Photos Courtesy of MBRIT
Billy Tindall is a champion, both literally and symbolically. The 26-year-old Caboolture local is a former Australian Boxing Champion, who then took up the sport of Adventure racing. He now trains and competes in ultra marathons and decided to put his extraordinary fitness and mental strength to the test. Billy has just completed a 1,800km run from Melbourne to the Sunshine Coast, raising valuable funds for the Daniel Morcombe Foundation and raising continued awareness for child safety. We were fortunate enough to catch up with Billy while he was running, one week into his journey.
Congratulations – one week in!
Yeah thanks. It’s a good feeling.
Which towns are you running through today?
Today I think we’re running towards Henty in NSW. Crossing the border has definitely been a milestone. It’s a good feeling to be one state down.
So how’s the body holding up so far?
It’s not too bad. I’ve had the flare up of an old knee injury, but have just been walking and running that out at the moment. I can’t do too much about it and I’m still keeping up the k’s (kilometres required) which is good.
Given the sport of boxing is very physical, I’d imagine you’d also have pretty good mental strength. What role will that play over the coming weeks?
I think it’s going to play a big part. I think that’s what attracted me to running originally. It’s similar to boxing in that they’re both physically and mentally challenging. No matter how well you prepare, there’s going to be times where it hurts. That’s where your mental side has to come in, and I feel that boxing has definitely given me good mental strength to get through this.
How has the setback of the accident a couple of days ago renewed your determination to get this done? (Billy and his crew were extremely lucky to escape serious injury on September 28 after a truck veered into their support vehicle, destroying the driver’s side of the van while Billy was running.)
Just knowing that we’re all still here and we were all very lucky to be able to walk away from that. For me it really shows the strength of the support crew for us to be able regroup and get back on task. I’ve said from the start that for me, the cause has to be bigger than the challenge, and child safety is a cause that is bigger than the accident. So we’re happy to keep going.
Well said. Have you had any words of encouragement from Bruce and Denise (Morcombe)?
Yeah, they’ve been great! They’ve been messaging words of encouragement and they actually came and met me on Day 2 (in Victoria) and we had some lunch together. They’ve really been a huge support.
Who would this amazing effort be impossible without?
We have some great supporters. Woollies (Woolworths) have been a massive support. As have Chemist Group and a number of others. But my support group are amazing. I’ve got Gary Parsons – a record holder who ran 19,000km around Australia - with me. He’s been amazing. He and his wife Sharon are my support crew, along with my mum, Christine, and they help in so many ways.
So, why this? Not many people would go to such extreme lengths to fundraise. Are you releasing your inner Forrest Gump or is there something else driving you to succeed?
I think for me it’s uh….Obviously child safety is a big one for me. And I want to be able to show my son and daughter that it’s important to set goals and do what you believe in. To be able to help others while you push yourself is a great achievement.
What are you most looking forward to when you’ve finally finished? (Billy should have finished his journey at the Sunshine Coast on October 27 – the Day for Daniel celebration.)
Seeing family and friends will be big for me. To hold my son and see my wife (pregnant with a baby girl). That will be a great feeling.
Billy would like to thank Councillor Adam Hain and Selina MacEachan for their efforts in raising $7,000.00, and Councillor Adrian Raedel who headed to Victoria and ran 20km with him! He would also like to thank everyone who has donated or sent messages of support.