Nedd Brockmann

You can measure Nedd Brockmann’s success in any number of ways: in kilometres run, in millions of dollars raised to tackle homelessness, in gallons of his beloved choccy milk. But in our uplifting cover story, this unstoppable runner reveals how he sees himself and his astounding athletic achievements – like running from Cottesloe to Bondi, or smashing 50 marathons in 50 days! “I can’t stand that a group of people are looked past,” Brockmann says of the motivation behind his monster marathons. “No-one wants to be homeless, no-one chooses to be on the street.”

More highlights in this edition:

• Following in Nedd’s footsteps, we hear three more accounts of unconventional hobbies: pinball, bell-ringing and cribbage…
• …and more games are afoot in The Big Picture, with photographer Angelika Jakob capturing the white-knuckle world of Bavarian finger wrestling.
• The great Helen Garner tells us about being invigorated by her grandson’s under-16s AFL team for her latest book The Season.
• Film director Brady Corbet delves into the “extraordinary contributions” that built his celebrated architectural drama The Brutalist.
• As twisty show Severance returns for a second season, creator Dan Erickson tries not to give too much away.
• Chef Tony Tan shares the recipe to his Mother’s Roast Chicken, a sentimental and soy-sauced “revelation”.
• And in Ozzities, we take a magnifying glass to the skin-crawling sport of cockroach racing – another example of Australia’s athletic, um, excellence.

Cover: Tobias Rowles / Body+Soul