Why Wollongong's A-League physio Brendan Wyatt is preparing to run 160 kilometres

The passing of Davila's wife Lily - at the age of 31 - last year left the Australian football community rocked. It began with some seizures for Lily, before the seizures led to Pacheco's diagnosis of Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM), a cerebrovascular disease which affects blood flow and blood vessels in the brain. In most cases, it's present at birth.

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Lily did not survive the disease and those in the Bulls camp felt Davila's pain to the core.

Wyatt first met Davila when the physio was working for Wellington in Wollongong (COVID-19 meant the Phoenix were based in the Illawarra due to travel restrictions between Australia and New Zealand). Since then, Wyatt moved permanently to Wollongong and picked up a job with the Bulls, where Davila is now captain of the side.

Throughout Davila's two seasons at the Kiwi club, Wyatt's professional relationship with the Mexican midfielder extended to a friendship, bonding through tough times for the club whilst coping with hotel quarantine, NSW hubs and border closures through the pandemic.

It was during this time Wyatt also got to know Davila's late wife, Lily.

After seeing his friend Davila go through the heartache of losing his wife, Wyatt decided he wanted to do something to help.

This Saturday (April 15), Wyatt will attempt to run 160 kilometres in under 19 hours, starting from Avalon Beach and finishing at Stuart Park.

So far, Wyatt has raised over $8000 for the cause, with all proceeds going directly to Brain Foundation Australia.

Working as a full-time physio for the A-League Men's and the NPL Women's Bulls teams, as well as playing in the South Coast District League, Wyatt told the Mercury he was raring to go for the gigantic task at hand.

"This season when I started working at Macarthur and I was seeing him [Davila] every day I was just baffled by how professional and strong and resilient he was," Wyatt said.

"I just really wanted to come up with an effort or a gesture that I think matched his level of strength he was showing. And then from there I decided I was going to run 160 kilometres.

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"I've just been training for that goal ever since," he said.

Starting at 2am on Saturday morning, Wyatt plans to break the previous record of an ultramarathon that was set in the past by David Goggins.

If all goes to plan, Wyatt should be heading into Stuart Park between 8-9pm on Saturday night.

Training for the run has been a process that has lasted the better part of half a year and he said that the challenge would be a bit of an unknown once he got into it on Saturday.

"Obviously it's something that is really unfamiliar and foreign to me," Wyatt said.

"But like I say, hopefully it's going to match the magnitude of what he's been through and what he continues to go through.

"I've been training for the better part of six to seven months. It's just a massive combination of time spent out on the pavement just gradually building up your running distances and trying to get to a point where you're clocking up 100 to 120 kilometre weeks in terms of running.

"Then I think the actual most important part is keeping all of your strength training going and trying to keep your body as robust and resilient as you can. Luckily working with an A-League club we have access to things like ice baths and infrared saunas and compression devices, things like that."

Wyatt added that he had received a lot of support from the Bulls team and Davila himself

"There has been a lot of support not only from him [Davila] but also from the team as well," he said.

"They've been really respectful in terms of what I'm doing on top of work and obviously trying to balance that work-life balance.

"But there is also that friendly banter and joking that goes with it. It's a bit of friendly ribbing, but it's all endearing. And then obviously I've been getting support locally being an ex-Balgownie player and now the boys from my current team University in the District League.

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"They've all been super supportive and they've been revving me up and trying to get behind me so it's been great."

Donations for the cause can be made here:

https://www.mycause.com.au/page/299799/24hour-run-for-avm?fbclid=PAAabNPHrp7Q45G2g6NE4TfspjF7DAx-mx1oUvlVvCUsp31zP3JoSysTRo8IE

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