Professional runner wins Australian leg of competition

Competing against about 550 runners in Busselton, Kennedy (35) ran 44km in three hours and 15 minutes to take out top spot.

‘Being the Australian winner of the global run is an incredible feeling,’ Kennedy said.

The Australian competitors started at 6pm and raced simultaneously with 50,100 registered participants from 164 nations. There were 34 long-distance routes in 32 countries, on six continents.

Fun runners, celebrities and some of the world’s best ultra-marathon runners all set off at exactly the same time in front of a moving finish line. In Busselton, a ‘catcher car’ followed participants. When it caught up to individual runners, they were out of the race.

‘Having a car chasing you is certainly a different concept and it was my competitive nature that motivated me,’ Kennedy said

Under the banner slogan ‘Running for those who can’t’, joggers hit the roads together in the first-ever global race of its kind.

The aim was raising funds for spinal cord research through the Wings for Life charity.

Kennedy is an ambassador for Wings for Life and finished in the top 30 in the world.

He is a professional ultra-marathon runner who won silver at the Commonwealth Championships in the 24-hour race.