This Ultrarunner Ran 633 Miles in Just 6 Days

Phil Gore set out to run for seven straight days. He made it six days and eight hours before his body finally called it.The Australian firefighter and ultrarunner completed 152 consecutive hourly laps as part of Project 168, covering 1,019.92 kilometers (or 633.75 miles) before ending the attempt Saturday in Forrestdale, Western Australia, missing his original goal of 168 hours and roughly 700 miles.The setup borrowed from the backyard ultra format. Every hour, on the hour, Gore had to start another 6.71-kilometer loop, which is about 4.17 miles. Finishing a loop early meant a little more time off his feet to rest and put some food in his body (and maybe catch the briefest amount of shut-eye) before the next hour began.William BuckBut that lack of sleep eventually became extremely hard to ignore.“I haven’t had a proper sleep in seven days, so there’s some really weird thoughts going through my head,” Gore said on his YouTube livestream after the attempt ended.UltraRunning Magazine columnist Jared Beasley, who followed Gore throughout the week on X, noted that a pronounced limp had developed by lap 135. Gore completed lap 152 in 58:01, leaving him less than two minutes before the next hour began, and Beasley later reported that Gore collapsed during his 153rd attempt.The 152 laps won’t count as an official backyard ultra world record because the format requires another runner to remain in competition. Gore already owns that record with 119 yards, set in 2025, and Project 168 was instead designed as a solo test of how far he could push the hourly format.William Buck“I was aware that my limit could be between that 120 and 168 [lap] mark, but I would have never known if I didn’t try,” reports The West Australian after Gore had stopped.There was another reason to keep going. Gore used the attempt to raise money for Telethon, a Western Australian charity supporting sick and disadvantaged children, and by Sunday morning, the campaign had brought in more than A$267,000.Gore fell 16 laps short of the full week he envisioned, but after 633-plus miles, 152 hourly starts, and nearly seven days without proper sleep, “short” feels like a fairly relative term.Sean Abrams was the Senior Editor, Growth and Engagement at Men’s Health. He’s a former hip hop dancer who likes long walks on the beach and large glasses of tequila. You can find his previous work at Maxim, Elite Daily, and AskMen.