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Camera IconPerth firefighter and endurance runner Phil Gore during his epic Project 168 challenge to raise $168,000 for Telethon. Credit: William Buck\/William Buck<\/p>\nFour nights in, and WA endurance powerhouse Phil Gore is looking good on his latest challenge, which takes him into unchartered territory on Thursday.<\/p>\n
The 40-year-old Perth firefighter and endurance world record-holder is tackling 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
He is now more than half-way through his epic quest to complete a 6.7km loop of the Armadale Soccer Club oval on the hour for 168 consecutive hours.<\/p>\n
BY the 72-hour mark yesterday morning he had raised more than $62,000.<\/p>\n
He has been joined on the run by Telethon star Harrison Carthew and was discussed on US podcaster and sports commentator Joe Rogan\u2019s show, while British TV personality Ant Middleton sent a message of encouragement.<\/p>\n
Gore started the challenge on Sunday and is set to complete a staggering seven full days without a night\u2019s sleep, covering a distance that eclipses most elite multi-day ultra-marathons.<\/p>\n
\u201cLooking strong at lap 49, he is happy that the first two nights are done as they are always traditionally his worst two nights to get through as his body gets used to the calorie influx,\u201d his team told Western Suburbs Weekly on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has been getting 5-10 mins of sleep per loop on the night laps \u2026 so maybe 40-60 mins sleep (interrupted) per night.\u201d<\/p>\n
By Day 3, he was getting stronger as the laps ticked over – and was getting an appetite back as he kicked into another gear.<\/p>\n
Mr Gore already holds the backyard ultra world record after last year running for 199 hours straight and completing 798km.<\/p>\n
Camera IconPerth firefighter and endurance runner Phil Gore during his epic Project 168 challenge to raise $168,000 for Telethon. Credit: William Buck\/William Buck<\/p>\n
He also boasts an Oceanic best over 24 hours, having covered just over 270km during a record attempt in 2024.<\/p>\n
But the confines of standard events now leave Gore with 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 though, 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
To survive seven days of relentless movement, Gore calculated his physical strategy down to the exact minute.<\/p>\n
Rather than standard rest, he relies on a carefully structured cycle of 15-minute micro-naps during the night.<\/p>\n
To buy himself time to sleep, he runs \u201cfast laps\u201d of about 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 the one slower lap to give my body a chance to reset.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Phil](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/a5162c09f9d50b1020ed5e9008de4babb44c7865.jpg\")
Camera IconPhil Gore at Armadale Fire Station. Credit: Andrew Ritchie\/The West Australian<\/p>\n
Despite the extreme sleep deprivation, Gore said his mind had adapted over time with experience.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first couple of nights, the sleep\u2019s a little bit harder. Bur 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 sheet grit.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve just learned to handle hard things,\u201d 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\/0132e61ab3cc2572e5ed79006b604762eb27e42f.jpg\")
Camera IconPhil Gore is running 6.7km at the start of every hour around Forrestdale Lake for seven consecutive days to raise money for Telethon. Credit: Sandra Jackson\/The West Australian<\/p>\n
To keep him moving and boost the fundraising effort, members of the public can \u201cbook a lap\u201d to run alongside him by making a donation to Telethon.<\/p>\n
Gore said he didn\u2019t want to set himself a goal he knew he could achieve and going into the challenge he was excited to push himself to a new limit.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel confident I can get to five days. Anything after that is unchartered 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