🌞 The incredible run across Australia

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In case you missed it, ultra-runner William Goodge broke the record this week for the fastest time running across Australia.

Goodge arrived in Bondi on Monday after 34 days and approximately eight hours of running across the country. Yes, you read that right.

His effort saw him beat the previous record, held by Australian ultra-runner Chris Turnbull, of 39 days, eight hours, and one minute.

31-year-old Goodge has been running to raise money for cancer charities since his mother died of cancer in 2018.

Since taking up ultra-running, he has achieved several ridiculously unimaginable things, including running the length of Great Britain in 16 days, becoming the fastest British person to run across America (55 days), and finishing 11th at the Moab 240, a prestigious 240-mile (386km) ultra race in Utah.

This time, Goodge was raising money for three cancer charities in the UK, U.S. and Australia.

Amazing.

Honestly, this ‘photo of the week’ section is getting slightly more unhinged every week, and I love it.

Today, you’re looking at a woman dressed as a mushroom walking through a rose garden at the RHS Chelsea flower show in London.

One thing I love about this newsletter is that there is time and space to acknowledge the incredible medical and scientific advancements we are making as a society.

Earlier this month, a surgical team at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) performed the first human bladder transplant. The team completing the surgery was led by Dr Nima Nassiri, a urologic transplant surgeon. The patient had lost most of his bladder due to tumour removal, had kidney issues, renal cancer and was on dialysis for 7 years.

Nassiri said that this first attempt had been “over four years in the making.” He and his team pioneered a technique together, which they used to transplant a kidney and a bladder. The procedure lasted around 8 hours, and it was an immediate success. Nassiri said that " the patient’s kidney function improved immediately… there was no need for any dialysis after surgery.”

On the successful surgery, Dr Nassiri said: “For the appropriately selected patient, it is exciting to be able to offer a new potential option.”

Free next Thursday? We’ve got just the thing for you Join us and the Up crew for a morning of free coffee, breakfast, and a whole lot of good news!

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For anyone who reads our daily TDA newsletter, you’ll know that earlier this week, we teased that Kermit the Frog would deliver a commencement speech.

On Thursday, it finally happened. The Muppets star was the commencement speaker at the University of Maryland, which is where his creator, Jim Henson graduated from in 1960.

In his speech, Kermit told students: “It’s important to stay connected to your loved ones, most importantly, stay connected to your friends and most of all, stay connected to your dreams!... Dreams are how we figure out where we wanna go, and life is how we get there!” He added: “Rather than jumping over someone to get what you want, consider reaching out your hand and taking the leap side by side, because life is better when we leap together.”

You can watch the full speech from “a frog in a very tiny cap and gown” here.

Last Halloween, Shriners Children’s Hospital patient Willa dressed up as her favourite F1 driver, Oscar Piastri. Her team at the children’s hospital in Utah fitted her with her very own McLaren to get race-ready.

This caught the attention of Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren Racing and her favourite F1 driver, Oscar Piastri.

Willa had the most adorable reaction to finding out they had commented on her Instagram, but that was somehow topped when Oscar sent her a package from McLaren HQ, with her very own helmet, signed by the man himself!

You can watch the video here.

The wonderful Anju, who helps me find and write all of these good news stories every week, pitched this story to me by saying “I know it may sound like nothing special, but her reaction was adorable.” Agreed!