Sydney - German fitness fanatic Achim Heukemes ran the equivalent of two-and-a-half marathons every day for 43 days to set a record for the 4,586 kilometres between Perth from Sydney. Local cyclist Dick Vollebregt made the distance in eight days.
To get into the record books, Indian-born unicyclist Siddharth Rajan doesn't need to keep track of time - only get across the continent on one wheel and in one piece.
Rajan, a student at Melbourne's Monash University, admitted Monday he was "quite nervous" about spending 600 hours in the saddle.
Sunday's start from Perth on the Indian Ocean coast is the worst part of the trip because ahead of the 24-year-old is the 1,200-kilometre, dead-straight stretch through the Nullarbor Plain in temperatures that can get as high as 40 degrees.
Rajan plans to ride from Perth to Adelaide during June and July, then resume his studies at Monash, climbing back aboard for the Adelaide to Sydney stretch in November.
To make the trip extra arduous, Rajan will mostly travel alone, carrying a backpack weighing up to 13 kilograms.
