Aussie runner’s insane feat that put him on Joe Rogan’s radar
If you’re on the commute to work thinking “geez I’m a bit tired today” after only getting six hours sleep instead of eight – Phil Gore might have you covered.
The endurance runner, who works full-time as a firefighter in Perth but doubles as a world record holder in “Backyard Ultra” events, just completed one of the most gruelling week-long challenges imaginable. It is so out there, it even got mentioned on The Joe Rogan Experience – one of the most popular podcasts on the planet.
Phil Gore during his insane week-long challenge. Instagram/@phil.gore.ultrarunner
Over the course of a week, Gore set himself a target to run 6.71km every hour, on the hour, for seven-straight days to raise money for sick kids.
The challenge was to run a ridiculous total of 168 hours and 1128km over the span of a week, with very little time to rest and recover.
Gore did the entire thing off his own bat as a solo endeavour, compared to his usual Backyard Ultra events where he’s running against other athletes in “last man standing” races that only end once there is literally nobody left in the race.
He fell agonisingly short of his desired total, finishing the week with 153 total hours of running and more than 1000km.
In an exclusive interview with nine.com.au after completing the gruelling task, Gore explained why he decided to set himself the goal, while also opening up on the moments he mentally and physically battled to continue.
“The last week has been pretty intense,” Gore said.
“It’s an idea that had been kicking around in my head and I finally decided to take action and do it. With the Backyard Ultra, it finishes when there’s only one person left, so when I’ve won a few of the races, you’re left wondering how much further you could’ve gone ... the only reason you stopped is because the event has.
“I was still going at like 119 hours and still felt like I had a lot more to give. I set up the same conditions as a solo project, where I don’t have to stop. I wanted to have it as a challenge I thought was possible to reach, but maybe a little outside my reach where if I didn’t hit the goal, I could find out my own limits.
“There were a few ups and downs and I put that down to actually knowing how long it was gonna go for. When I hit 84 hours, that was a celebration of the halfway mark ... but the adrenaline wore off, and then it sinks in that you’re still only at the halfway point. I went into a bit of a dark place at that point.
“The longer the event went on, those physical problems caught up with me and that’s what ultimately stopped me from being able to complete laps in time.”
While his body gave out on him 16 hours short of his goal, Gore still went to hell and back physically, averaging between 90 minutes and two hours of sleep per night, while having every aspect of his diet for seven days planned in advance.
Gore would try and run the night laps a little bit faster – completing them in 37-40 minutes – to allow himself 15 or 20 minutes for a power nap.
“If I could do that nine times over the 12-hour period when it was dark, that might equate to a couple of hours per night, if I was lucky,” he said.
The incredible solo run was about more than Gore challenging himself physically.
Phil Gore runs with a kid during his challenge. Instagram/@phil.gore.ultrarunner
As part of the seven-day event, the father of four wanted to put the attention that was on him to good use. It paid off in spades, raising more than $281,000 for sick children.
“I wanted to use my run for a good cause and I knew this would be big and have a lot of eyes on it, so I wanted to make sure it benefited someone,” he said.
“Telethon is something I always grew up with, watching it on TV and getting involved, I love the work they do for kids, so it was cool to get them involved.
“For me to have this event go towards helping these kids, helping the hospital and their research was amazing. Not only that, but they were also able to bring the kids down to the event, so I could run short sections or a whole lap with them.
“That aspect really brought it back home for why I was doing the run – yes, it was a challenge for myself, but I wanted to use that power for good.”
The extra eyes on Gore’s astonishing challenge were aided by a brief mention on a recent episode of Joe Rogan’s podcast, viewed by more than one-million people on YouTube and who knows how many listeners on other platforms.
“That was a bit of a spin-out,” Gore said.
“It’s pretty cool that people on the other side of the world with huge followings were noticing the story and sharing it and giving it more exposure.”
With his toughest test yet now in the rearview mirror, Gore will take a short break from running before returning to the “Backyard Ultra” series in October for a race in Wollongong against 15 of the country’s best.
“I’ve been resting up, the legs are a little bit broken, but they’ll come good soon, and I’ll be back up and running,” he said.
