Project Bondi: 100km for Type 1 Diabetes

PROJECT BONDI: 100KM FOR TYPE 1 DIABETES

On April 4, I'll run 50 kilometres barefoot on the soft sand of Bondi Beach in one continuous effort.

Later this year, I’ll return to complete the full 100 kilometres in one go (date to be confirmed).

No shoes.

No pauses to stop the clock.

Just forward progress.

I'm doing this to raise money and awareness for Type 1 Diabetes - a condition I live with every single day.

Unfortunately, Type 1 Diabetes isn't something you "overcome" or "beat". It's something you manage. Constantly.

It's checking blood glucose before, during, after training. 
It's adjusting insulin when things don't go to plan.
It's knowing that one miscalculation can leave you sweating bullets in an ambient-temperature room.

And then you wake up and do it again.

I've run for most of my life. I love structure, discipline, and pushing limits - but Type 1 means the rules are different. Every run is a negotiation between effort, fuel, insulin, and timing. Some days it works. Some days it absolutely doesn't.

This run isn't about pretending diabetes is inspiring. It's about showing what living well with diabetes actually looks like - preparation, patience, mistakes, and persistence.


Why Bondi. Why barefoot. Why 100km.

Because it's hard in the right way.

Soft sand is unforgiving. There's no free efficiency given.
Barefoot means you feel everything - every step of the way.

For people living with diabetes, feet matter. Circulation, nerve damage, and long-term complications are real. Some diabetics lose toes. Some lose feet. 

Running barefoot is my way of keeping that reality visible. I'm also a Kiwi so I hate shoes at the best of times.

It forces awareness, care, and respect for something most people never think twice about.

And 100km? That removes shortcuts. You can't rely on adrenaline or bravado. You have to manage yourself properly - effort, fatigue, fuel, and decisions over time.

That mirrors life with Type 1 Diabetes pretty closely.

What your support does

All funds raises through Project Bondi: 100km for Type 1 will support Diabetes Australia, helping fund:

- Education and support for people living with diabetes.
- Advocacy and awareness programs
- Resources that make daily management safer and more accessible. 

If you donate, you're not just sponsoring a run. You're backing better support, better understanding, and better outcomes for people living with Type 1.

One last thing

I'm not doing this to prove anything.
I'm doing it because visibility matters.

If this run helps one person feel less limited, better understood, or more supported - mission accomplished.

Thanks for backing the project.

Thanks for backing Type 1.

- Ben "Sanchez" Clarke