Man runs across Australia to help exploited children
Nathan Maufe from Bawtry completes a 3,000-mile journey from Cape York to Wilsons Prom.
**Man runs across Australia to help exploited children**
A Bawtry man who covered 3,100 miles (5,000km) across Australia for a charity tackling the sexual exploitation of children said finishing the challenge felt like a "phenomenal feeling".
Nathan Maufe completed the 86-day trek on Sunday with three friends, running from Cape York on the northern coast to Wilsons Prom in the south.
The group took on the cross-country effort for Destiny Rescue, which works to save children from sexual exploitation and human trafficking, and raised more than £150,000.
Maufe, 27, said: "You learn a lot about yourself and especially what you're capable of and the impact that you can have on the world around you."
He joined the effort after responding to a social media appeal from Australia-based Griffin JD Hughes, also 27, who launched the campaign.
They were also joined by Flin Cobley, 22, and Chelsea Dyer, 32, both from Australia.
Maufe said reaching the finish line was emotional after almost three months on the road.
He said the biggest risk came from running beside busy roads.
On the final stretch, as they ran through the mountains, supporters greeted them with music and cheers.
"We got chills all over our bodies," he said.
"We were getting all hyped up and we were so excited."
Maufe said the hardest moment came on day 22, when exhaustion and the strain of the challenge caught up with him.
"The fatigue hit and I was hot and I was tired and I was in pain," he said.
"I remember just feeling so emotional and thinking about home."
Maufe said he was "proud" to raise funds for the Destiny Rescue charity.
Although the challenge included encounters with wildlife, including poisonous snakes, Maufe said the greatest danger came from running alongside busy roads.
He said one of the most memorable sections came after weeks spent running along a single highway in Queensland.
Leaving the traffic behind and heading into the mountains brought relief.
"It was just like this massive weight lifted off us," he said.
Life away from the roads was far from glamorous.
The runners slept in a pop-up caravan, and he said sore muscles often stopped him from getting a full night's sleep.
"I never slept throughout the night," he said.
"I'm excited to have a fortnight to sleep, to be honest."
Maufe said learning more about the charity's work strengthened his commitment throughout the challenge.
"To have such a positive impact on the lives of the children we'll never meet, but know that they will be positively impacted, is a phenomenal feeling," he said.
The team has raised more than £157,881 through the campaign, which Maufe said had already helped rescue 145 children.
He said he was "proud" of what had been achieved.