When Eddie Tchigique CA looks at the 3900-kilometre expanse between Perth and Sydney, he doesn’t see a road trip, he sees a complex logistical framework with zero margin for error.

As a commercial manager at landscaping company GLG GreenLife Group, Tchigique is used to managing high-stakes contracts and asset life cycles, but in August 2026 he’ll be applying that same professional rigour to a world-record attempt.

On 10 August 2026, Tchigique will depart Cottesloe Beach in Perth with a singular goal of reaching Bondi Beach in Sydney in less than 39 days, while raising A$1 million for Redkite to support families facing childhood cancer.

While the headlines might focus on the physical feat, Tchigique views the project through a professional lens. To him, running across a continent isn’t just an athletic pursuit, but an exercise in extreme project management and logistical rigour.

The mindset behind the miles

Originally from France, Tchigique settled in Adelaide with his Australian wife in 2003 and has raised his family there. Eighteen years ago, a five-kilometre run felt impossible. Today, he manages a training load of up to 300 kilometres each week.

“Everybody hates running when they start because it is pretty hard, but as I got into it and did bigger distances, it got to a point where if I didn’t do a run one day, I’d feel I had failed in some way,” he says.

Tchigique says the evolution from novice to elite endurance athlete mirrors the CA journey. Success is rarely about the big win or the big move, but about the discipline of the daily increment.

“In the CA program, you learn that complexity is just a series of simple tasks layered together,” he says. “Crossing the Nullarbor is no different. You don’t run 3900 kilometres. You run 100 kilometres, 39 times. It’s about breaking a massive objective into manageable steps.”

Precision, planning and performance

Tchigique’s Frenchman on the Run project is a masterclass in operational efficiency. To break the current world record, he must maintain a 15-hour daily moving time. This requires a certain level of precision where no time can be wasted.

The variables are relentless:

• Asset management: burning through seven pairs of shoes and managing a strict caloric goal to prevent a physical deficit from compounding
• Supply chain: coordinating a support team – comprising a colleague, his wife, a physio and his father – to manage fuel, communications and water requirements of up to 70 litres per day in remote areas
• Time variance: minimising off-road time. “Time is our most precious resource,” he notes. “Every minute spent driving to a campsite is a minute lost on recovery.”

Beyond the spreadsheets and split times, Tchigique credits the CA designation with shaping his mental resilience. The profession demands a commitment to finishing a project to the highest standard, regardless of the hurdles.

“The rigour of the CA program teaches you attention to detail and a sense of ownership,” he says. “When things go wrong at the 2000-kilometre mark – and they will – you can’t outsource the solution. You have to take ownership of what comes next.”

Running for a greater cause

For Tchigique, the drive to support Redkite was sparked by personal perspective. Seeing the reality of the emergency department during hospital visits for his children’s asthma opened his eyes to the “other world” families of children with cancer inhabit.

Accounting teaches you that the numbers don’t lie, and neither does the road, says Tchigique.

“There are no shortcuts to a world record, and there are no shortcuts to supporting families in crisis. It takes discipline, structure and a refusal to stop until the job is done.

“I’m not just running for a cause, I’m executing a project where the stakes are far higher than any balance sheet.”