Ultra runner William Goodge joins Headstrong on a multi-year deal as the brands first official partner. Will is currently taking on his record breaking run across the length of Australia, aiming to cover over 3800km in just 35 days from Perth to Sydney, powered by Headstrong.
Will has been working with the Headstrong team to put a deal together since the start of 2025. The partnership feels valuable, meaningful and authentic to both parties, with Will being a huge advocate of functional mushrooms and natural alternatives as a whole since the start of his running career. We spoke to Will about his journey with functional mushrooms and his journey so far:
“My discovery into natural products was a heightened experiential one. As a kid I was always questioning why my mum wouldn’t just give me the strong pill when I felt ill, she would always side on only using if absolutely necessary. I wanted the quick fix.
Upon her passing and my sights set on taking on an 875 mile run in 2019 in her memory, I was naively using her pain medication for her end of life care to numb the physical pain I was experiencing running over two marathons a day. This lead to a host of problems, losing myself and who I was, carrying a lot of inflammation, not sleeping at night and overall being a zombie. I was popping 8 codeine pills a day, every day for 9 days. I had an extreme and rapid insight into opioids, which upon reflection I am actually grateful for, for it showed me the path to the right way. I was told by my team on Day 9 that I could no longer take the pills, I shrugged it off and ironically said “alright mum”. However I followed their instruction and used CBD oil instead.
That night I slept for the first time in 9 nights properly, wasn’t having night terrors and woke up feeling like myself again. The ballooning inflammation in my ankles and knees retreated and from that point on I ran my highest milage days back to back until I finished 5 days later. On day 9 my team doubted I’d make it. From switching to natural products, my body stopped rejecting and started working for me again.
My journey with functional mushrooms came about a couple of years later. As a former rugby player, one that got knocked out so many times I had to retire, I had felt the cloudiness and forgetfulness that head trauma brings. What I found from consistently taking functional mushrooms was that I was generally more calm. I could concentrate on one task at a time and in the evening, switching off became easier.
Once I started hearing about Cordyceps and how studies have shown an increase in VO2 max in training adults (exactly the group that should have been tested), I really leaned into them as a professional runner. To say I’ve been impressed is an understatement and my level continues to increase as well as my ability to handle different stressors of life. I give credit to functional mushrooms for being a part of that improvement across the board."