List of people who have run across Australia
Encyclopedia
People who choose to run across Australia
can choose to run from either of the geographical extremes
of the continent, or from directly opposed cities on opposite shores. The western-most geographical extreme of Australia is Steep Point
, whereas the eastern-most extreme is Cape Byron
. Similarly, the northern-most geographical extreme is Cape York Peninsula
, and the southern-most is the South East Cape
. The distance between the east and west as the crow flies
is 4030 km (2,504.1 mi), or 3685 km (2,289.8 mi) from north to south†. The western-most capitol city in Australia is Perth
, and the eastern-most capitol city is Brisbane. The northern-most city is Darwin
, and the southern to the southern-most city is Hobart
.
Runners who choose to circumambulate
Australia can follow the National Highway
for large sections of their journey. Distances involved are in the vicinity of 14300 km (8,885.6 mi) depending on the route taken.
†Distance calculated utilising the resources of Geoscience Australia.
George became a household name in 1973 when competing in the 1973 Trans Australia race and racing his rival - Tony Rafferty. George was unable to get time off work at the appropriate time and missed the official start, giving Rafferty one week’s head start before heading off from Fremantle. Perdon was to end up beating Rafferty into Sydney by a day. They took slightly different routes during the run, causing the run to generate front page headlines for a majority of the journey.
George died on 29 June 1993.
to the Gold Coast
, and in the process became the first person to run across the Nullarbor Plain
. He completed the run in 74 days.
Tony has received many commendations for his achievements. Most notably, he was a Torch Bearer
for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, and the recipient of the Medal of the Order of Australia
(OAM) in 2002 for services to Ultramarathon Running and the promotion of Community Fitness.
, he then proceeded to Townsville, Mt Isa, Darwin
, Perth
, Adelaide
, Melbourne
, Sydney
, then back to Brisbane. He maintained an overall daily average of 61.67 km, and was the first person to do it solo. Soon after this achievement, he was awarded the Queensland Sportsman of the year Award in 1983, Queenslander of the Year in 1984, and the Order of Australia
in 1984.
Sarah also set the Guinness world record for longest continuous solo run with a distance of 11,134 miles in 438 days. "Sarah Fulcher, an attractive, brightly-smiling, 25-year-old native of Winston Salem, N. C., jogged through Sequin this week on her way back to Laguna Hills, Calif., near Los Angeles, from where she began her 11,000 mile run…the world’s longest, continuous solo run in history . "Fulcher has been recognized by untold news organizations and government organizations including the Connecticut General Assembly Permanent Committee on the Status of Women's (CTPCSW)publication Selected Highlights of Women's History (page 38) and the United States Congressional Record in a "Salute to Sarah Covington Fulcher" .
on 20 October 1997, and finished on 13 June 2003. He had completed his Australian leg of the run by April 2000.
to Sydney
in 1999, covering a distance of 3,755 km in 46 days, 23 hours, 12 min and setting a world record in the process. The world record remained intact until beaten by Achim Heukemes in 2005.
on 31 October 2004, and arrived in Perth
on 11 February 2005. He completed the journey in 104 days, before proceeding onto Los Angeles
to complete the American leg of his run around the world.
, Germany) is a ultramarathon
runner known for his 4,568-kilometre run through Australia
. He started from Fremantle
on 2 April 2005 and finished in Sydney
43 days, 13 hours and 8 minutes later. By this feat, he beat the previous world record of Serge Girard
from 1999.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
can choose to run from either of the geographical extremes
Extreme points of Australia
-Australia :* Northernmost Point – Cape York, Queensland * Southernmost Point – South Point, Wilsons Promontory, Victoria * South-westernmost Point - Cape Leeuwin, Western Australia -Australia (mainland):* Northernmost Point – Cape York, Queensland (10°41' S)* Southernmost Point – South Point,...
of the continent, or from directly opposed cities on opposite shores. The western-most geographical extreme of Australia is Steep Point
Steep Point, Western Australia
Steep Point is the westernmost point of the Australian mainland, located at . It is located within the Shark Bay World Heritage site in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia....
, whereas the eastern-most extreme is Cape Byron
Cape Byron
Cape Byron is the easternmost point of the mainland of Australia. It is located about northeast of the town of Byron Bay and projects into the Pacific Ocean...
. Similarly, the northern-most geographical extreme is Cape York Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula is a large remote peninsula located in Far North Queensland at the tip of the state of Queensland, Australia, the largest unspoilt wilderness in northern Australia and one of the last remaining wilderness areas on Earth...
, and the southern-most is the South East Cape
South East Cape
South East Cape is the southernmost point of the main island of Tasmania, the southernmost state of Australia. South East Cape is located at ....
. The distance between the east and west as the crow flies
As the crow flies
"As the crow flies" or beelining is an idiom for the shortest route between two points; the geodesic distance.An example is the great-circle distance between Key West and Pensacola, at either end of the U.S...
is 4030 km (2,504.1 mi), or 3685 km (2,289.8 mi) from north to south†. The western-most capitol city in Australia is Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, and the eastern-most capitol city is Brisbane. The northern-most city is Darwin
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
, and the southern to the southern-most city is Hobart
Hobart
Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
.
Runners who choose to circumambulate
Circumambulation
Circumambulation is the act of moving around a sacred object.Circumambulation of temples or deity images is an integral part of Hindu ritual. It is also practised in Buddhism. In Islam, circumambulation is performed around the Kaaba in Mecca, in a counter-clockwise direction...
Australia can follow the National Highway
National Highway (Australia)
thumb|right|150px|The National Highway Shield in NSW, QLD, WA, NT & TAS.The National Highway is a system of roads connecting all the States and Territories of Australia, and is the major network of highways connecting Australia's largest and most important cities.The National Highway was...
for large sections of their journey. Distances involved are in the vicinity of 14300 km (8,885.6 mi) depending on the route taken.
†Distance calculated utilising the resources of Geoscience Australia.
Completed journeys
The names of the individuals who have run across Australia have been listed below in chronological order. Sources for data contained within this table have been listed within the body of the article, or where not readily available, directly from the individual concerned.| Name | Nationality | Start date | Finish date | Duration | Starting location | Finishing location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| George Perdon | August 1973 | 1973 | 47 days | Fremantle | Sydney | |
| Tony Rafferty | August 1973 | October 1973 | 74 days | Fremantle | Gold Coast | |
| Ron Grant | 1983 | 1983 | 217 days | Brisbane | Brisbane | |
| Sarah Covington Fulcher | 22 September 1986 | 26 December 1986 | 96 days | Bondi Beach | Fremantle (Perth) | |
| Robert Garside | unknown | unknown | unknown | unknown | unknown | |
| Serge Girard |  Early Modern France |
24 September 1999 | 9 November 1999 | 47 days | Perth | Sydney |
| Jesper Olsen |  Denmark |
31 October 2004 | 11 February 2005 | 104 days | Sydney | Perth |
| Achim Heukemes | 2 April 2005 | 14 May 2005 | 43 days | Fremantle | Sydney | |
| Sarah Mycroft | 4 April 2010 | 27 November 2010 | 238 days | Sydney | Sydney |
George Perdon
George Perdon ran across Australia during the 1973 Trans-Continental Run, completing the 4807 km journey in 47 days, 1 hour and 54 minutes. He averaged 100 km per day, and set records for 1000 miles (1,609.3 km), 1500 miles (2,414 km), 2000 miles (3,218.7 km) and 2600 miles (4,184.3 km).George became a household name in 1973 when competing in the 1973 Trans Australia race and racing his rival - Tony Rafferty. George was unable to get time off work at the appropriate time and missed the official start, giving Rafferty one week’s head start before heading off from Fremantle. Perdon was to end up beating Rafferty into Sydney by a day. They took slightly different routes during the run, causing the run to generate front page headlines for a majority of the journey.
George died on 29 June 1993.
Tony Rafferty
In 1972, Tony Rafferty became the first man to run from Melbourne to Sydney, pioneering ultra-distance running in Australia. He was also the first man to run from Perth to Adelaide, Adelaide to Brisbane, Melbourne to Brisbane and Sydney to Brisbane. In 1978, he became the first man to run from Melbourne to Sydney and return. In August to October 1973 Tony became the first person to run from FremantleFremantle
Freemantle is a suburb of Southampton in England.Fremantle or Freemantle may also refer to:- Places :* Fremantle, the port city to the capital Perth, Western Australia...
to the Gold Coast
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
, and in the process became the first person to run across the Nullarbor Plain
Nullarbor Plain
The Nullarbor Plain is part of the area of flat, almost treeless, arid or semi-arid country of southern Australia, located on the Great Australian Bight coast with the Great Victoria Desert to its north. It is the world's largest single piece of limestone, and occupies an area of about...
. He completed the run in 74 days.
Tony has received many commendations for his achievements. Most notably, he was a Torch Bearer
Olympic Flame
The Olympic Flame or Olympic Torch is a symbol of the Olympic Games. Commemorating the theft of fire from the Greek god Zeus by Prometheus, its origins lie in ancient Greece, where a fire was kept burning throughout the celebration of the ancient Olympics. The fire was reintroduced at the 1928...
for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, and the recipient of the Medal of the Order of Australia
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(OAM) in 2002 for services to Ultramarathon Running and the promotion of Community Fitness.
Ron Grant
In 1983, Ron Grant ran 13,383 km around Australia in 217 days. Ron completed the run in an anticlockwise direction. Starting in BrisbaneBrisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, he then proceeded to Townsville, Mt Isa, Darwin
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
, Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, then back to Brisbane. He maintained an overall daily average of 61.67 km, and was the first person to do it solo. Soon after this achievement, he was awarded the Queensland Sportsman of the year Award in 1983, Queenslander of the Year in 1984, and the Order of Australia
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
in 1984.
Sarah Covington Fulcher
The first woman to run across Australia, at age 24, from North Carolina, USA, running 2727 miles (4,388.7 km)east to west from Bondi Beach, NSW to the western suburbs of Perth, Western Australia, 22 Sept to 26 Dec 1986 . Fulcher describes her journey through remote areas in an interview with Bryant Gumbel on NBC's Today Show. “Sarah Fulcher set her incredible record one marathon at a time. It was an unparalleled feat that will take a heck of a commitment to beat. During her record run, Fulcher averaged 10 minutes per mile ." "This would also make her the youngest person (at that time) to make any transcontinental run ."Sarah also set the Guinness world record for longest continuous solo run with a distance of 11,134 miles in 438 days. "Sarah Fulcher, an attractive, brightly-smiling, 25-year-old native of Winston Salem, N. C., jogged through Sequin this week on her way back to Laguna Hills, Calif., near Los Angeles, from where she began her 11,000 mile run…the world’s longest, continuous solo run in history . "Fulcher has been recognized by untold news organizations and government organizations including the Connecticut General Assembly Permanent Committee on the Status of Women's (CTPCSW)publication Selected Highlights of Women's History (page 38) and the United States Congressional Record in a "Salute to Sarah Covington Fulcher" .
Robert Garside
Robert Garside is a British runner who ran through 29 countries on six different continents covering more than 48,000 km and covering a period of 2,062 days. He started and finished in New DelhiNew Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
on 20 October 1997, and finished on 13 June 2003. He had completed his Australian leg of the run by April 2000.
Serge Girard
Serge Girard ran from PerthPerth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
to Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
in 1999, covering a distance of 3,755 km in 46 days, 23 hours, 12 min and setting a world record in the process. The world record remained intact until beaten by Achim Heukemes in 2005.
Jesper Olsen
Jesper Olsen is a Danish marathon runner who ran across Australia as part of his first journey around the world. He departed from SydneySydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
on 31 October 2004, and arrived in Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
on 11 February 2005. He completed the journey in 104 days, before proceeding onto Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
to complete the American leg of his run around the world.
Achim Heukemes
Achim Heukemes (born 1951 in WuppertalWuppertal
Wuppertal is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in and around the Wupper river valley, and is situated east of the city of Düsseldorf and south of the Ruhr area. With a population of approximately 350,000, it is the largest city in the Bergisches Land...
, Germany) is a ultramarathon
Ultramarathon
An ultramarathon is any sporting event involving running longer than the traditional marathon length of .There are two types of ultramarathon events: those that cover a specified distance, and events that take place during specified time...
runner known for his 4,568-kilometre run through Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. He started from Fremantle
Fremantle, Western Australia
Fremantle is a city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle was the first area settled by the Swan River colonists in 1829...
on 2 April 2005 and finished in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
43 days, 13 hours and 8 minutes later. By this feat, he beat the previous world record of Serge Girard
Serge Girard
Serge Girard is a French ultramarathon runner born in 1953. He fulfilled the challenge of running across the 5 continents without a single day off.He's not related to Patricia Girard-Léno.- Runs achieved so far :...
from 1999.
Sarah Mycroft
Sarah Mycroft ran around Australia on 27 November 2010. She ran an average of 62 km a day for 238 days, covering a total of 14,772 km. In doing so, she also raised $3021 for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF).Journeys under-way
The following list provides links to people currently running or planning to run across Australia. Only reputable sources have been referenced, in so much as there is proof the individual has commenced the journey, or a reputable charity or organisation has sanctioned a fund-raising event.| Name | Nationality | Start date | Starting location | Finishing location | Benefactor (if raising for charity) | Cited references |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No journeys known to be underway... |
See also
- List of people who have walked across Australia
- Ultra-marathon running
- RunningRunningRunning is a means of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. It is simply defined in athletics terms as a gait in which at regular points during the running cycle both feet are off the ground...
- FundraisingFundraisingFundraising or fund raising is the process of soliciting and gathering voluntary contributions as money or other resources, by requesting donations from individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies...