London runner to tackle 'extreme' Australian outback in 3,800km world-record attempt

Extreme running challenges are seemingly all the rage right now but one woman is taking things to the next level with her world-record attempt later this year.

Despite being a solo sport, running has a way of bringing the world together and 24-year-old Ash Harvie is hoping that the running community will get behind her, as she plans to run the length of her home country Australia.

Now based in London, it was only in 2023 that Ash, who had grown up playing football, decided to ran her first marathon. Instead of tackling the usual 26.2 miles however, she opted to run an 110km ultramarathon in Morocco with her friend, and ended up winning.

Another victory in a 220k ultramarathon across the Wadi Rum Desert in Jordan would follow, in conditions which may well set her in good stead ahead of the biggest challenge of her life, as she prepares to run the 3,800km across Australia later this year.

All being well, her challenge, named Run for Recovery, will begin on 12 October in Perth and hopefully finish on 5 December, in Sydney on Bondi Beach.

Speaking to LADbible, Ash said: “I remember when I was young, someone had done it and I saw it and thought to myself ‘that's something I want to do one day’. I never really thought it was possible and then I decided, you know what, why not me? Why not be the change? There was a lot of very male dominated people taking on these challenges."

Winning her first ultramarathon was a sign of things to come (Supplied)

Ash is raising money through her JustGiving page for the Butterfly Foundation, Australia's national charity for people impacted by eating disorders and body image issues.

She added: "My mission, my purpose, was to find a way to start conversation, drive change and bring awareness to eating disorders and distorted eating in general. I thought what better way than run across the country and raise awareness, spread a message of don't do anything in halves. So the bigger the challenge, hopefully the more attention and the more conversations that can be made.”

Anyone familiar with Australia will know that running the length of the country is no mean feat, and not simply because of the eye-watering distance that Ash will be forced to run every single day for nearly two months.

Besides the creepy crawlies and intense weather conditions, there's also the (not very) small obstacle of passing through the Australian outback, the vast and remote region where she will have to deal with extreme heat and nowhere to stop or get shade for miles and miles.

Ash is set to run straight through the outback (Supplied)

But Ash is tackling that problem head on, by running 'straight through' on the 'longest stretch.

She said: "We're going on the highway across the Nullarbor in Australia. We're going the most direct and safest route from Perth, Cottesloe Beach to Bondi Beach, Sydney. We’re running anywhere between 73 and 75km per day. The outback stretch is just under 2000km and it's the longest unbroken straight stretch of road.

"We'll be dealing with the extreme elements out there. We're hoping to have a few drops from family whilst we're out there each day to help us stock up on supplies, but there won’t be much out there.”

Thankfully, Ash has plenty to motivate herself throughout the incredible challenge, having struggled with distorted eating while she was growing up, and she wants to raise awareness about eating disorders in the most eye-catching fashion.

Ash will be running an ultra-marathon every day for nearly two months (Supplied)

She added: "I probably have always been a closed book and being the centre of attention and putting myself out there is out of my comfort zone. But I know that sharing my personal journey is a way of starting change, so I guess I was fortunate that I had people around me. While I never was diagnosed with an eating disorder, I certainly had distorted eating patterns and behaviours.

"It was a probably a few years there where people are telling you look good and results are coming your way and you're feeling fit, but you know deep down that behind closed doors that it's not okay. The thoughts, the constant comparison culture and while there are people out there sharing the right messages, I think that the societal pressures and expectations are still there and especially in the health and fitness industry, it's a trap that so many people get caught up in.

“My mission is to help start conversations. I think it's a topic that people are a bit scared of they don't know how to talk about they don't know how to approach a conversation if they think other people are struggling so they just ignore it and it's one that everybody I'm sure has either had experience with themselves or knows someone who has.

"So just reducing the stigma around the whole thing and knowing that recovery is possible. And that there is light at the end of the tunnel. The main message that I want to put out there is that there’s brighter days ahead.”

Brighter days will no doubt be a focus on Ash's brutal journey later this year, with a summer drink and ice cream at the finish line on Bondi Beach, as well as the thought of reuniting with her friends and family, something that will likely help her keep putting one foot in front of the other.