Some background details and thoughts on my route.

This Saturday I begin a walk around the world! Starting from Run Logic running store in Dublin’s Temple Bar, we meet at two pm and leave a three pm. Please see my new website for the walk theworldwalk.blogspot.ie or my Facebook page! Hope you can join me!

Below please read a Facebook update.

After I first got the idea to run around the world I didn’t see how I could do it without a support vehicle. As running is more problematic than walking I decided instead of running the world that I would walk it! In 1998, I was living in Lake City, Colorado. A techno friend designed my logo which I dreamt up during hundreds of hours running on the trails there. Before leaving Lake City to return to Ireland I had a crazy going away party! Sandy Hines do you remember that night with Aidan and the locals down in Mammy’s Whisky Bar!

Well, I returned to Ireland and with just four days away from starting my world walk I changed my mind! I decided that one day I would find a way to live my ultimate dream, to run around the world ( As many of you know I achieved that in Oct 2014) So for the world walk literally had the tee- shirt but I never did it! As it was pre-internet you will notice there is no mention of a website on my logo. That same logo was modified for my eventual world run, the black lettering with centre white lines signify the roads of the world.

So, this world walk is my other long cherished dream 

Last Monday I was welcomed by The Lord Mayor of Dublin, this is becoming a habit! Thank you Lord Mayor Criona Ni Dhalaigh for my latest Magic Letter! I will be walking the world with a cancer awareness message; life is precious, early checking saves lives.

Also

The key to my world run was meticulous preparation, preparation, preparation! I also believed in keeping things simple. This walk will be more leisurely and as best as I can my stopwatch will be thrown out! However, I do realise and appreciate that when people are trying to help me their first question is almost always “exactly when tony!”

Proposed world walk route… Subject to change!

Dublin, to Liverpool to Hull to Rotherdam to Berlin to Lithuania to Latvia to Moscow to Chelyabinsk to Irktusk to Mongolia to China. All visas have been secured (thanks to visafirst.ie)

From China I have not decided on my route to Australia Nobody has ever gone on foot (only with a small gap) from Europe to Singapore; I have not decided if I will. Another possibility is China to Philippines to Indonesia to Australia.

Australia: Denham (the spike north of Perth) to Sydney. Then New Zealand North and South

From there my original plan was to fly to la Peru and walk into Brazil to Venezuela and from there thru the Caribbean to Cuba to Florida to Nova Scotia, ie: along the east coast. However, lately I have been thinking of New Zealand to San Diego to Portland Oregon to Key West Florida. Whichever way I decide to go in the USA I will be returning to Europe starting in Gibraltar to Madrid to France to Ireland!

Depending on my route my estimated distance will be 30-34,000km.

As on my world run I will be exceeding the minimum requirements of the WRA the world runners association, the governing body for world runners and walkers. Since last summer I have successfully lobbied the WRA for higher standards. The reason for returning to Europe by way of Gibraltar is that for a ” circumnavigation of the world ” (which is a higher standard for a lap of the world) there is an added requirement of needing to go through two ” antipodals” which are exact opposites locations on the other side of the world. This is not so easy to get, as most of the worlds landmass is ocean or inaccessible territory in places like Russia or the Amazon. My Antipodals are going to be in Aukland and Madrid.

This walk will be very low budget, mostly camping and cooking my own food! Sponsors are required!

I hope you can join me either on Facebook or on my new blog www.theworldwalk.blogspot.ie

Thank you!