Since doing this, as strange as it seems, I feel more energetic throughout the day. 3:30-itis seems to have ridden my body and my eyelids don’t feel as heavy. I feel more confident and accomplished. Getting out of bed when that’s the past thing you want to do is an achievement in and of itself.
So, whether it’s 2km or 20km, ask yourself who you’re doing this for. I bet the answer is that you’re doing it for yourself. If you don’t get out of bed in the morning and set off on that run, or go to the gym, the only person you’re really letting down is yourself.Hi Olly, thanks for being willing to answer some questions on your incredible run. Firstly, congratulations on completing such a distance – running one marathon is an impressive feat, but the equivalent of 5 a week for 6 months is incredible! First of all, why did you choose this method to raise money for beyond blue?
I think Beyond Blue does a great job in the mental health space. The way in which they choose to deliver their
message is right on point. I like to take a casual approach to the serious issue of mental health, I find people relate to you far better, particularly the young people.You had a $50k goal- how far are you off that? I am currently sitting on $30,000. This is 20k short of my original goal of 50,000 but it is still an incredible feeling to be able to raise money for something I am so passionate about.
What was the biggest challenge you found running for that long solo in foreign countries?
I wanted to be challenged in multiple areas, that is why I chose to run through Central America as opposed to Australia or another English speaking country.A couple of the biggest challenges for me was the loneliness I experienced during prolonged periods running through rural areas and also the weather conditions. It was very hot at times, whilst running down at sea level, it would regularly hit 40 degrees plus with 100% humidity, this meant I was dripping in sweat from before sunrise until mid-afternoon every day. I was able to pick up a fair bit of Spanish, but obviously the language barrier was a challenge at times.
