BORDER ultra-marathoner Kevin Muller has run his way into the record books as the third fastest Australian for 48-hour events.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Wodonga athlete ran almost 410 kilometres last weekend to win the national title on a 500-metre circuit through the historic Caboolture village.
The effort pushed his claims for a spot at next year’s world championships in Europe.
His is a record on Australian soil — the first time someone has run more than 400 kilometres in this country.
He is one of only 10 people in the world to have gone past the magic mark in a 48-hour event.
It was also a world record for his 40-44 age group, averaging seven-minute kilometres for two days of running.
Muller switched off to the pain, sustained by sports drinks and gels, ham-and-pineapple pizza, pumpkin soup and Coke.
He wore the same shorts and runners, only swapping shirts when they got too wet in the rain.
But back on the Border yesterday the 43-year-old said he had become a little fuzzy on the second night.
“There was a mannequin in one of the windows and every time I ran past her I could have sworn she was real, that she was watching me,” he said.
“When you are out there you don’t think about distances, you just break it down into hour lots and tick them off.
“I was exhausted when we finished but still couldn’t get to sleep before 10 that night.”
Muller said his ultra marathon passion came from a dare from Army work colleagues.
“They dared me to do the Melbourne marathon five years ago and I haven’t stopped since,” he said.
“I don’t cross-train these days and I don’t do really long runs in training — it is more about running fast.
“I run out to Latchford Barracks, which is about 17 kilometres, either to or from work, and on days when I’m feeling good, I’ll run there and back home.”
Muller’s performance is even more remarkable considering the injuries he suffered when he fell down a cliff more than 12 years ago during an Army exercise in Central Australia — he broke his back in two places and shattered an arm.
He’s since broken more bones playing football, the latest two year’s ago when he required an ankle reconstruction.
Muller hopes his weekend’s performance — seven days after claiming the Adelaide six-hour race — will boost his chance to run in next year’s World 24-hour event.
