A 14-year-old has stunned his teacher, friends and family after running an unplanned marathon to win a $100 bet.
What started as a casual classroom challenge turned into a next-day 42km test of determination but Lloyd Casper pushed through leg pain, blisters and exhaustion to complete it in less than five hours.
The Year 9 Maroochydore State High School student set off from his home at Kuluin before dawn, running via Marcoola to Coolum Beach and back, tracking the journey on Strava.
He achieved the feat without training for it.
“I was in class with my teacher, and we were talking about running, and he bet me 100 bucks I couldn’t run a marathon,” he said.
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“I woke up the next day at 5 and left at 5.30.
“I ran it because he thought I couldn’t do it and there was 100 bucks on the line.”
Lloyd does Muay Thai at Shadowbox and plays rugby league for the Maroochydore Swans but he hadn’t run in earnest since last year when he notched 6km.
“It was easy through the first 10-15ks – I had good pace – and then at around 20ks my legs started to hurt and I slowed the pace down a bit,” he said.
“My mate dropped me off a few gels and muesli bars and I stopped every 10-15k for water at bubblers.
“The last stretch was getting really hard. I just wanted it to be over. My legs were going to give out.”
Lloyd said he was tired and sore but delighted to reach the ‘finish line’, and in time for a celebratory lunch.
“I took my shoes off and lay there for a few minutes because my legs were in heaps of pain,” he said.
“I’m glad I did it because I got 100 bucks, and there’s not many people my age who do that just on the weekend.”
Teacher Scott Furness said he was shocked by the effort, which led to blackened toes and a detached big toenail. Graphic image at the bottom of this story.
“When I was asked by a student on the Monday ‘have you seen Lloyd’s feet?’ I had to think about what they were talking about,” he said.
“I had pretty much forgotten our conversation as I didn’t think it was realistically possible he would even try, let alone complete it.
“His mother emailed the principal with photos of his feet and I got called into the deputy principal’s office for a ‘please explain’.
“Once they knew the whole story, they were also very impressed.”
Mr Furness said those in the school community were mostly in “disbelief”.
He said Lloyd’s run was inspirational – “a cool story about grit, determination and finding out you actually don’t have limits”.
“He is now a bit of a local legend at school,” he said.
“I spoke about Lloyd’s feat at our Year 9 parade, emphasising that no person at age 14 or 15 has any idea what their capacity is. They have no clue what limits they have.
“Lloyd’s run proves that if you have enough determination to do something, then you can do it.”
Lloyd’s mother Alicia Casper was among those taken aback.
“He mentioned it the night before – the conversation at school – but I didn’t think he was going to do it,” she said.
“I was still in bed when he left and then I got a Snapchat from him while he was running.
“I said ‘I’ll come and get you’ but he was like ‘nah, I’m not backing down’.
“I didn’t know where he was going to turn around or how far he was going to go because he’s a bit unpredictable at times.
“I was a bit worried and was wondering when he was going to stop.
“But he is determined. The one thing with Lloyd is if you say he can’t do something he will do it. I think the teacher knows that now.”
Ms Casper said she was “amazed” by her son’s feat and spoiled him in the days after.
“He got shouted lunch and had a few takeouts during the weekend. I felt bad because he had pain in his feet but that’s what happens when you run that far without training.”
Lloyd was asked what he’ll do with the $100.
“Not sure yet, probably KFC,” he said.
