Former sparky honoured for marathon charity effort

Endurance athlete Nedd Brockmann has received one of the country’s top awards for his work raising money to fight homelessness after running from Perth’s Cottlesloe Beach to Sydney’s Bondi Beach.

The former electrician battled inflamed tendons, swollen feet and even worms burrowing in blisters on his toes by running nearly 4,000 kilometers in 46 days across Australia in 2022.

In the process, he raised more than $2.6 million for homelessness charity We Are Mobilize.

For his efforts, Brockmann was named Young Australian of the Year at a ceremony in the nation’s capital.

Since his epic Perth-Sydney run, the 27-year-old has also completed a brutal 1600km run over 12 days on the Sydney Olympic Park running track.

Together with his team, Brockmann has raised more than $8 million to help Australians experiencing homelessness.

He has also written two books about endurance skills: Showing Up and Fire Up.

Australia Day Council boss Mark Fraser praised Brockmann’s fundraising work and congratulated him on the award.

“Seeing how easily people can experience homelessness and the growing scale of the problem, Nedd chose not to look away,” Mr Fraser said.

“Instead, she took action and hasn’t stopped since. She continues to run for change, finding new ways to help end homelessness and encouraging others to join the fight along the way.

“He is a young man with a clear mission to challenge us all to make a lasting difference.”