Aussie 8 Expedition Complete, New Record Set

Just a quick update on the final status of the Aussie 8 expedition which I've been covering regularly over the past couple of weeks. You may recall that this was the attempt by trail runners/climbers Ben Southall, Luke Edwards and Patrick Kinsella to bag the highest peak in each of the eight Australian states in just ten days, which would smash the previous record of three months. The last time I posted, the boys were closing in on the finish line ahead of schedule and with just one mountain to go and last Friday they managed to complete their adventure in grand style.

Heading into the day on Friday, Ben, Luke and Pat had already managed to run to the top of the highest mountains in the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, the Northern Territory and Western Australia. That left just the 1622 meter (5321 ft) Bartle Frere in Queensland between them and the record. They set off at a good pace, reached the summit and returned to the base of the mountain well after dark. But, they had managed to knock off each of the high points and they did so in just 8 days, 14 hours. That's a pretty impressive mark considering the amount of trail running on rugged ground they had to do over the course of that time frame, not to mention all of the airplanes and rental cars they took along the way.

You can read a full account of the final two days, as written by Ben, who badly rolled an ankle a couple of hours from the summit of Bartle Frere but pushed on anyway, by clicking here. You'll also find more info on the Aussie 8 Facebook page as well, including this excellent news coverage from Australian television.

Congrats to Ben, Luke and Pat on a job well done. This is one record that will be very tough to beat!