![\"Phil](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/fd28927eacaa8f835d5eb53df904b1a01bf4180c.jpg\")
Camera IconPhil Gore after winning the Big Dogs Backyard Ultra World Championship. Credit: 7NEWS ND\/Instagram \/ YouTube<\/p>\nWA endurance powerhouse Phil Gore is no stranger to pushing human limits, but his latest feat will see him venture into uncharted territory even for him.<\/p>\n
The 40-year-old Perth firefighter and endurance world record holder is preparing to tackle what he has dubbed \u201cProject 168\u201d, a brutal and non-stop seven-day solo running challenge to raise $168,000 for Telethon.<\/p>\n
From Sunday, Mr Gore will complete a 6.7km loop of the Armadale Soccer Club oval on the hour for 168 consecutive hours.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s a staggering seven full days without a night\u2019s sleep, covering a distance that eclipses most elite multi-day ultra-marathons.<\/p>\n
Mr Gore already holds the backyard ultra world record after last year running for 119 hours straight \u2014 completing a distance of 798km.<\/p>\n
He also boasts an Oceanic best over 24 hours, having covered just over 270km during a record attempt in 2024.<\/p>\n
Yet, for Mr Gore, the confines of standard events now leave a lingering sense of unfinished business.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith a backyard ultra, if you\u2019re the last one standing . . . you\u2019re kind of like the only person in the event who doesn\u2019t get to find out what their limit is because the reason you stopped is because the event had to stop,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve won a lot of them and get to that point where I feel like I can keep going . . . so I thought, let\u2019s just do a solo one, make a big event out of it, and use it as a good cause to raise money for Telethon.\u201d<\/p>\n
Camera IconPhil Gore after winning the Big Dogs Backyard Ultra World Championship. Credit: 7NEWS ND\/Instagram \/ YouTube<\/p>\n
Having grown up in a household that religiously watched Telethon \u2014 and having spent time in hospital himself as a young boy and later as a parent \u2014 Mr Gore felt a deep personal connection to the charity drive.<\/p>\n
To survive seven days of relentless movement, Gore has calculated his physical strategy down to the exact minute.<\/p>\n
Rather than standard rest, he will rely on a carefully structured cycle of 15-minute micro-naps during overnight hours.<\/p>\n
To buy himself time to sleep, Mr Gore plans to run \u201cfast laps\u201d of around 35 to 40 minutes, leaving him a razor-thin window to shower, rest and be woken up by his support crew before the next hour strikes.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn my plan, there\u2019s nine sleep laps, all overnight,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll do three fast laps in a row to sleep, and then one slower lap to give my body a chance to reset.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite the extreme sleep deprivation, Mr Gore said his mind had adapted over time with past experience.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first couple of nights, the sleep\u2019s a little bit harder. But the longer I go, the sleep comes a bit more easily . . . I could lie down for 20 minutes, and when I wake up, it feels like I\u2019ve been asleep for two or three hours,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Staying focused over 168 hours of solitary pacing requires a high degree of mental strength and sheer grit.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve just learned to handle hard things,\u201d Mr Gore said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt can get boring at the start . . . you\u2019re 24 or 48 hours in, and you know you\u2019ve still got a long way to go, it can feel like a grind. But the deeper I get into it, the more I get zoned in.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Phil](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/978a4d01d9d3d2dcfdcc0164e2d2ef25fdd05100.jpg\")
Camera IconPhil Gore is ready to push his body to the absolute limit. Credit: Sandra Jackson\/The West Australian<\/p>\n
To keep him moving and boost the fundraising effort, members of the public will be able to \u201cbook a lap\u201d and run alongside him by making a donation to Telethon.<\/p>\n
Mr Gore said he didn\u2019t want to set himself a goal he knew he could achieve and is excited to push himself to a new limit.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel confident I can get to five days. Anything after that is uncharted territory,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI absolutely believe it\u2019s possible, but I know it\u2019s going to be a big challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n