Perth ultra-marathon runner Phil Gore has undergone emergency surgery after his six-day Project 168 challenge for Telethon left him with a serious leg infection.
Gore had attempted to complete a 6.7km lap every hour for 168 consecutive hours to raise money for sick children across Western Australia. He reached lap 152 before the pain became overwhelming and he collapsed during the following lap.
“To be honest, it’s a bit of a blur. I don’t remember anything being wrong until lap 152,” Gore said.
He completed lap 152 with only two minutes to spare, despite warning his support crew to be prepared in case he could not continue. After starting the next lap, he managed just over a kilometre before the pain in his leg became too severe.
“I just collapsed on the side of the road and got scooped up and put back in the car,” he said.
Gore initially believed he was suffering from a sore muscle. But after returning home, he began waking in cold sweats and experienced worsening pain over five nights.
When the pain reached what he described as a 10 out of 10, he contacted a physiotherapist and went to hospital. He was later sent home after the injury was diagnosed as a simple haematoma, but remained concerned that something was wrong.
Gore sought a second opinion from a sports doctor. When the specialist attempted to drain the swelling, expecting to find blood, pus was discovered instead.
“He’s going, ‘OK, this isn’t good, we’ve got to send you to ER’,” Gore said.
He was taken to Fiona Stanley Hospital, where surgeons opened his leg during emergency surgery and drained 500 millilitres of fluid. A drainage tube removed a further 70 millilitres over the following days.
Despite the fever, hospital admissions and surgery, Gore said he had no regrets about taking part in Project 168.
“I wanted to push myself to my limit. If I’d got to 168 and stopped, I wouldn’t have found what that limit is. So, yeah, I found my limit,” he said.
Project 168 raises more than $291,000 for Telethon
The challenge raised more than $291,000 for Telethon, with the total expected to exceed $300,000 before the fundraising weekend ended.
Gore said the sum had been built through donations, many of them of just five or 10 dollars, from people watching his live stream across every continent.
His most rewarding moments came when children who had benefited directly from Telethon joined him on the course.
Gore is now recovering and has withdrawn from upcoming major races, including the Backyard Satellite Championship. He is spending the enforced rest watching films and will consult sports doctors before attempting extreme distances again.
He hopes to return to official backyard ultras next year and try to improve on his 152-lap benchmark once his leg has fully healed.
