The Run Within 19: A rising tide lifts all boats

Ultra running has given me many beautiful gifts over the years. The experiences. The personal growth. The lessons that only come from pushing your body and mind further than you ever thought possible, but very few of those gifts have been greater than the friendships. The people you meet in this sport are a different breed, and Phil Gore is one of the most special of all of them.

If you are not familiar with Phil Gore, let me give you some context.

Phil is a Western Australian ultra endurance athlete, a full-time firefighter, a father, and the reigning Big’s Backyard Ultra World Champion. He has set multiple world records and been nicknamed the King of the Backyard by the sport. He is one of the most credentialed and respected ultra runners alive.

And from the 23rd to the 30th of August this year he attempted something nobody has ever done before. Project 168. Running 6.71 kilometres on the hour, every single hour, for 168 hours straight. Seven days. No assist. Just one man, one loop and the clock. Miss the 6.71 kilometres inside the hour, and the race is over.

Not for glory alone. For Telethon. For sick and disadvantaged kids and their families in Western Australia. Because that is the kind of person Phil Gore is. He doesn’t just push his own limits. He uses those limits to make a difference for people who need it most.

It was an honour to be a part of the livestream. I loved the opportunity to sit alongside Phil’s team and talk about what we were witnessing in real time.

Watch my full interview here (skip to 8:25:15)

What we were witnessing is hard to put into words. Lap after lap after lap, through multiple days and nights, through heat and exhaustion, the kind of physical suffering most people will never come close to understanding. Phil just kept on going.

But the moment that will stay with me forever happened on lap 152.

I got a call from Mally, Craig Maluish, who crewed for Phil during Project 168, and who also crewed for me for seven weeks during my run around Australia in 2024. Mally crewed me from Perth all the way to Melbourne, alongside Phil, who crewed me from Karratha all the way to Adelaide. Mally rang me and said that Phil needs a pep talk. He needs someone to tell him the job is not finished, and I’m the man to tell him.

And I’ll be honest with you, my first thought was who am I to call Phil Gore right now? This is Australia’s best ultra runner and one of the greatest endurance athletes on the planet. What could I possibly say to him in this moment that would make a difference?

But Mally called me for a reason. Because Phil had seen what I went through every single morning during my run around Australia. Eighty four kilometres a day, day after day, getting out of bed stiff and broken and doing it all over again. And Phil has said to Mally and his wife Gem since that watching me go through that every day gave him something to draw on in his own darkest moments. “If Sean can do that every day, then I can too.”

So I called him. On lap 152. With 2.8 kilometres still to run to make the yard and just over fifteen minutes to do it in. Phil told me he could not mathematically make it back, that there was no chance. That the pace required would be too quick.

I told him “the job’s not finished.” He said, “I’m giving it everything I have.” I told him I was proud of him no matter what and to now save his energy from talking to me, and give it one final kick!

And guess what… Phil made it back! With just under two minutes to spare! If he didn’t complete the 6.7km within the hour, the race is over. He fell back into his chair, let his crew work on him for less than 2 minutes and then went back out there on yard 153.

On his 153th yard, his body finally said no more as he collapsed on the side of the course having truly found his limit. 152 completed yards. 1,019.92 kilometres. One of the greatest displays of ultra endurance we have ever witnessed.

I sent him a text afterwards.

“Phil, you are a life changer. You have changed so many sick children’s lives through this. You have changed thousands of people watching. And hopefully this will go far beyond this event and inspire millions.”

Because that is what this effort deserves.

Community is one of the biggest reasons why I love ultra running. Generally there’s a lot of support and love that goes with the sport, and Phil did have plenty of fans through the event cheering him on.

However, something has been sitting with me since the event ended. An effort like this, one that pushes the boundaries of what’s possible and raises money for sick kids, deserves every bit of amplification our sport can give it. I’d love to see more of the big names and platforms in ultra running get behind moments like this when they happen, because that’s what actually grows the sport and the community around it. A rising tide lifts all boats.

When you’re strong and secure within yourself, someone else’s success never feels like a threat to your own. It was an effort that should be celebrated and supported as widely as possible, and I hope great things keep coming Phil’s way, because that’s what this effort deserves.

Phil showed us all how much more we can all do in our lives. That greater limits are possible. And at the end, he reminded us he is human after all. Not just a goat 🐐 (the greatest of all time 🤪).

He struggled.

He doubted.

He nearly didn’t make it back on lap 152.

And that humanity, that honest, raw, vulnerable humanity in the middle of something superhuman, is what made those who were supporting and following him lean in further. Because that is The Run Within in its purest form. Not the effortless performance. The gut wrenching, everything on the line, Voice Two refusing to let Voice One win moment that defines what a person is truly made of.

If you want to support Telethon and the sick kids Phil ran for, the donation link is still open. Every dollar goes directly to Telethon. Go to philgore.com.au and give what you can.

I’m proud of my friend Phil, and I’m sure that after reading this and understanding the magnitude of what he achieved, you will be too.

Because that is what a rising tide looks like.

Sean