Welcome to part 3 of my series covering the Great World Race—7 marathons, 7 continents, 1 week. If you’re catching up, you can find part 1 here (Antarctica!) and part 2 here (South Africa, baby!). Each post peels back the layers of this wild adventure, showing the reality of running and recovering on a schedule that barely gives you time to breathe. For this one, we’re flying to Perth, Australia, where the miles were as stunning as they were grueling. Let’s dive in.
After a 3-hour delay in Cape Town and a 12-hour flight in our new flying home, I landed in Perth feeling shockingly good. My legs felt fresh, I’d actually rested, and I was ready for marathon number 3.
Day 3: Perth 🇦🇺
And Perth? Perth was everything. The course was spot-on, the volunteers were incredible, and the whole atmosphere was just pure love. Seriously, the support we got was next level—it felt like everyone was cheering us on nonstop.
The course was 12 loops of perfection. Smooth surface, gorgeous views, and that wind! A strong sidewind on the way out made it tough, but the way back? Pure flying. It felt like the wind was carrying me.
I also tried a new nutrition strategy this time: 4 GU espresso gels (I should’ve gone for 5, lesson learned), water, and salt tablets every 30 minutes. I told myself to stick to my New York pace, but after about 30 minutes, I realized I felt great. So, I went for it.
And guess what? New PB: 3:29:03! 🎉
Those last few laps were rough—I genuinely thought I might puke—but I was so close to breaking 3:30, I wasn’t slowing down for anything. Crossing the finish line and seeing that time? UNREAL.
The volunteers totally made the day. Hot showers, towels, soap, food ready to go, WiFi, a place to stretch—it was like a marathon runner’s dream come true. We had everything we needed to recover before heading to the airport at midnight.
No poop breaks, no vomiting, no drama—just flying. Perth, you were hands down the best race so far. On to number 4!
