft, and now it's a nice let's just say easy job downhill." The 31-year-old is set to cross the finish line at Bondi Beach on Monday, making his massive run a new Guinness World Record. Mr Goodge set out from Cottlesloe Beach in Perth on April 15, averaging more than 100km per day at about seven and a half minutes per kilometre. "It's obviously been quite the journey ... we start before the sun comes up and finish when the sun's gone down," he said. "I've seen every one of your famous animals, other than sharks and crocodiles, but unfortunately, a lot of them have been dead on the side of the road." Throughout the run, Mr Goodge has raised money for the Cancer Council of Australia in honour of his mother Amanda, who passed away from cancer in 2018. "She was the most special person in my life ... she passed away seven and a half years ago to cancer," he said. Mr Goodge said he used his grief and the strength his mother showed while fighting the disease to motivate him to do something positive instead of "waving the white flag". "She would be proud of everything I've done. She'd also be concerned," he said with a chuckle. Although upbeat as he closed in on his goal, the punishing run has tested Mr Goodge. "The first nine days trying to sort of acclimatise to what I was doing was a big challenge," he said. "I wasn't sleeping at night and I had deep pain in my bones and things like hip flexors ... and mentally I was tossing and turning throughout the night, hallucinating a little bit, which isn't that fun." Mr Goodge said he suffered multiple injuries as he crossed the country, including toenails falling off and one toe that's "been rotting for the past probably a week". "Ironically, the knees have felt OK. They've been very solid," he said. Mr Goodge, who celebrated his birthday on the Nullarbor Plain during the run, is also the fastest Brit to run across the US. Runners are invited to run Mr Goodge's final 5km and 10km as he approaches Bondi Beach about 5pm.
Perth Now
18-05-2025
- Perth Now
Trans-Australia run world record set to topple
Spurred on by his mother's battle with cancer, an ultra-endurance British athlete is on track to smash the world record for running across Australia. William Goodge has a spring in his step as he nears Sydney, having crossed the country in 35 days, striding the equivalent of two and a half marathons per day. That's four days quicker than the current record holder, Chris Turnbull, who completed the 3800km feat in 39 days in 2023. "Everything's feeling really good," he told AAP from the Hume Highway outside the harbour city. "The end really is in sight ... we've done the hard graft, and now it's a nice let's just say easy job downhill." The 31-year-old is set to cross the finish line at Bondi Beach on Monday, making his massive run a new Guinness World Record. Mr Goodge set out from Cottlesloe Beach in Perth on April 15, averaging more than 100km per day at about seven and a half minutes per kilometre. "It's obviously been quite the journey ... we start before the sun comes up and finish when the sun's gone down," he said. "I've seen every one of your famous animals, other than sharks and crocodiles, but unfortunately, a lot of them have been dead on the side of the road." Throughout the run, Mr Goodge has raised money for the Cancer Council of Australia in honour of his mother Amanda, who passed away from cancer in 2018. "She was the most special person in my life ... she passed away seven and a half years ago to cancer," he said. Mr Goodge said he used his grief and the strength his mother showed while fighting the disease to motivate him to do something positive instead of "waving the white flag". "She would be proud of everything I've done. She'd also be concerned," he said with a chuckle. Although upbeat as he closed in on his goal, the punishing run has tested Mr Goodge. "The first nine days trying to sort of acclimatise to what I was doing was a big challenge," he said. "I wasn't sleeping at night and I had deep pain in my bones and things like hip flexors ... and mentally I was tossing and turning throughout the night, hallucinating a little bit, which isn't that fun." Mr Goodge said he suffered multiple injuries as he crossed the country, including toenails falling off and one toe that's "been rotting for the past probably a week". "Ironically, the knees have felt OK. They've been very solid," he said. Mr Goodge, who celebrated his birthday on the Nullarbor Plain during the run, is also the fastest Brit to run across the US. Runners are invited to run Mr Goodge's final 5km and 10km as he approaches Bondi Beach about 5pm.
