I urge anyone who is looking for an interesting cycle/other type trip to consider Newfoundland in the summer… It’s like Ireland without the rain!

And if you do please check out Eddys.. They gave me a complimentary motel room!

Today November 22/2010.  51.6km Total for 21 days = 910.3km

I had a nice conversation with the Chinese woman Jenny owner of Kellie’s Restaurant and motel over breakfast before leaving this morning.

Jenny tells me she came to Canada 15 years ago with her family and there is no way she is going back now.

She tells me she is from the south and the weather is so mild all year that no heating is ever required.

My own information from one of my friends who has walked across most of China for over a year is that the central part is cold,cold,cold with no heating in the hotels in the evenings. Christolph Rehage is very much into photography so please check out his award winning site for excellent stories and photos of his journey through China www.thelongestway.com  Anyway that will be about two years time and I will be a great supporter of global warming if thing change by the time I get there!

It is only in the last couple of months that I have realised the reason I have not been able to get the idea of a world run out of my system is because I have been subconsciously feeding this monster by my involvement with about a dozen such adventurers.

After my rest period in Badger the running seemed easy today. It was bitterly cold for about 3 of the almost 7 hours on the road. I just kept plugging away at a nice steady pace. It seems that in the cold every small niggle comes out to play. I took a couple of Ibuprofen as such things helps with the cold. A couple of times I felt slight pains in my ankles and just switched shoes. This also gave me the opportunity to break in a new pair of shoes.

I saw a sign for Eddy’s restaurant and motel around 4pm. It’s funny that sometime I get a hunch as to where I will be spending the night. Almost an hour later I stopped my gps watch for the day. I read 51.9km but I usually subtract a little each day, so rolled this back to 51.6 even though they are extremely accurate I still like to do this. At the end of each day I usually run past the entrance to my nightspot and leave the road at the exit to that location as it is a tad bit easier to continue on from the exact same spot the next morning.

So I do what I always do… I made a high profile arrival wheeling Nirvana right into the restaurant! If I can’t do that I generally have her parked in an equally high profile spot like a passageway. I ensure all my logos are in place and then the conversation usually begins along the usual lines of…..

”Hi There I saw you on the television a couple of weeks ago and on the road today. ”
” So where are you off to? ”

” Oh just running around the world!…. ”

Questions…

Then I am in auto-mode…

So I tell Lisa the very friendly lady behind the attached gift store counter that I am going inside to have a bite to eat.

” So where you going to stay tonight Tony? ”

” I was just wondering if the owner would let me camp around the back please? ”

” Walace is the owner and he is very nice, I am sure he would give you one of those empty motel rooms as we are not busy now. ”

” Here Lisa can you please show Wallace my Magic Letter… I just happen to have it here in my hand and it explains things better? ”

I went inside and had a lovely shrimp,mash and veg dinner.

When I return Lisa hands me key number 4.

” There you go Tony… Number 4 has a wheelchair ramp and you might find it easier to get the buggy in!

” I am sure you will enjoy a hot bath? ”

”  Hey Lisa great idea! Please thank Wallace for me. ”

So they say cold icy baths are better for recoveries?

To hell with convention…. I had a very hot two hour bath listening to my music on the computer

Later I turn on the television for the news and weather. It seems everywhere is about 2 degrees in the day with windchill factor making that minus 15.

Nights are usually around minus 5.

REASON WHY TONY IS RUNNING THE WORLD JOG PRESS HERE

Thanks very much Eddy’s Restaurant and motel for your incredible act of kindness.

Many Thanks To Eddy's Restaurant And Motel, South Brook, Newfoundland For A Sponsored Night.

Coffee on the guardrails

Having a rest day here in Badger Newfoundland has allowed me a chance to catch up on my emails and news.
 
Being a very strong trade-unionist I must admit I was a bit torn between making the World Jog a political statement or just keep it non-political.
I was even tempted to make the very first day on the road of this world run a protest walk from Dublin to Newbridge in Ireland. A protest walk against our shambolic government, a government that doesn’t give a toss about it’s people.
Today the IMF and the ECB are in Ireland talking about a bailout for a country which only a few years ago was the envy of most of the world. Three or four years ago according to our politicians we were about the second or third richest country in the world (per capita)
I never believed that. Working in construction I could see that we were overbuilding, building too many housing estates and offices.
The government were creaming off a nice hefty stamp duty tax for every house that was built. They were in denial that the good times would never end. Anyone that stood up to them was laughed at and called a traitor.
Our economy was built and heavily reliant on the construction industry. They never believed that the good times would end and that the immigrants that filled those houses would one day go home. Truth is they didn’t want to know they were so greedy taking this up to 9% stamp duty on the purchase price of a new home. Now we have serious negative equity problem. Many of our citizens are trapped with paying off over-inflated house prices.

Unfinished ghost housing estates and construction sites. It will cost more to maintain them and just like in Detroit and Michigan it will probably be cheaper to just knock them down and create a few more jobs for our ailing record all-time high unemployment list.
 
Our politicians boasted about how great we were on radio and television broadcasts. Then they had the brass neck to say the very next day that we didn’t have the money for life-saving operations for our young children and the elderly. All this while our government agencies abused our resources flying around the world on useless junkets , spending a fortune even on their partners hairdo’s to say the least.
 
I never did make that protest, I just ran away. Like most Irish people I just shrugged my shoulders and moved on.

Oh! For the French and the Greeks.
 
While all this was happening far away in Burma a woman called Aung San Suu Kyi  DE TAILS  refused to walk away.
 
Suu Kyi is from a military and political background was the leader of a pro democracy party in oppressive Burma. Last weekend she was released due to constant  international political pressure from her illegal house arrest which began over twenty years ago.
The irony is that her release coincided with the end of the sham ‘ democratic ‘ elections in the Asian state.

Aung San Suu Kyi

 
The Burmese government gave Suu Kyi  many opportunities to walk away, to attend to ill relatives abroad. She refused, believing the government could not be trusted to allow her to return to her home country in order to continue her pro-democracy protest.
 
Irish rock band U2 penned a very emotional song in support of Suu Kyi called Walk ON PLAY
 
This song has always been one of my favourite songs and in recent months since my preparations for the World Jog kicked into place it has become my firm favourite. The irony is that I am a runner. But to me this song symbolises freedom, or more correctly the lack of it.

For many months I have been playing this song even on repeat. When I play it, I always take one big look around my surroundings. I thank God for my freedom. It never fails to stir my emotions.

 U2 have been performing this song on their current 2 year 36O world tour. If you look  closely at  the video linked above  you will see  Amnesty International volunteers circle the outer track of the bands 36O degree stage. The volunteers are holding up masks of brave Sui Kyi. So far on their tour I have seen the Dublin band play 5 times. On each occasion when the band play this song I have almost been in tears. I look forward to see them play twice in Anaheim, Ca. in June, that will be really interesting.

In a letter from U2′s Edge he advises caution:

” Dear tony,

I’m sure, like us, you’re delighted with the news of the release of Aung San Suu Kyi in Burma at the weekend. We should all be relieved, if cautious, that she has been able to take a step towards freedom.

However, we must remember that her release is not part of any political process but is designed to get positive publicity for the dictatorship after the blatant rigging of elections on 7th November. We must not forget the thousands of other political prisoners still suffering in Burma’s jails and must do whatever we can to encourage the international community to engage the junta in dialogue.

We will continue our support of this remarkable woman and her campaign, and as always we count on your continued input and continued vigilance.

Thanks
Edge

When I play Walk On on my Ipod on the World Jog all I can do is just look around and value my freedom which so many people around the world just don’t have.
 
It’s amazing that so many Irish begrudgers have lambasted Bono for ‘ mouting off ‘
 
U2 have been hugely responsible for the foreign debt of 14 African countries being written off . Some day we may need Bono to do a nixer in Ireland.
 While our useless and most unpopular government of all time still wont resign. They still still believes that they have done nothing wrong, even with the IMF and the ECB sipping coffee at their very own table in Dublin. 
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkIH2nI5DJ4

Well after my last posting, no surprises for guessing  my song of the month, or even the year.

It has to be U2′s…….  Walk On!

Please PRESS HERE to play.

Walk On
Lyrics Courtesy of Artist(Band):U2

And love is not the easy thing
The only baggage that you can bring…
And love is not the easy thing…
The only baggage you can bring
Is all that you can’t leave behind

And if the darkness is to keep us apart
And if the daylight feels like it’s a long way off
And if your glass heart should crack
And for a second you turn back
Oh no, be strong

Walk on, walk on
What you got they can’t steal it
No they can’t even feel it
Walk on, walk on…
Stay safe tonight

You’re packing a suitcase for a place none of us has been
A place that has to be believed to be seen
You could have flown away
A singing bird in an open cage
Who will only fly, only fly for freedom

Walk on, walk on
What you’ve got they can’t deny it
Can’t sell it, or buy it
Walk on, walk on
Stay safe tonight

And I know it aches
And your heart it breaks
And you can only take so much
Walk on, walk on

Home… hard to know what it is if you’ve never had one
Home… I can’t say where it is but I know I’m going home
That’s where the heart is

and I know it aches
How your heart it breaks
And you can only take so much
Walk on, walk on

Leave it behind
You got to leave it behind
All that you fashion
All that you make
All that you build
All that you break
All that you measure
All that you feel
All this you can leave behind
All that you reason
All that you sense
All that you speak
All you dress-up
All that you scheme…

Am in a motel in Badger. 45km today. Total to date for 20 road days = 858.7 km.

Gander to Badger, 17-19 November 2010.

Got a nice early start out of Gander; just after 8am as Mike left early for work.
He had given me a contact for tonight’s destination in Notre Dame Junction just a little over a marathon away.

I clipped along the Trans Canada Highway enjoying the nice fresh morning that it was. Still can’t quiet believe I am living my dream after all these years, now more than 20 since I first got the idea.
It’s funny that no matter how hard the hill, how cold it is or any hassles I have I am still very upbeat.

The Trans-Canada is 7,777km long stretching from St. Johns to Victoria, B.C. It’s almost 50 years old and officially the longest paved highway in the world.

Terry Fox, a Canadian athlete DETAILS who had his foot amputated due to cancer became a cancer awareness fundraiser. He set out from St. John’s to run a marathon a day all across this, the second largest country in the world. Unfortunately Terry’s cancer worsened and he had to quit just outside of Thunder Bay.

To be honest the amount of hospitality I am receiving is astounding and to list all the incredible acts I fear I will bore the reader but anyway I feel they have to be mentioned.

Well I got stopped by a lad called Alfred who was on his way back to Nova Scotia. Alfred gave me his address and said I was welcome to stay in his home when I got to Amherst. He bought me coffee and a cake.

I arrived in Notre Dame Jct just after 2.30. The contact that Mike gave me didn’t work out as he wasn’t home. I waited a while and then went off to camp in the Provincial Park.

Next morning the nicest of park rangers greeted me as I was packing up…

” Morning sir! Did you sleep well? Not too cold?

”I drove by earlier and didn’t want to disturb you!

” You just come on over to the office when you are ready for a coffee! ”

Shelby told me that he has been working for the forest service for over 25 years.

He loves Newfoundland and in fact he has never been off the island.

He is going to the Virgin Islands later in the year for a 20th anniversary with his wife and says if he could go anywhere in the world it would be to Ireland… Yet another island… Guess he feels safer on islands.

” It’s funny you camping there I was only watching the television last night and an advert came on for Ireland..”

” The tourist board? ” I asked.

” No for some shampoo, Irish Mist I think, I just love the way they talk and love the way you talk!

” You got enough coffee there? Here let me empty out the fridge here and give you everything we got here for the road!

” But that’s your lunch?

” No that’s only the emergency food we never have an emergency here… Everything is so nice and peaceful here…

” You know Tony we got no crime on this island of Newfoundland ( about the same size as Ireland )

”Too bad I didn’t see you arrive here last night you would have had a nice warm place to stay.”

So I mixed some instant oatmeal and had another coffee then went to brush my teeth, couldn’t find my tooth paste.

” You go on in there, Tony and use mine. ”

So it was time to push on. I ran on past some wonderful scenery, beautful lakes and rivers which I am told are great for fishing.

There were lots of forestry workers out cutting down some pine trees. Oh that delightful aroma, I filled my lungs with it several times.

Great to be out in the open.

I came up to the exit for Bishops Falls, a small town of 3,600 population. Been having problems with people giving me accurate directions.

I mean I don’t ever want to go too far off the highway to a town as then I have to return without counting those kms. They usually say not too far only a few minutes drive! Not far for them, far for me.

Asked a couple of moose hunters how far to town.

” Just there ”

He points straight across the crossroads.

” Less than a kilometer? ” I ask.

He just nods.

Next thing I find myself on Main Street. Later I am told its the longest street in the world without a stop sign. About 7km long! Luckily its parallell to the highway and I don’t have to backtrack, I just subtract the access/exit bits.

On the way I am waved down by two old codgers Bob and Fred for a chat.. I thought they were putting up Christmas decorations. They are in fact preparing a fence to fight off the winter snowfall….

They are very busy, say they would love to have a coffee with me and press 8 dollars into my hand.

” Go and have one on us and warm yourself up! ”

I get about 10 minutes down the road and a trucker called Dave gives me a Pepsi and a bag of  sweets!

I run on. Spot a place that sells ‘ British style fish and chips ‘ I get about 20 meters past it and have to turn back so overbearing is the aroma.

The guy behind the counter is probably Indian from India. He gives me a huge plate of fish and chips with 3 pieces of cod for 9 dollars.

Three very young girls come in. They are probably about 7, 9, and 10 years old. They call him Jay.

They are very mature. They are are talking about the price of housing against the cost of rent.

Then the young one does what I have never seen any child in my life doing… She actually spends her money on buying bottled water.

It’s getting late now… Haven’t run far today as this town was less than 35km away from Notre Dame Jct. An easy day… A lot of dilly dallying…. This is what it’s all about running and having fun meeting the locals as I go.

I continue on aimlessly up Main Street. A red car pulls up alongside me.

” Are you the fellow we saw on the television that’s running around the world? ”

” Yes that’s me! ”

” Well me and the Mayor of Bishop’s Falls want you to stay in town. You got a bed for the night”

” Who is the mayor? ”

” I’m Liz and Bob my husband that’s driving is the mayor.

” We would love you to stay… ”

Liz gives me the address. Another 3 km up Main Street. Just wondering where the moose hunters thought I was going!

I tell Liz I will be there in about 20-or 25 minutes and if there is no sign of me to send out the posse.

So I push on Nirvana… I get an escort of 3 young boys on bicycles… My first escort of the World Jog.

Got many like this when I did my world cycle all those years ago.. Usually in the developing nations. Hordes would follow me on bicycles..

You could tell by their eager tone they couldn’t quiet figure out what I was up to. They used to follow me everywhere, even behind a hedge to pee.

I thought these lads were sneering at first. Then they became very friendly. Their names were Jordan, Brendan and Emmanuel.

” Where you going now? ”

” To Mayor Hobb’s house ”

” It’s just past the Church another couple of km away… You will like him…He is a very nice man. He used to be my teacher. ”

Inside their lovely house Bob tells me how difficult it was for him when he moved here first.

” I am a city man from Ontario and when I came here first and went to the store if I was third in line and it took so long to get served because the first in line was chatting so much to the shopkeeper. I was so impatient and frustrated.

”It’s so easy-going here now I am the one having the chat with the shop-keeper and keeping everyone waiting!

” Well we looking to do some big business with your country especially Limerick but now because of the recession things have slowed down a bit but we are working on it again.

” You know this town maybe very small but we got some well respected international companies here.

” You remember that Alaska oil spill a little while back?  Well the company that sorted it out was an oil specialist company from right here in Bishop’s Falls.

” The chief executive was well respected in the world of the oil business..

” Do you know Tony there was a Saudi prince that sailed his luxury yacht to Houston, Texas for an oil conference and expected to find our man there…

” Well you know what the prince did, he rang him up and I was there when he took the call in his office…

” Next thing the prince charters a jet to Halifax, Nova Scotia and comes into Bishop’s Falls in a helicopter!”

” Did he have any body guards Bob? ”

” For what? ”

” In case he got mugged, did he have any jewelery with him? ”

” Nobody gets mugged in Newfoundland, you know he had to have a second room for all his jewelery.. ”

” So you had fish and chips? ” says Liz.

” We had that last night, I suppose you don’t have room for pork chops now? ” What… Course I do… runners need to keep their protein going! ”

We had a delicious dinner and the crispiest veg I ever did eat.

Liz told me they always cook more than they need as they always have someone drop in or they pull someone from off the street.

Over dinner Bob told me about his work as a teacher in a remote aborigional indian reserve area of northern Ontario with the Cree Indians DETAILS . It’s in an area called Addiwapiskat in Fort Albany.

There is a high burn out of teachers there as young teachers go there thinking it’s going to be easy but it’s far from easy.

There is obviously the usual problems with alcohol abuse. It’s banned on the reservation but smugglers make a fortune selling a small half litre of spirits for about 110 dollars and it costs just 11 in the liquor store here.

” And where do they get the money for this? ”

” From the Canadian government… Many of the Cree spend all their money on alcohol..Nothing else just a couple of flasks a week. ”

” They think differently to us as they are so remote and out of touch, that’s understandable and they don’t have any concept of value.. ”

” You know they sell the most beautiful artwork you ever saw for about 20 dollars a piece, pieces which would sell easily for 500 dollars here.. Many of the teachers bring back lots of it. ”

” Let me wash your clothes ” says Liz.

His sharp eyes spots me changing into the best of my soiled clothes.

He will have none of that. Every piece of clothing I have is washed and I changed into the mayor’s Canadian sweatshirt and tracksuit bottoms. Bob was once a fine hockey, tennis and cross-country athlete.

I get off before 9am and run the short distance to Great Falls Windsor. I think it was about 15k and I get there in less than 2 hours.

I make for Tim Horton’s famous coffee shop as I suspect they may have wi-fi.

The queue is out the door. I’m about 20th in line when a man up the top of the queue spots me, points to me and says to the waitress.

” You see him… I passed him on the highway and he is running around the world…Give him whatever he wants for breakfast! ”

Reg calls me forward, he already has his breakfast, gives me his Tim Horton’s credit card! I order a large coffee and a sausage and egg sandwich.

I sit down beside Reg. He tells me he used to own a paper mills which closed down a few years ago and now he enjoys his retirement…

We talk about the weather..He can’t believe I am travelling through in the winter.. He rushes off to Wal-Mart. I try unsuccessfully to log onto the internet.

Reg returns. He has bought me a portable grill fire..Its meant for charcol but he says the hunters put wood into them. It’s like a 1 gallon bucket with a big handle and a raised vent area underneath. He gave me a bottle of starter fluid and a packet of bungee chords to tie it on to Nirvana. says he would have tracked me down on the highway if I wasn’t still there.

I promise I will give it a try and if I don’t like it I can throw it away or give it to someone else.

I tie it to the top of the buggy..It’s not heavy, just cumbersome. later I stuff my tent inside it and put it inside and pull off the huge handle.

Out on the highway there is a bitter cold wind.. I am well wrapped up and am comfortably cool. 15 minutes later Mike passes in his company pick-up. He has a great job, driving around just delivering notes to people that don’t pay their bills. I get into his warm vehicle for a chat. He has bought me a chicken and chips lunch and a Pepsi as he knew he would bump into  me!

I am so stuffed I can only drink the Pepsi and tell him I will eat the food later.

He told me that during nine eleven his town, Gander hosted 6,500 people that were diverted there and there was a massive operation for a few days serving them 3 meals a day. He said there was a good book written about it. The conversation came up because Reg had said multi-millionaires had hidden out in Newfoundland and the locals gave them everything, even their own food.

I pushed on again, first it looked like rain then a few snow droplets. I saw a few ominous snow ploughs being transported back the direction I had come.

So what do you think Reg does? He goes home and tells his wife Madge about me! So Madge makes up some batch loaf cheese and ham sandwiches, trail nuts and dried cranberries and a flask of coffee and they are waiting at the entrance of what looks like a disused railroad yard.

I park Nirvana at the side and get into their military green-coloured Landcruiser. A couple of trucks turn into the entrance and I am worried my Chariot will get run over! Its nice and warm in the Landcruiser and I eat the sandwiches and who do you think turns up to find me eating sandwiches and not his chicken lunch? Its Mike on the way back home, so he stops and Reg shouts over…

” I am looking after him now! ”

Reg tells me that he loves helping people and if he never did anything for anyone ever again that he could never repay the things that were done for him.

Reg and Madge go off and Mike tells me he may not see me again as I am going out of his area now.

It’s about 15km to Badger now.. I run on, arrive about 5pm.

It’s another small rural town..

I go into the Ultramar service station. The attendant is very friendly..

She says it’s cold, I say yes but I am happy… I am very upbeat, I go outside and eat Mikes chicken dinner and drink tea on the bench outside…

Then I go inside to warm up…I am not so upbeat now!

I decide I will go over to Kellie’s Motel and try to use my  MAGIC LETTER (as described before, a letter of introduction from the Lord Mayor of Dublin)  and try to hustle for a reduction. I guess I could do this more often but it’s a thing I have to be in the mood for.

I go outside… A woman called Shirley is parked outside and sees I am running around the world. She says she wants to take my photo but its too cold outside..

She asks me to sit in the passenger seat, takes the photo, shows me what resembles a weird Halloween costume with my balaclava pointy headed up to the roof… She turns up the heater, apologises for the cigarette smoke in the car. Says she will follow the website.

She asks me what the charity is I am running for. I say an Irish charity called AWARE DONATE PLEASE! which councils mental health issues and aims to take the stigma out of depression. She says her daughter is a psychiatrist. Gives me about 6 dollars for Aware then takes it back and gives me her entire purse, including the purse for Aware. I count just short of 12 dollars! She says her husband is inside the service station and will be sorry he missed me! I was wondering what he would have though of me sitting in the seat beside his wife!

I wandered over the road to the motel. They are a Chineese family. They tell me it’s 68 dollars a night and I offer 25. The mother reads the letter and agrees. I say…

” Better to have something for an empty room than nothing?”

She nods.

Ming helps me up the steps with Nirvana and has to move the bed to get the buggy inside..

He turns on the heating….

I am toasty now!

Camping in Notre Dame Park.. The nice park ranger gave me breakfast.

The Mayor and the First lady of Bishop's Falls Bob and Liz Hobbs.

Main Street Bishop's Falls

Reg with the bucket heater

Just outside Gander

Moose wanderings on the road is a huge problem here. Some drivers drive very slowly causing further problems.

14 – 16th November.
Deep Bight to Gander.

Hi all.

Just want to say I am very disappointed with the SPOT tracking… I  don’t know what is the problem as I take a bearing about 4 or 5 times a day. It’s very frustrating to see my progress has not been tracked. I am very close to throwing this ‘ mom and pop ‘ technology in the bin. I consider it really to be only a gimmick for the site to be honest.

Left Charles at Deep Bight on Sunday morning feeling very strong after the serious protein from the moose steaks but also left the steak for the road in his fridge  

Rambled on through Clarenville and into Port Blandford and went into the store for batteries. Got talking to a few of the locals. A really nice guy gave me 20 dollars for some beers, so too  did his friend and another 5… And I don’t even drink beer!

I was tempted to stay but as it was only around 3.15 and I had made many stops for my measly 30 odd km I decided to push on. Ran on into Terra Nova National Park. I put on a high viz vest and red flashing light for my back as it was dark. After about 30 km I came to Charlottetown,which seemed to be a small village in the National Park.

Dennis the owner of the Chode Choice Motel let me stay in one of the nice cabins for only 20 dollars.He said they normally charge 90 and that’s prob 100 after tax, so I was delighted with my bit of hustling!

Then Dennis brought me over some bread, noodles,eggs, tea, coffee, juice, butter, cookie…How thoughtful…Thanks Dennis.

So it was a late night as I did a major clean/throw out and got Nirvana nice and lighter now.. Every piece of equipment has to earn its keep from here on!

The nights are cold here as is the start of the day but the days are unseasonably warm. Most locals say it’s not like November weather, more like October.. They say it could change any moment  and I could be caught in a major dump any day..One never knows..They say because it’s north Atlantic it’s even more unpredictable than in other areas of the world.

I sometimes wonder should I just put the foot down and really try to make some serious progress..I am running more now than I really want to. Ran 68 yesterday and today, Monday another almost 50 to Gambo.

On the way I continued for about another 25km through the National park.

Near the exit I stopped at Mary Brown’s famous chicken and taters place. On the way in 4 hunters gave me 5 dollars each for  lunch! Nice people here in Newfoundland.

Well I arrived in Gambo and ran the 2km off the route (not counted) and went into Sheila’s Restaurant for dinner.

The man at the next table started talking to me and said that his house was demolished by hurricane Igor that went through this town a couple of months ago. Said he was living with his sister and about to move into rented accommodation tomorrow and that insurance didn’t cover him. For a man that had such a recent upheaval  in his life I was impressed by his upbeatness.

I asked the manageress, Bev if I could camp behind the restaurant and was in bed by 9pm.

Slept soundly till 8am with two pairs of socks on.

Bev and her husband Chas invited me in for breakfast so I didn’t get away till after 10 but what the heck this is about socialising and I don’t have any major schedule.

Chas works for the Canadian Government flying airplanes into remote areas of the North-west territories of Canada to areas that are occupied by the Inuit Indians. He said its a 3 hour flight to drop in their food and supplies as there are no roads. He works one month on and then has one month off.

I walked the 2km out of Gambo before the clock began for running. ran up a couple of steep ones. Didn’t know the grade but my speed was down to 5.2 kmph! They were leg sapping and after about 25km I was a bit beat up after the last couple of heavy days, I guess.

Mike Keating pulled up in his pickup around 2.15. He said he had a great time in N. Ireland, Scotland and France in March as his daughter is studying in Scotland he and his wife made a vacation of it.

Mike works for the power company and seemed very interested in my travels. He gave me an energy bar and when I asked if there was a backpackers hostel there he invited me to stay in his place. So no messing about with phone numbers I got the address and directions of where to turn off the highway.

Am having problems with my phone and often there is no reception anyway.

On I went for a couple of hours and noted a 24 hour Mc Donalds, had it not been for Mike I probably would have settled for that as they sometimes got wi-fi.

I was very tired at this stage and ran on till i got to the turn off of the highway and walked to his house, 41.9km and 3 stops today.

My God! It’s always great to have a hot shower after a couple of days on the road.

Mike’s wife was away visiting  their son in St. John’s so he cooked a delicious chicken supreme dinner followed by some tasty banana bread.

We had a really nice chat also with his son Lorren who is a sparky who insists that more people get electrocuted by 110 volts ac as opposed to 220 in Europe, contrary to what we had thought in construction sites in Ireland where everything is stepped down to the safer 110v.  Lorren says, and I guess he may have a point that with 110 people become complacent and think it’s safe.

They also had another 18 year old friend over who is a student air pilot…fantastic land of opportunities.

Total km’s for 17  Road Days = 736.4

Terra Nova National Park. I ran through much of the Park on Sunday night.Was a bit scarred the Park Ranger would pull me off the road.

I continued through the National Park on Monday morning and had a friend join me for my break.

Bev and Chas wave me on my way after breakfast in Sheila's Restaurant

Goodbye to Gambo

Hello to Gander

Whitbourne to Deep Bight.
12-13 Nov. 2010.

I pushed my way on out of the Avalon shamrock-shaped peninsula on and on over some beautiful rolling hills. Getting into the swing of the hills even though some are about 2 or 3 km long. I just let gravity do the work. I push and run, falling against the buggy and as it rolls I keep running and gravity aided push it up those long hills. As they say: what goes up must come down  
Some of the descents are amazing and I need to be careful not to run too hard as I don’t want to get injured, besides that’s a very tiring way to run.
I am running along the Trans Canadian Highway that stretches all the way across this massive country, from St. John’s to Victoria in British Colombia. Along the hard-shoulder here is a ‘ rumble patch ‘ great for dozy drivers keeping them on the road but a pain for cross country cyclists (not to mention cross country runners!) and joggers alike.
Just outside of Goobies I met my first journey cyclist of the trip. Shaun from Ontario is spending a couple of months travelling across his country. We chatted for a while and he is going to email me some of his contacts. Shaun is hoping to get to St. John’s over 180km tonight and will be cycling into the late night to meet a friend and catch a flight.
 
I ran on for another 3 hours stopping a couple of times for a cup of herbal tea from my one lt thermos, yes that’s one of my best ideas. I fill it up every morning in the place I am staying, I lasts the day and if I happen to be camping still have a hot drink without cooking.
 
It was at one of these stops just 5 km before Clarenville, a size able town I pondered my situation for the night. Did I really want to go there at 5pm with darkness closing in. As I sat on the guardrails just off the hard shoulder I looked down the hill to my right and saw what looked like an interesting village.
 
I wheeled Nirvana down the steep slope into Deep Bight a village of 500 residents.  looked for a place to camp, ended up laying my air mattress and sleeping bag out under the sheltered steps of the United Church of Canada. I pulled on 2 pairs of socks, plenty of clothing and settled down for the night at 6pm. Also had my Dazzer 2 dog deterrent ( ultra sonic humane ) device handy in case of any wandering black bears. 
Not sure if it works on bears but felt a bit more comfortable than using a bicycle pump. Probably wouldn’t be impracticable anyway by the time I got out of the sleeping bag and got my 2 pairs of gloves off!
I slept long and well, wakening up about half a dozen times before instantly falling back to sleep.
 
While I was packing my gear up at 8am Charles a nice friendly, middle-aged, ’ salt of the earth ‘ type of person drove over in his pickup.
 
” You ok there boy? Anything I can do? ”
 
” Well Charles.. Thanks very much, My name is Tony from Ireland and I am running around the world ”
 
” Anything you want…Just you tell me.. ”
 
” Thanks Charles Yes I could murder a cup of coffee! ”
 
I wheeled Nirvana over to Charles’s house. Soon the coffee was on the table, bacon and eggs were sizzling in the pan.
What a meal!
 
” Anything you want Tony…Just you tell me.. ”
 
” Well Charles maybe I will just take a rest day if you don’t mind? ”
 
” Boy I can’t believe you slept out there under those church steps..You just wait till I am going up there on Sunday what I got to say to the other parishioners! ”
” Yooou know what we say here in Newfoundland? ”
 

” There’s no price tag on the doors of Newfoundland. ”
 
” Next time you just go on and knock on some body’s door. ”
 
Over breakfast Charles gave me a very interesting history lesson of Newfoundland. How the Italian explorer, John Cabot DETAILS  came over from Bristol while working for the British in the 15th century, plundered the area as he went.
”Then there was so much fish in the sea all you had do was put a bucket into the water and it was full…Now we only got crab and shrimp.”
” At that time the area of Newfoundland was occupied by the Beothic Indians so the Brits rounded up some Micmac Indians from Nova Scotia to run them out..Got the Micmacs to do their dirty work, they did. ”
 
” I think we got some Micmacs in our government, Charles! ”
 
” Then the French came in and had a battle with the British over Newfoundland but the British drove the French into Quebec.
” However you look on this map here and you will see there is one area south of Newfoundland which is still owned by the French..
” It’s like going to France, you need a passport to go there… Many people travel over there not realizing they need to have a passport and have to return on the next ferry”
Charles pointed out the Island of St-Pierre and what looked like 2 other island connected by a long bridge, Great Miquelon and Little Miquelon.
” So eventually Newfoundland got independence in the 1920′s. There was a referendum, we could have joined the United States but we chose to join Canada ”
” We got a lot of oil off the Atlantic coast but its only recently just become economically feasible to drill for it…We still depend a lot on fishing and forestry. ”
 
later Charles brought me out moose hunting. He already bagged one this year, a four pointer as they are rated.
” Four pointer? I asked ”
 
” Yes, you count the number of antlers and usually the lower the number the younger and more tender it is.
” My moose was about 175kgs after skinning and boning and that’s a baby, they often weigh twice that..”
” We just hunt for food reasons, we get enough meat for a whole year from one moose and still give half of it away.

” Tony you don’t have to worry about those black bears out there as they are all in hibernation ”

” That’s great Charles, you set my mind at ease. ”

” You really need to watch out for them coyotes as 5 or 6 of them suckers can take out a young moose ”

” Thanks Charles! ”
 
So we drove along on through forested gravel trail areas a couple of hours before dark when moose are best sighted.
 
We passed a couple of hunters that managed to bag a 19 pointer.
 
” That would be an amazing one for sure one of the biggest I have ever heard of probably 350kgs! ”

We drove slowly, Charles looking out at the left side while I eagerly checked out the right side. In between us with the barrel pointed down to the floor was his 303 British hunting rifle. I shifted about uncomfortably..
” Does that thing have a safety catch on? ” I asked..
” Don’t worry Tony the cartridges are not even loaded! ”
” I was just worried about my feet. ”
” Wouldn’t do to blow your most important bits off then! ”
Funny when I worked in construction and heard loud noises of falling objects it was feet I seemed more concerned at protecting rather than my head…
 
A few minutes later we braked suddenly…. Did he spot a moose? Visions of him blasting out the window past me made me miss a beat..Charles reached for his binoculars, I reached for my camera, he was sweating, fluid was pouring down my leg, did I pee myself?  No just spilt the Pepsi!
 
We drove on to the end of the trail head till we reached a large sand pit where youngsters were playing around with ATV or all terrain vehicles. Small powerful utility vehicles great for zipping cross country pulling lumber and fallen moose back to the road.
On the way back we sighted 3 other ATV’s with no occupants.. Charles reckoned they got one and were busy chaining it..
 
” Look Tony footprints! ”
 
” You mean moose footprints? ”
 
” Not unless they were wearing rubber wellies! ”
 
So it got dark and we drove back to Deep Bight, past the road that leads to Bonavista peninsula where John Cabot’s fleet came in to the Americas all those centuries ago back to the house for dinner.
 
Charles’s wife, Florence was home from work and gave him a ribbing about not having dinner ready…
You boys been out playing again, its me that should have that rifle.
 
Guess what we had for dinner??
Cabbage,turnips,potatoes and ……Moose! I had 2 big delicious steaks and another wrapped for the road for tomorrow! 

What a day… What people!

Why is Tony running the World Jog? Press HERE  for his background information and how it all began.

I had a 14 hour sleep under the church steps in Deep Bight. Just as I was packing up to hit the road a voice called out..

Then Charles invited me in for breakfast.

Competition for Nirvana.. Charles's ATV

Cape Spear to Whithbourne.
Nov 9-10.

I left Cape Spear, my North American starting point as it is the most eastern point on the continent. That meant I had connected up Dunquin Co. Kerry as Ireland’s most western point to the Newfoundland tourist spot.

 I am very grateful for the help of my local contact Sandy Pike who was simply amazing despite having exams at noon she still dropped me to my start. Once again I ran into and out of the Atlantic.

 Ta Sandy, she ran a little with me then had to rush off to studies.

Half an hour later NTV or Newfoundland TV pulled up and I gave a tv interview for their 6pm news magazine show. I never saw it but Sandy texted me to say it was a good one. I must check their website. I gave Chariot Carriers a major plug as they are from here.

I ran on alone, clicking in around 45.2km for day 1.

 I camping behind the commercial vehicle weigh scale station, about 30km from St. Johns.

It was a cold and wet night but next morning I was greeted by the officer who allowed me to make coffee and warm up in the weigh station office. I tried weighing Nirvana, too light to weigh, I wish!

Got pulled over by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, or The Mounties! Not on a horse but in a cop car. He said someone reported a lunatic running down the highway with a baby!!

He even looked inside my Chariot jogging stroller!

At 1pm a man in a construction site parking lot told me Whitbourne was just 10km away.

I got a huge amounts of hoots and toots, guess its from the tv interview.

Later that  day a man called Roy gave me 20 dollars for the charity.

This area reminds me a lot of Ireland, especially the Dingle pensinula. Beautiful little coves, forestry and long rolling hills.

Dunquin could easily twin with Cape Spear.

 I rolled into Whitbourne at 5pm.  So much for 10 kilometers.

Cindy and Ann from Montys Place truck stop where I camped behind gave me 15 dollars for AWARE.

 Please check out the donate button on the site for my charity, AWARE.

Am told the area is called the Irish loop because viewed from the sky it resembles a shamrock.

Thinking its best to stick to secure places and areas I can get refreshed I am making for Service stations as there is not much in between. It can get cold putting up my tent around the back of the truck stop so I can come in for warmth whenever I like. Also great to end the day with a dinner and start with a breakfast. I usually hustle very hard introducing myself saying a world runner appreciates generous portions! Learning fast on my feet, I guess.

Because I make for the truck stops meant day 2 was a very long haul 9-5pm and 59km to Whitbourne. I was tired starting today but managed to get in another 56km to a restaurant that closes in a few mins, so that’s why this is so hastily written, sorry. I am in Arnolds cove after a 9 hour day. The truth is today was more than 60 as I ignored a locals  shortcut and followed the highway route, so 56 it will be.

It gets dark around 5pm here -3 hours G.M.T. Newfoundland time zone.

Tomorrow I will be in Clarenville just 45 away  and starting to sound like an easy day!   Monday the first major town, Gander about another 147.

So far in Newfoundland I have run circa 160km in 3 days. I dont really want to do these distances at the start of the world jog but circumstances dictate.

13 Road days = 536.7km not counting Dublin marathon.

The World Jog continues from Dunquin, Co. Kerry, the most western place in Ireland! Out of the Atlantic Ocean and onto the most eastern spot in North America, Cape Spear,Newfoundland,Canada.

And the run through the Americas all the way to Tierra del Fuego has finally begun!

Many thanks to Sandy Pike for helping with the start of the North American leg. My Newfoundland leg of the World Jog is dedicated to a great degree examination result for Sandy!

Interviewed by Newfoundland Television station NTV just outside Cape Spear.

A long way to go in Newfoundland. Port aux Basques is where I get my ferry to North Sydney,Nova Scotia, sometime early December.

Down the hill from Cape Spear my friends welcome me back to St. John's.

Out into the great wide open.

The Avalon peninsula kinda reminds me of the Dingle peninsula, but they do call this area the Irish loop, looks like a shamrock from the sky.

Hi friends it’s been a very busy week since finishing my run across Ireland in Dunquin last Wednesday.

I commuted back to Dublin on Thursday, dashing around the city all day Friday and last minute packing/reorganizing till 10pm.

 The family dropped me out to the airport, got about an hour sleep till it was time to check in.

At the check in I was told my airlines policy had changed and I had to pay 55 euro for a second checked bag. Though I had my credit card in hand the clerk went the extra mile checking my long loyalty record to the airline on her computer for ages.For whatever reason she didn’t want to take fee. I was amazed when it was suggested for me to reorganize my bags allowing me to just check in the one, avoiding the fee, carrying on a large cabin bag and personal bag. Because of this hurried repacking a screwdriver ended up in my carry on bag! So, I was pulled up for this at the baggage check, given a lecture that I should know a bit better if I was running around the world!

‘ Yes Sir ‘

Screwdriver was confiscated, puncture repair adhesive was carried through with my toothpaste.

On to New York for my 20 hour layover en route to Newfoundland.

 Stayed with my friend Phil Mc Carthy of  the USA 24 hour team.

We watched the New York marathon on tv and then it was time for me to make a mad dash for the airport again. Great to meet up with old friends and rivals again, the first of many I am sure 

A two and a half hour flight to Saint John’s, Newfoundland, the nearest eastern city  to Dunquin.

When a young local woman Sandy Pike heard of  the World Jog on a Canadian running forum she offered to pick me up from the airport and kindly put me up for a couple of  nights, also bring me the short distance to my starting point, Cape spear on Tuesday. 

 I went to her work place on Monday morning to pick up Nirvana, my wonderful Chariot Cougar 1 carrier. I had arranged to send it on ahead of my arrival by Fed-ex as I preferred not wanting to take a chance with dodgy baggage handling and a couple of other logistic reasons.  

This was fortuitive as Canada is home to the great wonderful Chariot!

Though intended as a child stroller a simple modification converts it into a jogging stroller.

Runners and walkers have hijacked this idea of loading up their baggage, journeys across the USA and further afield. Gone are the days of the backpack for many walkers while also making  journey running a pleasurable possibility.

Chris, Chariots great customer support representative sent along some puncture resistant tyres and inner tubes which I am road testing. Also a  16″ and 20″ spare wheel and other spares.. Nothing spared, they are taking care of me.  Included was a very nice note from the staff.

” Happy travels Tony, All at Chariot will be rooting for you! ”

Last night the weather was beautiful when I arrived, it finally caught up with me and started belting down all day Monday.

I don’t think there is any hurry for me to post my planned song,”  November Rain ”  by Guns N Roses for the  ” Song of the week on my ipod ” I have been told I can probably make an accurate posting for that one any day this month     By The way I got a new ipod and camera, will be more careful these  ones don’t get wet.

Eventually I got all the tyres and tubes replaced, the gear repacked.

Sandy came home from her studies. I feel bad as she has got an important examination for her economics degree on Tuesday, yet she is so enthusiastic and obliging insisting nothing is too much trouble, its amazing.

I have decided to dedicate my run across Newfoundland to Sandy’s studies and for the result she wishes and has worked so hard for.

I treated her to dinner in a nice restaurant and then we went over to visit her  mad cap mother, Jenny who though in a hurry out to work on the night shift as a nursing home nurse still took time to make us some coffee with canned milk… I had been lectured earlier in the day that the only coffee that mattered in Canada was Tom Horton’s, which is a chain rivalling Starbucks here.

” That’s the way we like our milk her out of cans, always have since my great grandad O’Dwyer came over here as a stowaway on a ship from Ireland. We got a great Irish tradition here and Paddy’s Day is almost as important as Christmas Day! ”

Tomorrow…Out into the great wide open, my first foreign country of the world run….

Got back to Dublin this evening by bus and train from Dunquin and Tralee.

For those that don’t understand this detail please remember I ran from Merrion Square North to Dunquin, Ireland’s most westerly point. I didn’t have an aircraft on standby in the Dingle peninsula ready to take me directly to the most easterly point in North America!

So, I am backtracking and the most important point is I will not be flying over or skipping any land I could have run over. All possible land kilometres will be run and Oceans flown/sailed across. I chose to fly from Dublin because the date I booked, Nov 6th required  50% more frequent flier miles from Shannon. Why did I not run to the airport? Because I have to have some kind of logical and structured plan. In short that was not necessary as I have already run Ireland and besides no mater what I did people would still ask about other alternatives.

Remember my plan for the World Jog is for the most continuous route around the world on a world map. You know there are some begrudgers out there that will probably question that when I get to somewhere like Indonesia where there are probably hundreds of islands with little or no seasonal ferry services between them!

I will do everything I reasonably can to make this as continuous on a world map.

At 7.40am on Saturday I fly to New York via Atlanta, indirect route dictated by my frequent flier miles.

 In New York I stay with my friend Phil McCarthy of the USA 24 hour team for that night. During my 20 hour layover the New York marathon is on Are you thinking what I am thinking?

I did entertain the thought of running the Big Apple marathon but to be honest I would have to change my 6pm ish flight to a later time and that would have messed up my arrival in St. John’s New Foundland. Monday I will be resting up in so far as there are some logistics to be put in place. The plan is to start the North American leg on Tuesday the 9th November but that date is not cast in stone..

As I speak my beloved Nirvana, wonderful Chariot Cougar 1 Jogging stroller is being Fed-Exed on ahead of me to St. John’s, NF, so it will also depend upon that arrival date.

I understand there is a group of runners on the Running Room runners forum that want to run the start with me from Cape Spear to St. John’s. That will be a pleasure. I can hardly wait to start. In fact within the first 24 hours of the first posting on that forum I had no less than 4 offers from local people offering to pick me up from the airport and put me up.

Thank you so much Newfoundland I have heard so much about your wonderful hospitality.

10 marathons average in the last 10 days here in Ireland, what did I do when I got back to Dublin this evening? I went out for a short run! Emphasis on the short.

Briefly the Canadian and immediate USA plan is to run through Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick to Maine, USA. From there I will run to Boston and onto Little Falls and St. Johnsville, NY home of my greatest rival John Geesler and his Club The Kurahura Kickers (sorry about the spelling lads!) They made me an honorary life member, so I just got to stop there

Running Into The Atlantic Ocean

Just like to remind those still ringing my old number that this got damp along with my camera, and ipod last week.

Please phone me (for world jog related logistics only)  on this number 086 2033672

I also see the Spot tracker is still not updating properly.

Still raining hard, been the same for over a week now. Am getting a headwind now as I get closer to the coast.

 Outside of Abbeyfeale there was another long drag of a hill, ran on soaked to the skin again. Through Tralee and on and on through breathtaking luscious scenery. The roads are getting narrower now, sometimes I am holding up the traffic. I have to switch sides of the road to run on.

I am really enjoying the run, the World Jog goes on and on.. My spirits are high, the rain will never dampen them. The body has adapted well.

I’m wet and cold and stuck between the two main towns on this part of my route, Tralee and Dingle.

Colm phones again and says, ” I got a place for you tonight, when you get to the Inch crossroads John Foley will be waiting for you, you are staying in his bar tonight. ”

Before I left I had considered not taking a mobile with me as I thought a ringing phone at an inopportune moment could ruin a beautiful peaceful moment when I am at one with myself and nature.

I now know the answer to that one….  turn off the phone! 

” That’s great, Colm, tell him I will be there in an hour ”

Right enough John was there and the World Jog was commuted the 3km to and from Inch for the night.

Next to Foley’s bar were cottages rented out to tourists in the summer. In the winter they are vacant.  John’s wife, sorry I can’t remember her name, got problems in the name department before I even leave Ireland!

Says its nice to give something back to the community and is delighted at the opportunity to put me up.

I light a log fire in the cottage fireplace making an attempt at drying out my clothes, shower and eat the plate of rice and stirfry veg John gave me before rushing off to Indoor football training.

The next day, Wednesday, my last day on the road in Ireland, rain again, what else down towards the Dingle peninsula. I ran by The South Pole Inn in Annascaul, birthplace of legendary south pole explorer, Tom Cream DETAILS 

Got my first dog encounter outside Anthony Flattery’s pub, not much to talk about, the dog didn’t like wine gums and soon lost interest as the distance increased.

On into Dingle, more funny looks. Went into a clothing store for directions, ” Straight on, ye can’t miss it, next stop America ” That was north west on the R559 towards Ballyferriter, I getting excited I can smell the ocean now. Beautiful, glorious running up and down the hills, though it always seems more up than down. Feel I could run forever. It’s now my tenth straight day, will miss this during my forced rest transit period to Cape Spear.

I run into Ballyferriter, deep in the Irish speaking Gaeltacht area. Colm is an avid language speaker with a large network of local contacts. He is also the editor of Suil newspaper. He calls me around 2.30 tells me to run on to Louis Mulcahy’s Pottery shop. He tells me there is a photographer there. On I go thinking its in the town, turns out to be 3km the far side. I get there but the photographer has gone on to Krudgers bar in Dunquin. No worries as I am treated to a cup of coffee and cake.

Outside my pace quickens to around 11kph as I sense the end, have been running around 8 at what I call ‘ zero effort, ‘ or as it comes. I run into Dunquin, down towards Krudgers, a big yellow building. In this area much of Ryan’s Daughter was filmed. The photographer Daithe also Donal and Joe,my host for tonight are waiting with a couple of other locals. A big cheer as I run up to them. I ask where is the most western place. They point towards it. I fast foot it down a boreen for about 2km towards Dunquin Pier. I wonder is the photographer following me as Colm has commissioned him to photograph me running into the Atlantic. Then I wonder did he just think it was the photo in the car park. I stop and wait, then I backtrack, yes he is coming. Daithe drives on, I see there are many places to go down to the ocean, don’t really know where he is. Eventually I see his black car, it’s getting dark as I run down the twisting ramp towards my destination. Towards the bottom I see tourist coming back up, they wonder what is happening. I continue running down and down about eight ramps. Its slippery at the end. I see the water. I grab the rails and run into the freezing cold water as Daithe snaps about 10 photos, front, back, drinking out of water bottle, pressing stopwatch, arms aloft.

I am elated, have crossed my country running every almost step except for about 600 meters walk through Borris last week. I look out at the Atlantic Ocean. They say the next parish is America, North America, for me the nearest piece of land will be in Cape Spear, the most eastern part of that continent where I will place my next serious foot mark.

 You are next my friends.

Tonight I am staying with Joe and Aine from Clogher Head about 10 km from Dunquin. Joe and I went out for Dinner in John Murphy’s bar in Dingle. To celebrate I had one of my favourite meals, sheppard’s pie.

Aine can’t do enough for, mothering me, asking if I have eaten enough fruit.

We stopped at Moran’s service station on the way back. I went in for a copy of The Kerryman newspaper.

The assistant laughed and said, ” There must be something special happening when a Dub is buying The Kerryman! ”

” Yes, I said..

” Just checking out page 77,”

Right enough there was Mondays photo from Castleisland, this time the journalist did mention the website.

The remnants of the horse fair were evident with my left foot clearly placed in the horse shit.

One thing is for sure, the Irish people are a great people, they came out in force with huge hearts. Taking me into their homes with enthusiasm and great acts of kindness.

Nenagh Olympic,Limerick,West Limerick and Roicht Athletic clubs have done Irish athletics proud.

Thanks for being with me I will update on my return to Dublin before going onto North America Fri night/Sat morning.

My run into the Atlantic is dedicated to the good people of Ireland that made the Irish leg of the world run possible…But remember, Ireland is incomplete, I got a date to keep Rosslare Harbour to 7  Merrion Square North in just under 3 years time.

My run across Ireland is dedicated to the memory of my late, great step-father, John Foley, the kindest and most gentle person I have ever known. John would have been one of my greatest supporters.

Total for Ireland: 377.6km.

Go raibh maith agat, Tony

A Long Way From The Dublin Marathon Finish Line.