Australian runs a marathon in gumboots while repairing a canoe

Runner and filmmaker Beau Miles says the best idea he’s ever had was running a mile an hour over 24 hours. “I ran one lap of my perfect mile-long block every hour for 24 hours, and in between did a bunch of odd jobs and made things,” the bizarrely charming adventurer explains. “It’s an idea that’s been copied all over the world. I thought, why don’t I copy myself?” In this short film, Miles sets off on a slightly different 24–hour marathon–in gumboots–and, as always, the Aussie leaves you laughing and feeling inspired.

“We’re all familiar with the daily allotment of 24 hours,” Miles says. “My revelation as a mid-life ginger is that exploiting yourself within it is life-affirming.” The ever-creative Miles sets out to repair a canoe and makes a list of things that need to be done between laps. “This time I’ll do lots of jobs within one, by renovating a banged-up-old fleet canoe, and instead of running around the block, I’ll run two laps every hour, in gumboots, around my paddock,” Miles says.

Known for sewing up his runners rather than purchasing new ones, Miles is all about repairing, reusing and repurposing. He calls the runs in between repairs a “circuit breaker” and explains that running has always been a way to reboot for him. “I think I have a really good sustainable life, because I run,” Miles says.

Between moments of boat repair, bread-making (with pesto) and gorgeous shots of the landscape around Miles’s farm, you can’t help but want to see what he will tackle next. He doesn’t disappoint, sharing the beloved “beauisms” his fans adore: “Changing your underpants is like starting a whole new week,” he surmises, when he suddenly feels refreshed while running through the long night.

Miles explains he loves the mix of going for a run every hour and then problem-solving using his hands, “using the two hemispheres of Beau.” But why the gumboots? That remains a mystery that even Miles’s wife can’t solve. “I’m intrigued, she says. “I personally would not choose to run 26 miles in gumboots.”

“It turns out copying yourself ain’t such a bad idea,” Miles says. If you haven’t completed your own 24-hour marathon, you’ll be inspired to try one after watching this.

posted Saturday August 19th
by Running Magazine