Travel buddies are out; solo trips are in
INTREPID YOUNGSTERS have long ventured abroad in search of edification and excitement. In 1608 Thomas Coryat, an Englishman sometimes called 'the world's first backpacker', embarked on a Grand Tour of Europe. Friendless and on foot, Coryat discovered foreign delicacies ('frogs used for food') and newfangled technologies ('forks used in feeding').
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Economist
12-05-2025
- Economist
Travel buddies are out; solo trips are in
INTREPID YOUNGSTERS have long ventured abroad in search of edification and excitement. In 1608 Thomas Coryat, an Englishman sometimes called 'the world's first backpacker', embarked on a Grand Tour of Europe. Friendless and on foot, Coryat discovered foreign delicacies ('frogs used for food') and newfangled technologies ('forks used in feeding').
Daily Mail
01-05-2025
- Daily Mail
William Goodge: Male model who's trying to break the record for running almost 4000km from Perth to Sydney is hit by bombshell cheating allegations
British ultrarunner and male model William Goodge's audacious attempt to become the fastest person to run 4000km across Australia has been overshadowed by ongoing cheating allegations. The former semi-professional rugby player from Bedfordshire in the UK began his journey on April 15 as he tries run from from Cottesloe Beach in Perth to Bondi Beach in Sydney in just 35 days. Goodge was on on day 17 of the run at the time of writing and was averaging more than 110km each day as he aims to break the record of 39 days set by Aussie engineer Chris Turnbull in 2023. The 31-year-old began running in 2018 to process his mother's cancer diagnosis, telling the Daily Mail that 'running helped me to deal with my demons'. Since that time, the popular endurance athlete has taken on many challenges, including becoming the fastest Englishman to run across the USA, raising thousands for cancer research in the process. However, some skeptical members of the ultra running community have questioned his achievements - and will be closely watching his run across Australia. William Cockerell, a veteran long-distance runner and sportswriter based in the UK, is convinced that Goodge's stats are too good to be true and has accused him of 'watch muling' - a form of cheating where you share a GPS device between runners. Many runners, Goodge included, upload the data from their wearable devices to exercise tracking networks like Strava. Cockerell has claimed that Goodge's relatively poor results in official ultra-marathons combined with his low heart rate during events are very suspicious. He has even tried to catch Goodge in the act of cheating by flying to the States to confront the athlete on his run from Los Angeles to New York in 2023, but he found no evidence. 'Yes, Goodge is a good-looking guy, and he's making a lot of money. But what appalls me is he is taking a lot of money away from the more deserving international athletes out there,' Cockerell said. Other runners have also expressed skepticism, including well-known ultrarunner Rob Pope, who stated that he hopes Goodge's records are genuine, but his 'heart rate doesn't make sense'. Goodge says he wouldn't be surprised if Cockerell travels Down Under to confront him during the trans-continental run - but will have all the necessary tech on him to shut down criticisms. 'I'm going to have a live tracker on me at all times,' Goodge told the Financial Review. Goodge maintains he's done everything he's said he done - and has raised thousands for charity along the way 'I'll be wearing my Coros [fitness] watch, and I'll have my Whoop for data on Strava … and I'm getting all my crew members Whoop bands as well … so we'll have datasets for everyone who is involved.' 'I've done everything I've ever said I've done. 'But I appreciate that there is a higher burden of proof when you say you're going for an actual record.' Goodge also has plenty of support in the running community, including from vegan ultra-endurance athlete Rich Roll, who's dubbed him an 'absolute beast' who cops a lot of criticism because he looks, and acts, very different to most other ultra runners. Meanwhile, Goodge is focused on being himself and completing his run to Sydney in record time. 'I feel like I put some good out into the world. I raise money for charities. I'm doing it for good reasons,' said Goodge .
Daily Mail
30-04-2025
- Daily Mail
William Goodge: The world's fittest male model reveals the awful tragedy that is spurring him on as he tries to become the fastest human to run 4000km across Australia
British ultrarunner and male model William Goodge is captivating the world with his outrageous attempt to become the fastest human to run 4000km across Australia - and he's being spurred on by the tragic loss of his mum. The former semi-professional rugby player from Ampthill, Bedfordshire in the UK began running as a coping mechanism to process his mother's cancer diagnosis. Amanda Goodge, a former nurse, succumbed to Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a blood cancer, in early 2018 at the age of 53. She had beaten the disease twice previously. 'Running helped me to deal with my demons,' he told Daily Mail in 2019. 'And I found I liked running on my own, because it helped my mind to process and deal with the things I faced. 'We went through a lot as a family. I thought that if I felt either good energy or bad energy, then either way, I could put it into running and it would help. 'If I felt bad, I would go on a run and by the end of it I'd feel slightly better. It became a coping mechanism and I'd be able to deal with the bad things for another day.' Since that time, the endurance athlete has taken on many challenges, including becoming the fastest Englishman to run across the USA, raising thousands for cancer research in the process. The 31-year-old is now attempting his toughest run, as he tries to become the fastest human to run across Australia - a record of 39 days set by Aussie Chris Turnbull. Goodge trained for the epic quest by running more than 500km from Japanese city Osaka to Tokyo - and has been clocking up between 130 and 140 kilometres per week since. 'It's all set up to be a great adventure, and hopefully I can get that record,' he told The West Australian before he left. 'But at some point, even on day one, it's going to start to suck and you need to press on. 'I feel like the mental side of things is my superpower. I feel like I have an ignorance of my own physical suffering because of what I've been through emotionally with my Mum. 'And I feel like I've turned what is pain into a powerful story, or the tagline I like to use is 'emotion equals energy'. If you can channel it towards something, and it doesn't have to be physical, it's a pretty full well from which to pull water and fuel. Goodge has raised thousands of dollars for cancer research with his endurance runs 'Like anyone, after I did my first anything (it hurt). In my first ultra-marathon, which was 100kms, it was horrible. So, the foundations of having done this for six years have built up (tolerance). 'When times get tough, which is quite frequent, I'll think of her and other people who are fighting for their lives who haven't chosen to be in that position. I've chosen to be in the position I'm in, so I feel like I don't have a valid excuse to stop.' Goodge is currently on day 16 of his run and in good spirits. On Tuesday he completed 111.84km in 13h35m. He says the isolation of his monumental runs doesn't get to him. 'I do enjoy every day,' he said. 'I kinda like the madness of stuff, and the best moments for me are often when I'm totally on my own, isolated. No one is around, and there are no cameras, and there's just me,' he said. Goodge trained for his grueling event in Australia by running more than 500km from Japanese city Osaka to Tokyo 'I feel a strong connection to my Mum out there, which is amazing. There's a notable feeling in my head that it doesn't matter how intelligent you are, how rich you are, where you're from, or any of that stuff; you can only get that feeling in the moment by having done the work beforehand. 'You can't pay to have that feeling, and that's probably why I keep going back and chasing it. It's a special experience. 'When you get to that point where your body's going "I can't take another step", and in your mind, you go "no, we are going to", you get a lot of internal strength from that, and you keep exercising that muscle you never know how far it can take you and that also transcends into other parts of life.'
