World Run II Update: Heading North Through Peru

I was reminded earlier today by my friend Darrell Raubenheimer, who organizes the terrific Rhodes Run in South Africa, that I hadn't posted an update on Jesper Olsen and his World Run II in awhile. Turns out Darrell was right, I haven't written about Jesper in nearly a year and a half, and since that time, he's continued to make tremendous progress.

For those that don't remember, World Run II was the Danish ultrarunner's attempt to run more than 40,000km (24,855 miles), fully documenting and tracking his progress via GPS. The run began at the northernmost point in Finland and continued south across Europe, into Turkey and onto the Middle East, then into Africa, before finally running out of land in Cape Town. From there, Jesper jumped across the pond, and turned his way north at last, resuming his run in Punta Arenas, Chile. He has since made his way into Argentina, and now Peru, as he continues to make steady progress towards the top of South America. From there, he'll cross into Cuba, run the length of that island, then move on to the United States, where he'll travel from Miami to the tip of Nova Scotia, Canada, his eventual finish line.

Along the way, Jesper has been posting updates from the field and sharing information and photos on his progress. He is now into his 30th day in Peru, and while he has experienced stomach issues (something that plagued him throughout Africa as well), he continues to make steady progress. In his last dispatch, he was running near Nazca, Peru, home of the famous Nazca lines, where he mentioned he was hoping to find a good hotel where he could rest up for a few days, and let his stomach ailments pass.

When I've written about the World Run II in the past, I've always been in awe that anyone would undertake such a journey on foot. Of course, this isn't Olsen's first long distance run. As you might have guessed, he has the World Run I under his belt as well, during which he quite literally ran around the world, covering 26,232 km (16,300 miles) in the process. The sequel to that run is much longer of course, and, it seems, more demanding as well.

I'll try not to take so long between updates next time. Obviously Jesper still has a long way to go and will be experiencing some interesting things as he continues. Reaching Cuba should definitely be an interesting milestone. Oh, and for the record, he has so far run 27,346km (16,992 miles). I'm not sure my car has that many miles on it!

Cyclist Sets Out To Ride For Haiti

While we're on the subject of long distance endurance events done for a cause today, I want to mention one more adventurer who is in the midst of his own active endeavor. Back on March 16th, 25-year old cyclist Cole Starkey set out on a 3000 mile long Ride for Haiti that he hopes will continue to raise awareness of the ongoing relief efforts that are taking place in that country.

Cole is peddling down much of the Atlantic Coast of the U.S., beginning in Glenside, Pennsylvania and continuing on to St. Augustine, Florida. From there, he'll keep heading west, continuing on into Louisiana, and ending the journey in New Orleans. The route is a combination of AdventureCycling.org's Atlantic Coast and Southern Tier Routes.

The ride is expected to take roughly four weeks to complete, and Cole has already been blogging from the road. You can check out all of his entries for his first week on the road by clicking here, but he hasn't posted any updates for this week just yet. On his daily posts he records the number of miles for the day, and how far he has traveled from the start, along with the good things he experienced (Roses) and the things that worked against him. (Thorns). As of Monday, his 7th day on the road, he had already ridden more than 745 miles.

The intrepid cyclist has a cause that he he is raising funds for as well. All donations are going to the Vermont Haiti Project , which has an 18-year history of service in that country. The organization has always taken a grassroots, volunteer approach to working Haiti, but their efforts are stretched even thinner at the moment considering the widespread effects of the crisis.

Good luck to Cole as well, and thanks to his friend Rebecca for passing this story along to me. Rebecca has a cool blog of her own, which focuses on reminding New Yorkers about all the options they have when it comes to enjoying the outdoors. You can check it out here.