By Melissa Woods in Melbourne

What do you do after breaking the world record for running around mainland Australia? If you’re Sean Bell, you jump on a plane to Tasmania and run around that too.

The 25-year-old Victorian has become the fastest person to circumnavigate Australia on foot, finishing 13,383km in 158 days, 14 hours and 52 minutes.

He averaged 84km per day and broke the existing record by 11 days.

“I set the goal six years ago, to run around Australia for charity, and it was originally going to be 2021 except for COVID so I pushed it back,” Bell told AAP.

“I ran anti-clockwise, up the east coast first as far as Townsville, then across to Mount Isa, up to Darwin, Katherine, Broome, Perth and across to Adelaide and then to Melbourne.

“I didn’t have a single rest day and went through about 30 pairs of runners – running on passion and caffeine each day.”

Trying to raise additional funds for the Make a Wish Foundation, Bell gave himself four days’ rest before this week tackling Tasmania, which is a lazy 580km.

“Tasmania isn’t a part of the official route but I wanted to go there as one last little adventure and one last push to enhance fund-raising.

“I’m choosing to hurt for these sick kids who are no doubt hurting more.”