I’m aiming to become the fastest man around the world. Trouble is I’m not a 6ft block of raw explosive muscle and I’ve never even been to Jamaica let alone trained with their sprint team – truly the fastest men on the planet. But you see that’s not a problem – I don’t want to be the fastest man ‘over 100 meters’ anywhere around the world. I’m literally aiming to become the “Fastest man around the world” – all of it, a true circumnavigation of our planet, 18,000 miles of running – not just 100m!
It’s a real monster of an expedition, requiring I run 1.25 marathons a day, everyday for over 18 months!
Why would someone want to run around the world?
Well I see this expedition-length run as the ultimate test of endurance. Endurance is the measure of ones ability to endure the pain, discomfort, fatigue and mental strain that comes through pushing yourself beyond your limits. A loop around the planet is the furthest we can possibly run.
I have a massive urge to tackle that challenge, I can’t fully explain why, other than I truly believe I can do this, and If I don’t try, then it’s a waste of talent and something that I’d regret for the rest of my life.
I have a built in need to push myself as far as possible, it’s in my nature, and if I succeed in my aims, then I’ll truly be one of the best in the world at what I do. To me that’s a no-brainer?!
The expedition starts and finishes on Dartmoor, Devon, Uk and will see me crossing five continents, literally dipping my toes in one Ocean – running East across the continent to the opposite coast line, and jumping into a completely different Ocean.
- Europe
- Asia
- Australia
- North America
- South America
The route also briefly touches both the Arctic Circle and Africa.
On average I will have to eat 8000 calories a day, about the amount needed to feed a family of four for the day. This equates to six years of food in just 18 months, even then I’ll still drop around 3-4 stone!
Eating that much isn’t fun, it goes beyond ‘pigging out’ on your birthday or Xmas – eat all you can see, it’s actually hard work eating that much and not being sick!
As well as cooking a huge amount of varied food all over the word, and in the process hopefully discovering some of the best ‘one-pot meals’ in 6 of the world’s 7 continents!
I aim to highlight how difficult life is for Refugees, and raise funds for the Red Cross disaster relief team who help them – I’ve chosen to test myself, by constantly moving and towing a trailer with my home and belongings inside.
Refugees haven’t chosen to move – they’ve been forced, and if they stop they’ll likely be killed, raped and or tortured – the worst I’ll receive if I quit is egg on my face!
Snakes, Spiders, Scorpions, Bears, Dingos, Elephants, Food poisoning, Malaria, Dysentery, packs of stray dogs, Muggings, being ran over-flattened by a truck or a road train, freezing to death in my tent at -30 degrees in the Eastern European Winter, or collapsing of heatstroke and dying of dehydration running across one of the Driest deserts of Australia ‘the Nullarbor’
That’s just a few things I’m scared of, then there is the fear of injury and or just failing!
The biggest fear though would be to fail through not even starting – just being scared of being scared! That would be the worst.
The run began Sunday 28th July: www.hardwayround.com
