Stats at a Glance:
Date = May 25, 2013
Distance Today = 37.65 km
Total Distance = 21,094.84 km
Percentage of Journey Run = 80.42%
Expected Finish Date = Sept 20, 2013
On December 31, 2011, I embarked upon a run around the world. This run is expected to take nearly two years, and will cover over 26,000 km. I am raising funds for charity as part of the effort. In simple terms, the event encompasses running the equivalent of more than 600 marathons in as many days.
I began in Sydney at the Opera House, and will be finishing at precisely the same place. I am heading in a predominantly easterly direction around the world until I arrive back in Sydney, and will be running on five of the seven continents. I have already crossed the Rockies and the Andes, and will be crossing deserts like the Nullarbor.
I am lucky enough to have a support crew accompanying me for the duration of my journey. My wife, Carmel is “driving the course”, transporting our gear and providing me with drinks and food when necessary. Carmel is also chronicling the trip with her amazing photography. Our good friend, Libby, also accompanied us for the first five months of the run.
I will be following the guidelines for running around the world that are implicit in Jesper Olsen’s World Run 1 – the first undisputed and fully documented run around the world – which he completed in 2005. These guidelines are the basis for the official world record for the “Fastest Circumnavigation of the Earth on Foot”, as adminstered by the Book of Alternative Records. Guinness World Records has also defined a set of criteria for the “Fastest Circumnavigation of the Earth on Foot”. These rules are also, for the most part, consistent with Jesper’s precedent.
I am not alone in my endeavour. Irishman, Tony Mangan, is also currently running around the world, although he has embarked on a longer and more comprehensive route that will take him four years.
Guys like Tony Mangan, Jesper Olsen, and Pat Farmer – all much better ultra runners than me – are like-minded people with a similar taste for adventure and a clear love of being out on the road – not just seeing the ever-changing countryside, but hearing and smelling it too, and all at a pace which allows you to really appreciate the experience.
As of mid May, 2013, I have completed the New Zealand, North American, South American and European legs, and will soon begin a short Asian leg. I have chalked up over 21,000 km so far, equivalent to nearly 500 marathons.
