I’m currently in Launceston in Tasmania for work, and thoroughly enjoying running in a different environment. It’s one of my favourite places to run, mostly because of its hilliness. There are great views to be had from the high points, not to mention along the Tamar River and the  Esk Gorge.

Today marks a major milestone. It is now 12 years since I last had a day off from running. As I say each year on this anniversary, that doesn’t mean I didn’t have some very short days, but I have run at least one kilometre on every one of those 4,382 days. And my daily average in that time has been a touch over 17.8 km.

I know I’ve posted this photo before, but it always amazes me when I see it. The end of the road you see in the distance is almost 50 km away. It’s not the straightest stretch of road I ran during the world run (that mantle belongs to a part of the Nullarbor in Western Australia – at 146 km or so, it’s the second longest straight stretch of road in the world), but it is the longest visible stretch. If this road was dead flat, the curvature of the Earth would preclude seeing more than about 5 km to the horizon. But there’s a low point about half way along this road, before it rises to the city of San Luis, which you can vaguely see in the distance.

On This Day

Aug 25, 2012

Distance today = 46.97 km; Total distance = 10,568.26 km; Location = Iuka, Mississippi – 34 48.403′ N, 88 10.882′ W; Start time = 0918, Finish time = 1705

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/214890019

I’ve become the Pied Piper of dogs. Today a young dog followed me for miles – all the way to my finishing point. We had to put him in the car and drive him back to where I first encountered the dog. He wasn’t happy when I bundled him out of the car and we drove off, but adopting a dog at the moment is definitely not feasible.

My two milestones for the day were: 250 marathons completed so far on the run around the world, and eight years now without a day off from running. Even during times like my recent break, I still ran a few kilometres each day. I believe its this consistency during the past eight years which has allowed me to manage day after day of 50 km or more.

Many readers will have seen the current video from the Today Show in Australia. There is one correction I’d like to make in regard to the narration. Cameron Williams’ comments implied I walked with some running. Many people make the same assumption, and it has taken me a long time to realise why. It appears to be because of the term “on foot” in the expression Fastest Circumnavigation of the World on Foot. For some reason, this seems to conjure up the image of walking in people’s minds. While walking, running, and any combination of the two, is allowed under the rules, I estimate I have run about 98% of the distance so far, and walked only 2%. And almost all this walking has been while eating, drinking, answering the phone, or checking the maps.

Thanks to the Sunset Lodge in Iuka for providing us with a very generous discount on the room for tonight.

Aug 25, 2013

Distance today = 57.21 km; Total distance = 25,358.05 km; Location = Tatura East, Victoria – 36 26.284’ S, 145 18.824′ E; Start time = 0815, Finish time = 1701

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/364572327

It was a very big day for Dave, breaking Eric’s month old record for the greatest distance run with me in a day. He covered 57 km, which is easily his biggest day of running ever.

The first part of the day was run with Jeff, who was with us for 13 km before Guen picked him up and they headed back to Melbourne. That brings his total to 131 km, putting him comfortably in third place in the Aggregate category. We’ll next see Jeff and Guen on the final day of the run into Sydney.

Lunch was in the town of Murchison, which I last visited in 2007 on the Tour de Bois. There’s a great bakery in Murchison, and we made good use of it.

From there, it was on to Tatura, on a busy and very straight road. My last visit to this town was only two years ago, when I did a big run as part of my training for the current challenge.

Today marked nine years since I’ve had a day off from running. Admittedly, there have been a few very short days of a kilometre or two, but I have managed to average 19.3 km per day over those nine years. I’m sure that sort of consistency is what has allowed me to manage the world run as well as I have.

Anyhow, congratulations to Dave. Today also took him to a total of 209 km, within striking range of Chook’s 272 km in the Aggregate category.

The Hud will be running with me next Thursday. Will he annihilate Dave’s efforts to win the Single Day category, just as Dave has annihilated Eric’s efforts, and as Eric did to Chook before him? We will know soon enough.