Paul McClymont, a 45-year-old grazier from western Queensland, is preparing to embark on an extraordinary 24-hour run to raise funds for his close friend, Ben Chandler, who is recovering from a serious farm accident in 2023.
In March 2023, Ben Chandler was mustering cattle on his family property “Gregory Park”, near Barcaldine, Queensland, when he was involved in a serious motorbike accident.
After moving to Brisbane to support Mr Chandler’s recovery, his wife Jayde and their four children have moved back to Barcaldine in Western Queensland where Mr Chandler is now being rehabilitated.
Recovering from serious injuries in regional Australia has been a long and incredibly expensive endeavour for many Australians. However, it is through communities such as those who champion Mr Chandler’s recovery that incredible events are held to raise funds for those affected by adversity in the bush.
On Friday, September 6, Longreach-based grazier Paul McClymont will commence a 24-hour run where he will depart from Ilfracombe at 7am and aims to complete the extreme distance by the next day, endeavouring to break into Barcaldine by breaky time.
The McClymonts are long-time buyers and vendors of the AuctionsPlus platform and are based 120km west of Longreach.
The McClymont family are longtime friends of the Chandler family, as Mr McClymont and Mr Chandler have known each other since their early 20s and have remained close mates ever since.
However, after Mr Chandler suffered his life-changing accident the McClymonts wanted to find a way to support the Chandlers and their young family in a way slightly different to your usual fundraising events.
Mr Chandler has been working tirelessly to complete the last 100m alongside Mr McClymont. Pic: Supplied
Mr McClymont’s wife Joy McClymont said after thinking of many was to raise funds and support the Chandler family, the idea to test Mr McClymont’s capacity to run for 24 hours straight came up.
“It made sense after trying to figure out a creative way to put on an event. We thought it would be one hard day to symbolise the many hard days that Ben goes through,” Mrs McClymont said.
The roughly 160km dirt road stretch along the Ilfracombe - Isisford - Barcaldine Road will be the longest distance Mr McClymont has ever covered. However, Mrs McClymont believed the perseverance from wanting to support his close mate to recovery would give her husband all the reason to make the distance.
“Paul’s putting himself through one hard day to help Ben who’s been through so much,” Mrs McClymont said, emphasising the importance of supporting the Chandler family during this difficult time.
Mrs McClymont quoted her husband: “We think we have it tough, but, you know, people go through much tougher stuff, and it puts everything in perspective."
Mr McClymont has probably run more kilometres in a year than people would do over their lifetime, but now that effort has been dedicated towards a cause close to his heart.
Having previously competed in seven ultra-distance races over 100km, he has had the opportunity to fine-tune his preparation before taking on these extreme distances including perfecting his nutrition, training as well as tapering before a race.
However, this will be the furthest he has ever endeavoured to run over the longest continual time frame.
He often squeezes in two to six hour runs before and or after carrying out his usual farmwork for the day.
“We've often had to set up a station out the front of the house just to practice, you know, him coming in, and what he grabs and what the setup needs to be, so we do simulate it,” Mrs McClymont said.
Prepping for a long-distance endurance run is undoubtedly not an easy feat. However, balancing training while running a property situated 120km from your local nearest big town makes Mr McClymont’s efforts even more special.
The fundraising campaign has surpassed its initial target of $20,000, however, with the expense of rehabilitating Mr Chandler is Western Queensland, all support is welcomed no matter how large or small.
The event, dubbed "Run4One", invites supporters to follow the run’s progress on Facebook and contribute donations directly to the Chandler family. Those who wish to join Mr McClymont on the run, even for a short distance, can sign up to be part of the “Run4One Runners List”.
The community is also encouraged to gather at the Barcaldine Football Ground on Saturday morning to cheer on Mr Chandler and Mr McClymont as they cross the finish line, celebrating not just the completion of the run but the resilience and camaraderie that brought them there.
To donate or get involved, visit the Run4One Facebook page and show your support for a deserving family.
HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT RUN4ONE?
Follow the prompts on this page to choose your amount and click the DONATE button on this page with all proceeds going directly to support Ben, Jayde and the Chandler kids.
Any keen runners are invited to run alongside Mr McClymont for any amount of time during the day or night. To be kept in the loop and added to the "Run4One Runners List" please send an email to joy@offthetracktraining.com.au for more information.
