Since he started on his round-the-world run, Tim Franklin has endured floods, snow storms, blizzards, a tornado and attacks by countless dogs.
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For the Brisbane man, the past 517 days have definitely not all been smooth sailing.
But Warrnambool and its weather gave him a warm welcome by turning on the sunshine on Friday, May 3, 2024.
He was joined by some local runners as he made his way through the south-west, a trek which will take him to Melbourne by May 10 and then home to Brisbane.
"It's been a full life lived in 517 days of plodding along," Tim said.
"It's been a hell of a ride. It is almost finished."
Tim has 2300 kilometres to go, but who's counting. "Less than 10 per cent which is pretty awesome," he said.
Just seven people have completed the 26,232 kilometres feat. Tim aims to become the eighth.
Under the rules of the World Runners Association, he must wear two GPS units to monitor his movements and that he is running.
The journey has taken Tim across New Zealand, America, South America, Europe, the UK, Asia and his toughest challenge of all - the 1200 kilometre torture test that has been the Nullarbor during a West Australian heatwave.
He has worn through 17 pairs of Hoka Clifton running shoes during his run through 19 countries where he has consumed more than 4473 litres of water.
A harrowing day in Eastern Europe saw him narrowly escape a 100 metre drop from the bridge, crossing the Danube River with semi-trailers blasting by him with no barrier on the bridge.
When he crossed the border into Bulgaria, he witnessed a car barrel-roll in front of him and went to the aid of the driver.
"What's made it so much better is the people I've met, the places I've seen," he said.
The idea to do the run - something that has earned him the title of Australia's own Forrest Gump - came in 2017 after he met the only other Aussie who had run around the world.
"I loved the story. I loved the adventure of it," Tim said.
With the world having become more sedimentary over the past decade or more, he wanted to make a difference.
"I wanted to get the world moving and I thought 'if a bloke from Brisbane can run around the world then maybe people can aspire to move more," Tim said.
"My whole message is to get the world moving. A moving world is a better place. It's healthier both physically, mentally, emotionally."
His aim of breaking the world record was, sadly, thwarted when his father took gravely ill mid-way through the American cross-continent run.
Tim flew home briefly to farewell his father - who ordered him to get back on the road.
And that's precisely what he did. Picking up where he left off, he's aiming to honour the memory of his father.
"Tim Runs The World" is not just a personal challenge, Tim is raising money for three charities - Inspiring Brighter Futures, Red Bull's Wings For Life Spinal Cord charity and the Lung Foundation Australia.
Katrina Lovell
Katrina Lovell is a senior journalist at The Standard who covers council news and human interest stories.
Katrina Lovell is a senior journalist at The Standard who covers council news and human interest stories.
