William Goodge, a divisive achievement
Englishman William Goodge has just shattered the record for crossing Australia. In just 34 days, he covered the 3,800 kilometers from Cottesloe Beach in Perth to Bondi Beach in Sydney. An extraordinary feat achieved with unprecedented speed. Too fast? Doubts are being raised by many commentators within the running community.
| The performance: two and a half marathons per day under a scorching sun
How far can humans go? With records and achievements falling so regularly in running all over the world, no one can answer that question. William Goodge’s performance to break the record for crossing Australia is impressive: 110 km a day for 34 days under a blazing sun and on a desert terrain, demanding as much as possible for both body and mind. Goodge achieved it, smashing the previous record by 3 days set by Chris Turnbull (2023)! If you don’t know him, Goodge was a model and a semi-professional rugby player in the British third division before turning into an ultra-marathoner. As an ultra-runner, he notably ran the length of the United Kingdom and claims to be the fastest Briton to have crossed the United States (55 days). His accomplishments raise funds for cancer research, a disease that took his mother’s life in 2018. His performance in Australia is dedicated to her. Upon completing his Australian feat in Sydney, he paid tribute to his mother, Amanda, “she was the most important person in my life.” The charismatic Englishman is followed by 250,000 people on Instagram, far more than many professional runners, and has numerous sponsors gathered through his exploits.
| An achievement… and skeptics
The issue is that Goodge’s major achievement has been heavily discussed since his arrival in Sydney on May 19, particularly in his home country. Many voices within the running community have spoken out. William Goodge ran an average of 110 km per day at a pace of 7 minutes per kilometer, with an average heart rate of 100 beats per minute. However, crossing Australia is extremely demanding: over 60% of the route goes through very isolated areas. Running 110 km daily under these conditions requires elite physical form, impeccable logistics, and most importantly, transparency. It is on this last point where things become complicated. Goodge used a Garmin tracker and shared his progress on Strava, both tools required by Guinness World Records and Fastest Known Time (FKT) to validate such a record.
However, inconsistencies have been noted, complicating the acceptance of this record: movements recorded at over 80 km/h were spotted, and his average heart rate is surprisingly low for days exceeding 14 hours in a hostile climate… Experts like Alex Hutchinson (author of the bestseller Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance) have questioned the physiological plausibility of Goodge: “What is concerning is when the data is inconsistent. A given pace should correspond to a specific heart rate for an individual. Such a low heart rate over crazy distances is not impossible but is highly improbable, especially if it only occurs when no one is watching.” Ultra-runner Robert Pope mentioned to a British media outlet in April during Goodge’s run, “his heart rate doesn’t make sense,” though he hoped Goodge’s records are genuine. The skepticism surrounding William Goodge’s performance is partly because it brings back uncomfortable memories…
| The Robert Young precedent
Ultra runs have already had their imposters. In 2016, Briton Robert Young was caught cheating during his crossing of the United States: he regularly used an RV. Young eventually abandoned his attempt, citing a fractured toe. The running community “watches” over new feats: even the legendary director of the Barkley Marathons, Lazarus Lake, got involved in the Young case. The authenticity of such a respected sport among its practitioners must not be compromised. The issue for Goodge is that many points are similar to this cheating story: abnormally low heart rate, erratic GPS tracks, and lack of independent witnesses over a large portion of the route. William Goodge has sometimes given strange explanations, especially for a runner who seems to enjoy the limelight.
On May 15, the 30th day of his run, he asked not to be followed: “it’s too much for me mentally. I need to finish alone.” Already in 2023, during his crossing of the United States, William Goodge had an incident with a man who wanted to observe more closely. Scientist Will Cockerell found himself having stones thrown at his car by Goodge’s team… These elements cast doubts on his Australian performance without fully discrediting it. The benefit of the doubt. It’s hard to imagine someone running in memory of their mother and for cancer research cheating.
| The era of social media: does the end justify the means?
This unfortunate controversy (we would have preferred to simply celebrate his achievement) bears numerous hallmarks of the times: the dominance of social media, jealousy between “influencers” and professional runners, and phenomena unfortunately inherent to social media. William Goodge is charismatic, accomplished, and has a massive following. Perfect ingredients for brewing jealousy. However, the possibility of him having cheated also exists given the pressure that his “status” as an influencer demands from his audience and sponsors. Can we be certain that William Goodge prioritizes the authenticity of his achievements over personal goals? Does the end (sponsors, funds raised for cancer research, maintaining his following that sustains him, ego…) justify the means?
These are questions we would like to leave hanging in an age plagued by these issues.
