Will Pattinson on 365 KMs in 2 Days for 365 Days Sober: Why I’m Doing It

If you’d told me a year ago, I’d mark sobriety by running and riding 365 kilometres, I would have laughed – maybe poured another drink, and shrugged it off.

But here I am.

On August 15, I’ll mark 365 days sober. To honour every one of those days, I’m taking on a challenge: 365 kilometres over two days – one kilometre for each day I chose to stay clean.

How I got here

The path hasn’t been neat or easy. Nearly two years ago, I began rebuilding myself, one fragile brick at a time. Then came a relapse last summer – a gut-punch reminder of how quickly the process can slip away.

But that moment of unravelling gave me something valuable: clarity. I realised I didn’t just need to hold the line – I needed to fight harder, dig deeper, and become the person I kept promising myself I’d become. This challenge is part of that fight. It’s not for accolades or applause. It’s a personal reckoning – a visible, painful, beautiful testament to resilience and change.

Losing Myself.

Before sobriety, I weighed 136 kilos. I was trapped in a loop of addiction – alcohol, drugs, gambling – completely disconnected from who I was. My health was collapsing. I was showing signs of early diabetes, gout and could barely look at myself in the mirror. I was drifting through conversations and relationships with no sense of presence or purpose.

To the outside world, I played the joker. The larrikin. But behind the jokes was exhaustion. Every decision was about escape. I was numbing, avoiding, surviving – but barely. Eventually, I ran out of places to hide. My body was breaking down. My life was following close behind.

The Brutality of Day One

When I started this journey, I wasn’t inspired. I was desperate. The first training session nearly broke me. My first sober weekend felt like it dragged on for weeks. I was sore, sleepless, mentally wrecked.

But I held on to one thought: If others can do this, then so can I.

Before I could even comfortably run a few kilometres, I signed up for the Paris Marathon. I gave myself no room to negotiate with the old version of me. I had to commit. I had to bet on myself – all in.

Why I’m sharing this

This challenge isn’t just about endurance. It’s about gratitude. It’s about pain. It’s about showing up. Every lonely Friday night I stayed in, every sunrise run, every training session when quitting seemed easier – this is for those moments.

I’ve set myself a goal: complete the 365 kilometres in under 24 hours of exercise. It’s ambitious, maybe even reckless. But that’s who I was – the bender mindset, the obsessive tendencies, the extremes. The difference now? I’m using that fire to build, not destroy.

For anyone struggling

This isn’t a victory lap. It’s a reminder: Change is possible. Even when it feels out of reach. Even when you’ve burned everything down.

If you’re struggling – with addiction, with shame, with the weight of starting over – know this: you’re not alone. And your Day One might not be glorious. It might be messy and painful and slow.

Change doesn’t begin with perfection. It begins with the decision to try, even the smallest ones.

One walk. One early morning. Celebrate the little wins first.

I’m Not a Fitness Poster Boy

Let’s be clear – I’m not a lifelong athlete or a polished fitness influencer.

I’ve failed. I’ve retreated. I’ve lost my grip more than once. But I’ve also had people who believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself.

Today, I choose structure, discipline, and growth. Not because I’m above temptation – but because I finally believe I’m worth the work.

And that belief is the most powerful shift of all.

What’s Next?

After the 365 Challenge, I’ll run the New York Marathon. But more importantly, I’m building something bigger – a platform to help others break free from what’s holding them down. Addiction. Shame. Self-doubt. All the things quietly eating away at your sense of self.

I’m not selling quick fixes. I’m just telling the truth: there’s more in you than you know. You don’t have to be perfect.

You just have to start.

I’ll be dedicating this journey to the Black Dog Institute – to support those who’ve faced the same darkness.

So, here’s my question to you:

What’s your 365 going to look like?

 By Will Pattinson

Will Pattinson is a marathon runner, fitness influencer, mindset coach, and proud country boy from Orange, Australia who’s turned his life around after a decade of addiction and self-destruction. Through fitness, sobriety and raw honesty, he now helps others unlock their potential and back themselves – one step, one day at a time.