While Nedd Brockman may not be a surfing pin-up his trans-continental run has created a wave of awareness about homelessness, a problem that effects communities from the west side of Hawaii, to the beaches of L.A., the favelas of Rio and the backstreets of Bondi. Nedd’s epic footslog resonated with a global audience; even Kelly Slater was tossing Insta shout-outs to the humble electrician from rural NSW.
Before I started working at Tracks, I got the chance to run with Nedd and have an hour-long conversation with him on my podcast.
If you’ve been living under a rock, Nedd has become the nation’s talking point after successfully running from Perth’s Cottesloe Beach to Sydney’s Bondi Beach. The 23-year-old covered nearly 4,000 km, averaging 80 km/ day to complete the feat in 46 days. Along the way, Nedd endured the painful shin condition Tenosynovitis and had maggots growing on his battered feet.
I first learnt of Nedd back in 2020 after hearing about his first major conquest – to run 50 marathons in 50 days to raise money and awareness for homeless people. I was blown away by the Sparkie’s aspirations as I’d heard he didn’t have any extensive running experience.
My friend group became infatuated with him and the mindset he shared. So, I decided to run a couple of kms with Nedd on a few occasions while he did the entire 42 km around Centennial Park. He was welcoming and still up for a chat whilst running, even though he was probably in unbearable amounts of pain. I couldn’t keep up with Nedd on his final run. He was moving at a sprint pace even though it was his 50th consecutive marathon.
After finishing the 50 marathons in 50 days he was nice enough to be a guest on a podcast I was hosting with a mate at the time. It boasted all of 200 social media followers and averaged about 100 listens per episode. He was a legend and supplied some hilarious banter, but it was also immediately apparent he was a guy with slim tolerance for bullshit or excuses. To do what he does, you cannot lie to yourself at all.
It was also evident in our yarn that Nedd has a genuine empathy for the homeless. As someone who grew up on a farm in a NSW, rural country town, where homelessness isn’t an issue, he was shocked when he relocated to Sydney. Nedd moved to the NSW capital after finishing school to start his apprenticeship as an electrician. He was stunned by the prevalence of homeless people and how most people commuting in the city didn’t care about them. Nedd would also announce on our podcast that his next mighty challenge was to run across Australia to raise more funds and awareness for the homeless. That’s right, all 100 listeners heard about it first on our recorded talk show. By the time he arrived at Bondi earlier this week there were thousands waiting to greet him and news of his running feat had reached millions around the globe.
Nedd’s insane achievement back in 2020 motivated a few friends and myself to run our first marathon at Centennial Park a few months later. This logic fuelled us; if Nedd can do 50 marathons in 50 days, surely we can do one. That sums up why Nedd is so admired and currently one of Australia’s most inspirational figures. He pushes the boundaries on what we think is possible and sets a new benchmark for what was once perceived to be unattainable.
So, as I stood with the thousands of fans at the chaotic Bondi Beach on Monday to watch him finish the 3,800 km run it was kind of surreal reflecting on when I first met him back in 2020. Nedd has amassed over 200 k followers since then, raised a whopping $1.8 million for the homeless charity ‘Mobilise’ and set himself up as a favourite for Aussie of the Year.
Even though this has nothing to do with surfing, it’s a shout out to Nedd for the inspiration and for pushing all of us to be better versions of ourselves.
Donations to Nedd and Mobilise are still open. Click here to contribute.
