Journey
From the first dog walk to Brisbane.
Before I left Canning River parkrun, there were the no more mr fat guy years: early walks with Marble, rows before breakfast, first races, London, Bunbury, and months of learning how to keep going. This is the full story of how those small, stubborn steps became a crossing of Australia on foot, told one chapter at a time.
Today Is The Day
I woke with the full weight of what I was about to do in my head. A wet Canning River parkrun got me out of bed, surrounded me with people I cared about and sent me walking east.
Read the first day15 entries
no more mr fat guy
Small changes, gym sessions, rowing-machine proof, first races, and the slow rebuilding of belief before Hearts Across Australia had a name.
The Reckoning
Before Hearts Across Australia, before the first marathon, and before running felt like mine, there was a public decision to change: one blog, one Facebook page, one weigh-in, and a set of numbers I could no longer dodge.
The First Small Steps
Running was not even a possibility yet, so the change began with early walks, Marble, water, food tracking, stairs, and the uncomfortable discovery that tiny choices could carry a frighteningly big goal.
The Lab Rat Starts Learning
The first walks had proved I could start. The next lessons were DJ Clubfit, Jetts, rowing, soreness, water, sleep, and Britt's feedback turning my body into something I had to listen to.
Twenty-One Kilometres Before Running
The rowing machine gave me a safer way to learn distance: two hours, eight minutes, twenty-eight seconds, one locked-up backside, and proof that endurance was becoming real.
12 entries
Before the start line
The Perth-to-Brisbane idea becoming practical: long walks, ultra-distance rehearsals, shoes, feet, support, sponsors, final nerves, and the morning at Canning River parkrun.
The First Trail Was Supposed To Be In Daylight
Shinno talked me into Moonshadow, and Graham's advice sent us onto Eagle Trail in daylight first, turning a reckless night-trail idea into one of the first practical lessons of the Perth-to-Brisbane build-up.
18.9 km
I Am A London Marathoner
London did not create Hearts Across Australia. It happened because HAA had already pushed me toward the Heart Foundation, and it gave me a childhood dream, a family weekend, and one famous finish line to carry into what came next.
42.2 km
This Is Actually Happening
After London, Gold Coast, and months of talking about Perth to Brisbane, a six-hour morning walk made the impossible feel less like an idea and more like something already moving under my feet.
Time On Legs
The training stopped being about ordinary running goals and became something stranger: walking more, running less, learning fuel and feet, and teaching my body that repeated long days were going to become normal.
87 entries
The Crossing
Walking days and recovery days together: Perth to Brisbane as I lived it, from the previous finish point through towns, highways, support stops, repairs, people, fatigue, and the moments that still glow.
Today Is The Day
I woke with the full weight of what I was about to do in my head. A wet Canning River parkrun got me out of bed, surrounded me with people I cared about and sent me walking east.
Day 150.8 km50.8 km cumulative
The First Navigation Adventure
The first full day brought rain, the Kep Track and our first proper navigation problem. Local runners, map screenshots and the crew somehow got me through to Northam.
Day 256.3 km107.1 km cumulative
The Road Got Loud
Leaving the tracks for the Great Eastern Highway changed the feel of everything. The sky opened up, the trucks got loud and my nerves arrived before the flies did.
Day 350 km157.1 km cumulative
Beyond The Dress Rehearsal
On the fourth morning I stepped beyond anything the Bunbury rehearsal had tested. The highway was calmer, the crew walked beside me and the three HAAmigos began to find a rhythm.
Day 455.1 km212.2 km cumulative