Many locals are well aware of Ben Shea and his sporting prowess, particularly in the field of Rugby League. Ben the son of John and Trish Shea has been playing top tier Rugby League in the Queensland competition for over a decade.
This week Ben decided to put his athletic ability to excellent use, in what was a gruelling challenge both mentally and physically.
Inspired by fitness guru David Goggins, Shea ran close to 90
kilometres in a 48 hour period to raise money for his mate Mitch Cronin’s
family, the Wynnum-Manly captain who tragically passed away at the age of 27 last month.
He said, “I thought if I can do something I had better up the normal runs from 6.5 kilometres to 7 kilometres which was an extra 500 metres to run. On the last run I did 9 kilometres which was significant in that he was a Hooker and wore number 9.”

Ben’s mates in Queensland joined him for the final leg and were able to do so by using instagram live. The only problem being that Ben’s running app stopped for 15 or 20 minutes which meant he likely did 3 or 4 more
kilometres than he was meant to.
Fund-raising for Cronin’s family saw a Go Fund Me Page and other fundraising ventures totalling over $40,000 in a month.
Ben had local support as well as from Queensland with plenty of twin town
residents getting on board along with the Harden Hawks who Ben’s father John won a premiership with in 1981 against the Wagga Kangaroos in the Group 9 competition.


For those who thought running 90 kilometres is hard, prepare to become scared. Ben didn’t run the 90 kilometres on a flat track, in an oval shape, at a sports ground. He ran it on the family property at Demondrille which is hilly country.

He has spent the last 50 days in Harden Murrumburrah at the family property due to Covid – 19, when he and his partner’s work ceased in
Queensland.

Ben started at 9am and broke the run up over the next 48 hours. He set off again at intervals recommencing the run at 1pm, 5pm, 9pm, 1am, 5am and then around the clock again.

He said, “I didn’t want to run on the main road with the trucks at night so the night runs were in the paddocks with a head lamp and a torch.”

Ben went through 12 sets of clothing and ate and drank during the breaks to keep his energy levels up. He lost an entire 5 kilograms over the period, much of which he has now put back on. He only had limited recovery and only got in 4 hours of sleep across the 48 hours.
Ben’s partner and his mother Trish looked after him so that he could keep going in what he described as a
‘challenge.’

What Ben achieved is amazing in that he is a forward in Rugby League and has mainly played in the Front Row position alongside stints in the Backrow.
For your regular local park footballer, it certainly puts in perspective what you can do if you work hard like Ben has.