To run for 29 consecutive hours requires concrete motivation.
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To keep going through a cold winter's night, with weary legs, fatigue-driven delusions, and even a serious groin injury.
For Horsham's Sam Anson, there were three motivating factors for his 213-kilometre journey.
It was about challenging himself, providing an example for people struggling with drugs and alcohol, and to bring a childhood fantasy to fruition.
Anson ran from Horsham to Portland in 29 hours and 26 minutes, narrowly beating his goal of 30 hours in a tumultuous journey.
"My Mum and Dad got divorced when I was really young, and my Dad used to live in Portland and Mum in Natimuk," Anson said.
"I was constantly driving between the two ... and when I was about 10 or so, I used to think, 'I could run this one day'.
"Sometimes when I was with one of them and I'd have a bit of a falling out, I would think, 'I could just run to go see my Mum or Dad'.
"And this year I thought, 'Hell, why not do it?'
"Footy has been cancelled. I'm normally limping around carrying an injury by this time of the year, but instead I was feeling really good.
"I thought, why not?"
The Natimuk United coach said the journey pushed him to his absolute limit.
"I just wanted to strip everything back and put myself out in the open to fend for myself," he said.
"I wanted to be 100 per cent dependent on myself and have nobody else to blame.
"I also just wanted to raise a bit of awareness for people that have come from, or are in tough times with alcohol and drugs. To show that people can change their ways.
"I used to have a bad time with that stuff, and I've changed my ways for the better. Not in a million years would I have thought I could run 213 kilometres, but here we are setting goals and getting them done."
While his motivation was clear, the journey was far from smooth sailing.
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Setting off at 6am, Anson had over-packed for his journey, carrying too much food, water and clothing for the first 50 kilometres.
"If I was to write a book about the experience, it would be called 'how not to run 213 kilometres'," Anson laughed.
"You need to eat a tremendous amount of food on a journey like that, so I had heaps loaded on me.
"But it just bashed my legs for the first 50k with the extra weight. It was torture.
"By Cherrypool (approx 67 kilometres), my shoulders were collapsing."
Anson dumped a lot of gear and was saved by his wife, Alanah Anson, who joined him and drove behind Sam for the rest of the journey.
But the physical struggles continued.
"I didn't plan for that first 50k to be so bad ... then I felt my groin go at about the 70 kilometre mark," Anson said.
"It wasn't like a sharp snap, it was just a little pop.
"I had 30 kilometres until Cavendish so I just took it slow and jogged to there."
Anson stopped to eat and refresh, but any stop made starting again a daunting prospect.
"When you stop, everything freezes up. It was like a train hit you," he said.
"I also stopped and it was like, I wasn't even halfway. I still had 113km to go.
"It was a weird feeling."
Anson ran overnight and in the dark from Cavendish to Branxholme, before making another stop at the 150-kilometre mark.
He took a 10-minute nap in the back of his ute before tackling an excruciating final 63 kilometres without stopping.
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"That last 63 kilometres lasted forever - it took me 10 hours," Anson said.
"Running was sore. Walking was sore. My groin was so sore. It was really hard to get a strong mind to pull it all together.
"There was no hiding from anything. It's all there, every single step.
"I've never experienced anything like it."
But two things helped keep Anson going - the support of his family, and, more surprisingly, Miley Cyrus.
"My wife put on one of my favourite songs from when I was younger - Miley Cyrus' The Climb," he said.
"She put that on just before Branxholme because I was in some real pain. I think she played it on repeat for the next 10 hours. I can't tell you how often I listened to it.
"I was pretty delusional.
"Closer to Portland, my sister who lives there walked with me for a bit. Then my Dad, who is a bit overweight and needs hip surgery, got out and walked with me for probably about a kilometre near the end.
"That was pretty special."
It all culminated in relief when Anson hit the finish line.
"That feeling when I got to the lookout where I wanted to finish was very emotional," he said.
"I just dropped. My family put me in a wheelchair and I was just absolutely done.
"As painful as it was, it was the best pain I've ever felt."
A brutal recovery followed over the next several days, including passing out in the shower, 24 hours in bed and slowly regaining the strength to walk.
Yet somehow, Anson already has one eye toward his next venture.
"This is the best pain I've ever felt," he said.
"I used to think running was the most boring thing ever. Now I've got a bug for it.
"I told my wife I wouldn't plan another one for at least three days, but I wouldn't mind doing the Grampians from one side to the other.
"That's possibly on the cards."
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