Tom Batrouney Sought To Run Forever And United A Community In The Process

For some, simply waking up and trading the comfort of a warm bed and snooze button for lashing winds and skies greyer than George Clooney’s hair on the outdoor run is something to be chalked up to an achievement. But for Tom Batrouney, his is a mind that never wrestles with such short-term comforts. Solely focused on the long-term, Batrouney’s has always been a mind curious of the unknown; about what he could be, how far he could run, and what limits he might defy in the process. 

Having first been introduced to running at school, these questions have loomed large over Batrouney’s career in the sport since he first discovered ultra-trail running. It was here  that he unlocked his passions, finding a joy for long-distance running that had previously eluded him on the school oval and track. With its community focus, ultra-trail running wasn’t so much a test of speed, but rather mental stamina. These were the individuals who knew what it meant to live a life devoted to sacrifice. These were individuals who had entered the Pain Cave and lived to tell the tale, returning time and time again all just to experience the unique thrill that sees suffering rub up against unbridled adrenaline, a thrill that makes us feel most alive.

But while Batrouney may identify as a runner, he’s first and foremost a father. You don’t need to be a parent to understand that climate change is the most urgent threat to civilisation, one that now serves to colour the world in extremes: heat, floods, drought, and wildfires. As these “unprecedented” events become an ever more common occurrence, the mind lands on the future generation, wondering just what of this earth they might inherit from those of us who have long walked before them. It’s something Batrouney feels motivated by, looking to not only be a role model to his young son through positive action, but to change the world in the process. 

And so, Project: Run Forever was born, marking Batrouney’s most ambitious challenge to date. The premise behind it was simple, with Batrouney looking to raise as much money as he could for two critical environmental groups, For Wild Places and the Seabin Project, each of which is deeply committed to creating a better future for our planet with land-based and ocean initiatives, respectively. Batrouney wanted to not only raise money, but bring the outdoor community together in the process by engaging in live crowd-funding as he ran. He’d run 10km loops around Manly Dam on the northern beaches for as long as the donations continued to come in. 

Even for a seasoned runner like Batrouney, Project: Run Forever presents an intimidating challenge. But on the morning of April 8, Batrouney awoke, laced up, and ventured into unchartered territories. If we’ve learned anything in recent years, it’s that nature is the great equaliser: it has the power to make us acutely aware of the fallibility of our own bodies. Heavy rains and flash floods that had swept across much of Australia had reduced much of Batrouney’s 10km loop to a water-logged marsh, with some sections proving un-runnable as Batrouney and his crew could only wade through waist-deep water. Out on the trails, Batrouney not only witnessed the beauty of nature but understood his place within it.

Even for a seasoned runner like Batrouney, Project: Run Forever presents an intimidating challenge. But on the morning of April 8, Batrouney awoke, laced up, and ventured into unchartered territories. If we’ve learned anything in recent years, it’s that nature is the great equaliser: it has the power to make us acutely aware of the fallibility of our own bodies. Heavy rains and flash floods that had swept across much of Australia had reduced much of Batrouney’s 10km loop to a water-logged marsh, with some sections proving un-runnable as Batrouney and his crew could only wade through waist-deep water. 

It was the kind of setting that proved ample breeding ground for blisters and chafing, for muscle cramps and skin wrinkled and raw. But even despite the added challenge, Batrouney pushed on for a staggering 36 hours as his efforts came to be shared wide on social media, a growing interest in the man and his pursuits forming like the instant celebrity of a viral TikTok video. For Batrouney though, the objective was never one that sought to fuel the ego. He wanted only to inspire others with his actions, to prove that positive action can affect change, and that those things that mean the most to us in life are never those that come easily, but are those that require hard work and sacrifice. 

To watch video footage of Batrouney’s 36 hours of continuous running is to see a man giving his all. Sleep-deprived and sweat-soaked, Batrouney’s pain seems etched on his face, and yet he continues on, defying those limits that once defined him. It’s a powerful message about the strength of willpower and the power of the mind to overcome those challenges we might see as insurmountable if we’re only willing to shift our attitude and mental resolve. As Batrouney says, “Running has taught me that the only real safety in life is the feeling that comes from within. The feeling of power, confidence and limitless potential that only comes from within while running when there are countless opportunities to fall, hurt, fail and grow.”

Watch the film of Batrouney’s Project: Run Forever below. You can follow more of Batrouney’s running journey and environmental work on social media at the link here.