Airdate: 1000 Miles to Light

A documentary on inaugural ultra-race 1000 Miles to Light, will be available exclusively on Kayo Freebies tomorrow.

Two teams face off in the ultimate footrace over 1000 Miles behind the barbed wire of Singleton Army Barracks.

The 10-day endurance event from Broken Hill to Cape Byron took place in August.

Kayo Sports Director of Marketing, Kim McConnie, said: “Kayo was thrilled to be able to both sponsor this incredible endurance race and also to now have the opportunity to share it with people all over Australia. Whilst an ultra-race of this kind is the ultimate mental and physical test for any athlete, it also supports a crucially important cause. Sport has been hugely affected by the pandemic, with professional athletes separated from families and spending months on the road, to community sport postponed and cancelled, so we hope sharing this event and its message encourages Aussies to reach out and seek support when they need it.”

Event founder and former Australian Adventurer of the Year Pat Farmer said: “I have run the length of the world from the North Pole to the South, I have run across many countries and encountered many challenges but none as difficult as running 1000 Miles, while my world was in lockdown. My motivation, in 1993 I ran second to America in the Trans-Am footrace from California to New York, I have been thinking about that for the past 28 years. This 1000 Mile race was my chance to run the Americans into second place and inspire a nation grappling with the pandemic lockdowns at the same time.”

Created by ultra-marathon runner and humanitarian Pat Farmer, 1000 Miles to Light is an event to help raise awareness for Reach Out, an organisation committed to supporting young people suffering mental health issues and to raise funding for its charitable activities.

The race was tackled by two teams of four, made up of Australian and American athletes, who ran relay-style, passing a baton over to the next runner every 5km, across rugged terrain that tested each participant’s limits of endurance, commitment and determination. The baton was carved and designed by two indigenous Broken Hill (Wijaali) artists, Anthony Hayward and Taya Biggs, to symbolise respect for the Aboriginal nations on route.

9.00am AEST Tuesday 21 September on Kayo Freebies