Long-distance runner Ben Ferris – now known in the Northern Peninsula Area as Wheelbarrow Man – celebrates the end of his mammoth Cairns-Cape York trek with the obligatory photo at Pajinka on 29 June. Photo: Supplied.
Most people are elated to have their photo taken with the iconic Pajinka sign after completing the 1,000-kilometre journey from Cairns in a four-wheel drive, so can you imagine how it feels to stand at the northernmost point of Australia after finishing the same trek on foot?
“It was good feeling, that’s for sure,” Ben Ferris told Cape York Weekly after finishing his run on 29 June.
“It’s a bit overwhelming when you think about it.”
Ferris undertook his marathon run to share his love of it, and the deep connection of doing it without shoes, with children in the remote communities by handing out free pairs of his homemade running socks.
After a change of plans with his support team in Weipa, Ferris decided to buy a wheelbarrow, fill it with his gear and push on to the Northern Peninsula Area (NPA) alone.
The man better known as Ferris Gump became a social media hit for those travelling through Cape York, with hundreds sharing their encounters as they spotted him pounding the bitumen or disappearing into the Peninsula Developmental Road’s red dust.
“That was the unique thing about doing this run, compared to doing my other runs,” Ferris explained.
“Everyone up here’s sort of funnelled into one point and everyone knew me, so I couldn’t hide.
“Everyone was great and supportive, and there was a real sense of community about what I was doing up here.”
Ferris became known as Wheelbarrow Man around Bamaga and Seisia after locals spotted him towards the end of his adventure, but he was adamant the name would “just be an NPA thing” rather than replacing Ferris Gump as his best-known moniker.
He explained the biggest challenge of the run was tackling the Old Telegraph Track on foot.
“I’m probably the only person who’s ever done it on foot like that,” Ferris said.
“It took me 11 hours and 12 minutes to do that 70 kays of the Telegraph Track; I did the last two hours in the dark and on the second day, I went all the way to the Jardine River.”
After a visit to Thursday Island, Ferris said he planned to return to Cairns – at about 25,000 feet – before planning his next big run.
