IT WASN'T ABOUT BEING PERFECT - IT WAS ABOUT NEVER GIVING UP.

Louis Alexander reveals the secret to completing 8 marathons, in 8 Australian state capitals in 8 days

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Having trained Louis Alexander for an acclimatisation session at the Body Lab in London, Men's Fitness was keen to follow the adventurer as he attempted a world-first: running eight marathons in eight consecutive days across Australia's eight state and territory capitals.

Louis carried not only his running shoes but also the hopes of inspiring others through the challenge's alignment with Dementia Action Week. Now, with the dust settled and his feet somewhat healed, we caught up with him again to hear how it all unfolded.

Men's Fitness: How are you feeling now that you're back?

Louis Alexander: Physically, I'm feeling great - no illness, no injuries, which is honestly remarkable given what my body went through. I recovered faster than I expected. Mentally, though, I'm still pretty drained. I was back doing a school talk just days after landing, and the kids asked brilliant questions, but it's hard to process an experience of that scale so soon afterwards. In a way, talking about it helps me make sense of it.

MF: When we last spoke, you said logistics might be the hardest part. Did that prove true?

LA: Absolutely. Running the marathons was the peaceful bit - six hours each day where all I had to do was cover 26.2 miles. The hard part was everything around it: finishing, then having about 30 minutes to shower, change, tape my feet, pack, and get to the airport. Then queuing like everyone else, crammed into row 66J on the plane when all you want is to lie down. I averaged maybe two to four hours of sleep a night because once I arrived, there was admin: charging devices, washing kit in the sink, preparing witness statements, uploading evidence. By the time I hit the pillow, it was already time to get up again.

MF: And physically - what was the toughest moment?