NORTH AMERICAN STATS.. DAYS 320 KM = 14,024

START IN NORTH AMERICA ON 9TH NOVEMBER IN CAPE SPEAR, NEWFOUNDLAND,CANADA AT KM 0.

YAVIZA, PANAMA WAS THE FINISH LINE AFTER RUNNING 14,024KM IN CANADA,USA,MEXICO,GUATEMALA,EL SALVADOR,HONDURAS, NICARAGUA,COSTA RICA AND PANAMA.

PLEASE REMEMBER 377KM WERE RUN IN IRELAND,EUROPE BEFORE NORTH AMERICA. SO MY TOTAL TO DATE IS 14,,401KM

Yesterday January 8th 2012 I ran into Yaviza, Panama which is the furthest point south in North America. During the last few km I heard some of the children shouting out from the shanty shacks ‘ Bravo! ‘

There were tears in my eyes as I heard the claps and the shouts of ……’ It’s the world runner! ‘  I had heard that whispered as I ran by a few houses earlier in the day. Even a few ´it´s the loco Americano ´, as every gringo is assumed to be here.

 I ran to the river Rio Chucunaque that separates North America from the Darien Gap Jungle (AMAZING READ HERE)   and South America.

No more crossings of the Darien Gap Jungle are allowed anymore by either the Panamianian or Colombian governments. I was escorted to the Frontier Police Station and asked in no uncertain terms ” what time was I leaving town tomorrow! ”

It would not have been possible to run North America, all 14,000km of my route here in exactly 14 months without the great support I received from so many wonderful people all over this vast continent, many people probably don’t realise just how big it really is, till they run it

Thanks to everyone….  ¡ Muchas Gracias por todos!

Details to follow…

BY THE WAY.. I WROTE THE NICARAGUAN,COSTAN RICAN AND PANAMANIAN BLOGS WHILE BACK IN DUBLIN ON MY TIMEOUT, SORRY THEY WERE SO FAR BEHIND AND FOR THE PICTURE QUALITY DUE TO FAULTY CAMERA. I ALSO INSERTED THE MISSING PHOTOS FROM ALL THE BLOG POSTINGS AS FAR BACK AS MEXICO LAST SEPT, IF ANYONE HAS THE TIME PLEASE FEEL FREE!

HERE ARE THE NICARAGUAN AND COSTA RICAN AND PANAMANIAN  BLOGS

NICARAGUA

COSTA RICA

PANAMA

HI ALL. THIS IS MY FIRST TIME ONLINE SINCE LEAVING PANAMA CITY LAST MONDAY. IT HAS BEEN A DIFFICULT RUN AS I WAS OUT OF SHAPE NOT HAVING RUN MUCH DURING MY 5 WEEK TIMEOUT! I THINK I AM BACK IN SHAPE NOW!

I HAVE HAD TO RUN THROUGH SOME SERIOUS HEAT. YESTERDAY,FRIDAY THERE WAS ONE PHASE WHERE I COULD ONLY RUN 2 OR 3 KM BEFORE TAKING SHELTER. WITH THESE FREQUENT STOPS AND THE CONDITIONS MY PACE HAS BEEN SLOW NEVERTHELESS I AM DELIGHTED WITH THE WEEK, EVEN IF IT WAS A LONG TOUGH SLOG.  I AM WISHING FOR SOME OF THAT MAINE SNOW NOW, A COUPLE OF PEOPLE SENT ME SOME OLD PHOTOS REMINDING ME! THANK YOU SANDIE, I WAS ONLY THINKING OF THAT BLIZZARD YESTERDAY AND ALSO TO JOHN SAVOY FOR HIS REMINDER!

I WILL UPDATE THE BLOG NEXT TIME ONLINE. I MET SOME INTERESTING CHARACHTERS AND A FEW THAT DROVE ME CRAZY.

I PLAN TO START RUNNING VERY EARLY TOMORROW, SUNDAY AND FINISH AT THE SOUTHERNMOST POINT IN NORTH AMERICA IN YAVIZA, DARIEN WHERE THE ROAD RUNS DOWN TO THE RIVER ‘ RIO CHUCUNAQUE ‘ IN THE PINOGANA DISTRICT.

THIS WILL BE ANOTHER 50KM DAY. TODAY WAS AN EASY 25KM DAY. SO IT WILL BE PARTY TIME ON THE ROAD THE DREAM LIVES ON!

ROUGH DISTANCES IN THE LAST WEEK SINCE RUNNING OUT OF PANAMA CITY, AND OVER THE NON PEDESTRIAN PANAMA CANAL BRIDGE (SPECIAL PERMISSION MIND YOU! THANK YOU VERY MUCH STEPHEN LITTLETON FOR HELPING ME WITH THIS) WERE: 32K, 38K, 33K ,65K, 51K, 25K, (50K TOMORROW) THAT IS AROUND 290KM EXACT DISTANCES TO BE CONFIRMED WHEN I CONSULT MY LOGBOOK.

AS YOU MAY KNOW THERE IS NO ROAD LINKING NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICA .

PLEASE ZOOM IN ON SPOT MAP TO SEE THE DARIEN GAP JUNGLE AREA BETWEEN PANAMA AND COLOMBIA, IT’S VERY INTERESTING.

ON THURSDAY I FLY TO MEDELLIN,COLOMBIA AND EXPECT TO START RUNNING FROM A POINT FURTHER NORTH IN SOUTH AMERICA THAN WHERE I FINISH HERE IN NORTH AMERICA, A PLACE CALLED PUEBLO NUEVO, WHICH IS NORTH OF NECOCLI ON THE CARIBBEAN SEA COAST. FROM THERE IT’S SOUTH ALL THE WAY TO TIERRA DEL FUEGO 11,500KM  AWAY AT THE TIP OF SOUTH AMERICA.

THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT, KEEP IN TOUCH!

MANY THANKS TO VICTOR, OWNER OF THE “ HOTEL FELICIDAD ” IN DARIEN, PANAMA FOR A FREE NIGHTS STAY.

I JUST TURNED UP AND ASKED THE RECEPTIONIST TO ASK THE MANAGER FOR A DISCOUNT. HE PHONED VICTOR WHO TOLD ME HE IS A RUNNER HIMSELF AND HE WAS DELIGHTED TO GIVE ME A FREE NIGHT.

HE SAID UNFORTUNATELY HE CANT RUN THE LAST 50KM IN NORTH AMERICA WITH ME TOMORROW AS HE WILL BE IN PANAMA CITY.

THANKS VICTOR… YOU MADE ONE DAY AND NIGHT EASIER ON THE ROAD

JUST TO LET EVERYONE KNOW THAT I GOT THE SPOT TRACKING DEVICE SORTED OUT WITH MUCH THANKS TO STEPHEN HERE IN PANAMA, MY FRIEND GREG, EDUARDO AND ERNESTO.

HOWEVER I AM STILL WORKING ON GETTING THE SPOT TRACKS SUPERIMPOSED ON THE GOOGLE MAP AS BEFORE.

TO SEE MY WHEREABOUTS ONCE I START RUNNING PLEASE CLICK ON  ”  TONY’S SHARED MAP  ”  JUST BELOW THE GOOGLE MAP.

NOT A GREAT MAP I KNOW.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!~

MY SURPRISE TIMEOUT IS NOW OVER, SO BACK ON THE ROAD NOW FOR ANOTHER YEAR I WILL START RUNNING ON THE 2ND.

I AM ABOUT 7KILOS OVERWEIGHT THANKS TO MAM AND SIS’S GREAT COOKING. I THINK THEY HAD A COMPETITION TO FEED ME THE MOST AND POOR ME WAS CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF ALL THIS LOVELY FOOD! SO I WILL JUST HAVE TO TAKE IT EASY THE FIRST COUPLE OF DAYS AS I ROLL OVER THE PANAMA CANAL.

WELL PERHAPS NOT EXACTLY 7KG OVERWEIGHT AS MY NORMAL WEIGHT IS 68/69KGS, I CAME HOME WITH 65 AND AM NOW 72. I KNOW SOME PEOPLE ARE INTERESTED IN THIS KIND OF DETAIL!

TOTAL TO DATE FOR 323 ROAD DAYS = 14,106km.

SORRY TO MY AMERICAN FRIENDS FOR NOT GIVING TOTAL IN MILES ALSO. MY PHONE IS BROKEN AND WITH IT MY CALCULATOR!

TO CONVERT FROM KM´S TO MILES PLEASE DIVIDE KM BY 1.60934

MY LAST DAY ON THE ROAD WAS: Nov 26th From La Chorrera at km (Protection Civil office) to Via Centenario km9 (outskirts of Panama City) = 28km.

AM IN PANAMA CITY NOW. REALLY BUSY NOW SORTING MANY ISSUES BEFORE HEADING DOWN TOWARDS THE DARIEN JUNGLE AREA!

HERE IS MY PLANNED ROUTE TO THE END OF THE ROAD IN NORTH AMERICA.

PRESS HERE FOR MAP

I WILL HAVE A SUPPORT VEHICLE THROUGH COLOMBIA. I FLY FROM PANAMA CITY TO  MEDELLIN, COLOMBIA ON 12TH JANUARY AFTER FINISHING OFF RUNNING PANAMA AND NORTH AMERICA.

I HAVE MENTIONED SEVERAL TIMES THAT THERE IS NO ROAD BETWEEN CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA, SO IT IS NECESSARY TO FLY.

AT MEDELLIN AIRPORT I WILL BE MET BY ALEXANDER, MY COLOMBIAN SUPPORT DRIVER.

WE WILL DRIVE TO PUEBLO NUEVO ON THE CARIBBEAN SEA COAST. THIS IS WHERE I WILL START MY SOUTH AMERICAN LEG .

PUEBLO NUEVO  IS A POINT FURTHER NORTH THAN WHERE I FINISHED THE NORTH AMERICAN LEG IN YAVIZA, PANAMA.

I WILL START RUNNING ALL THE WAY TO TIERRA DEL FUEGO IN SOUTHERN ARGENTINA SOME 11,500KM AWAY . THIS IS THE MOST SOUTHERN POINT IN THE AMERICAS AND THE WORLD.

HERE IS MY COLOMBIAN ROUTE PRESS HERE