Alex Barbas

Ultra Endurance Runner

Alex Barbas is an Australian ultra-endurance runner who, in 2025, completed a 7,665-kilometre run from Sydney to Perth and back in just 98 days, an achievement that had never been done before.

Running 80 kilometres or more every day, Alex pushed through nearly three months of continuous physical and mental stress with no days off. The challenge had it all: torrential rain, extreme headwinds, blistering heat up to 44°C, swollen shins, gut issues, night sweats, and the constant battle of fuelling, often needing close to 8,000 calories a day just to keep moving.

The run was driven by purpose as much as performance, raising over $107,000 for the Starlight Children’s Foundation to support sick children and their families across Australia.

For Alex, performance is built through consistency, resilience, and showing up day after day, regardless of the conditions.

Get To Know Alex

How do you like your WKDAY Coffee?

I like it strong and black. I'll probably put two sachets in to really give me that rocket fuel. I am someone who will have a lot of coffee in a day, WKDAY is definitely my go to.

What was your favourite song on the run?

This sounds a little bit cliche but it was "Born to run" by Bruce Springsteen. That is such a cracker song. I wouldn't want to play it too often because I was running for 12 hours a day so I probably listened to it maybe four or five times a week. 

What was your favourite post-run meal?

A chicken parmi with chips and an extra side of garlic bread.

What was the hardest moment during your run across Australia?

Day 10, running through Hay in NSW, was brutal. We had 50mm of rain, 65km headwinds, and it felt like 4 degree's, even the road trains had to stop because they couldn't drive. To top it off I finished the day, got to the hotel, and there was no hot water!

What kept you going on the day's you wanted to stop?

I’d started it, and I wanted to finish it, especially knowing it was for the Starlight Children’s Foundation. Raising over $107,000 gave the whole thing real purpose. On tough days, I just broke everything down into small, manageable chunks, the next aid station, the next few kilometres, even the next date on the calendar. Focusing on what was immediately in front of me made it manageable.