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Archive for March, 2012

ST. PATRICKS DAY NEAR THE LAND OF THE OLD!

Saturday, March 31st, 2012

 MANY THANKS TO EOIN KEITH FOR SPONSORING ME FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS!

MUCHAS GRACIAS EOIN!

EOIN RAN WITH ME A FEW TIMES ON THE IRISH 100KM AND 24 HOUR TEAMS IN CHAMPIONSHIP RACES DURING MY COMPETITIVE CAREER. HE CONTINUES TO PULL OUT SOME GREAT RESULTS ON THE TRAILS, TRACK AND ROAD AROUND THE WORLD. I SUSPECT  HIS FIRST LOVE IS IN ADVENTURE RACING WHERE HE HAS POSTED SOME WORLD CLASS PERFORMANCES.

PRESS HERE TO VIEW JUST A FEW!

THANKING YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS GREAT AND WONDERFUL HELP EOIN. GOOD LUCK IN YOUR NEXT EVENT.

IF ANYONE WANTS TO SPONSOR A MEAL, HOTEL NIGHT OR WHATEVER PLEASE SEE PAYPAL LINK ON SIDEBAR. THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND COMMENTS :)

My short two day break in Guayaquil with Richard and Lisa was great. I enjoyed their wonderful hospitality, having pancakes with syrup for breakfast two mornings in a row was fantastic as was a monster steak.

I also took a blood test. I need to keep an eye on things like iron levels and haemoglobin’s etc.
It was amazing for $25 a doctor calls to your house, takes the sample and you have the results emailed back that evening.
My iron levels are pretty much what they have been for the last couple of years, 58 which is on the low side of normal!
That’s why steaks are important to me. I am not happy with the food here, so also take iron supplements. Though pasta is available in shops you only get it in restaurants in the bigger towns or cities. The diet as far as I can see is pretty low carb, so I need to eat more starch breads etc. Usually one is served just a small piece of chicken, of which half is bone, so how much protein is there?

Back on the road I ran to Tambo and then stopped at a music store that sells cd´s I bought a few and then asked him to stick them on my mp3. Eventually He opened up his collection to me, too bad I had only 3.5 gb of space!

Thanks lads!

All this took over 3 hours but it was worth it, good sounds for the road.
So that lazy 19km day was followed by a 54km to my finish location at an apartment block on the east side of Cuenca. That’s handy, I have the city cleared now, so after getting the security man to write down the exact location I finished at I took a taxi back to the hotel I commuted from this morning. I had commuted back to km 32.
Next morning I am in my hotel having breakfast. Its a small restaurant with just 4 tables. Everyone comes in at 7am.
So I eat my breakfast and drink my coffee. The following is what Richard means when he says Ecuadorians can´t multi-task and the service is bad. I see it all the time.
Two boiled eggs are served in a bowl after breakfast instead of with the meal, I guess it´s a sort of desert! Two tables are full and they are nearly finished eating. I come in next and am taking up a whole table. Four Ecuadorians come in after me and are served their eggs first. So what´s the rationale? Is it because it´s four people and not one?
I would have thought that in a busy restaurant you get rid of the single person who is taking up a whole table?
So the waiter comes over to me and tells me it will be ten more minutes before my eggs are boiled!
My questions are.. Why don´t they prepare before the restaurant opens? And more importantly why don´t they boil 20 or 30 or even 40 eggs together!
If I ask for something like salt they can´t bring it out of the kitchen along with someones plate or coffee, I got to wait a few minutes till they get all caught up!
More than 50 percent of what I eat and drink I have to hand back to be reheated. Yet I have never seen an Ecuadorian return something cold. Richard tells me they are so used to poor service that if it was good they would feel uncomfortable!
Many times I have noticed when I ask them to serve coffee or soup hot they just boil up a 10 litre saucepan and after about 10 minutes, they assume it´s hot, which it rarely is, so I got to hand it back again. I don´t know why they don´t take a portion out and reheat it in a smaller saucepan or a microwave. Richard says it´s cultural, not a lack of intelligence, just the way things are done.
He also told me about a time he bought a television set. It took 9 people to process it between the payment, stamping the receipt, checking to see all parts are present and so on. It seems people can´t be trusted.
In Wall Marts, back when I lived in Colorado I remember dumping a television into a trolley, wheeling it up to the checkout, flashed my credit card, which wasn’t even checked for a signature and was out the door in a few minutes!


That morning I show my directions of my finishing location to several taxi drivers at the bus terminal, they don´t know where the apartment block is. So they hand me over to ´the most experienced taxi driver in Cuenca ´
He hesitates till I tell him that once up on the highway I will know where. So off we go, he can´t find it and after going thru the maze of streets in Cuenca I am confused. Eventually I jump out, I remember the security guard saying the next suburb is Baños. I go into an internet cafe look at a Google map and realised he has overshot my finishing spot and entered the highway at a different spot.
So I jump on a bus, and when it turns left I jump off and walk for ages till I see the apartment block. Morning all gone! I only get 25km that day. Just before Cumae there is an hotel but they want $20, sorry not within the budget. People have told me that Ecuador is cheaper than Colombia, not for accommodation. I don´t mind paying more for Colombian food, it is tasty and here they don´t use spices on meats.
A couple of minutes down the road I come to a building site. It looks like they are building a large luxury resort. I go through the open gate and wander up to a house which the security guard obviously lives on.
I hand him one of my cards. he is a nice sort, his name is Jose and tells me I can sleep in the half constructed building. So in I go and pull a sheet of plaster board off a pile so as I don´t have to sleep on the cold concrete floor. It´s only 8pm but I could do with an early night.

Just after 6am two other security guards come in. They have pump action shotguns. I hand them cards also. They ask the usual simple questions but wait about 15 minutes for me to pack and leave. They are friendly but escort me off the site, they are probably thinking about the bossman.
St. Patrick’s Day is a tough day, mostly up steep hills, I finish early after 24km, it would be nice to get a steak in perhaps Oña.
I commute there having got the impression it´s a sizable place, it´s not. First I had to walk up a steep 1km climb to the centre. I expect a big day tomorrow as it will be mostly downhill. I will not fancy walking up here after a 50km plus day!
In the town plaza there is a pension. On the outside it looks battered. Going up the stairs I wonder as I can see grease all over the walls and ceiling, I don´t know about this place, probably a flee Heaven! Then $5 confirms it, I am off back down the hill. I was told there was another place that is better. It´s supposed to be near the foot of the hill, so handy for tomorrow. There was no sign but I eventually find it.
Not much of a place but at $10 cheap for Ecuador. I decide to stay 3 nights and commute. There seems to be a key problem getting in and out with the owner Antonio. He always seems to be fixing himself in the mirror and slipping out, I think he has a fancy bit up the hill. I tell him to hide the key to the gate outside and he does.
There is a small house down the road where three old ladies wait for the odd customer to arrive. I go there for dinner, not much for St. Patrick’s Day, don´t ask you know whats on the menu!
One of the old ladies looks like she is getting ready to die. She is just sitting on a bench over by a wall and looking into deep space.
I am told there is an area near here called  Vilcabamba which noted for it´s longevity, people live till a grand old age, I was told it´s something to do with bathing in the river.

I read somewhere that they can´t figure it out as some people work hard others not, some drink alcohol and have unhealthy diets (!) others good diets (here?) The traveller came to the conclusion that it was just a publicity scam. Unfortunately it is south of Loja and I will be running west on my way to Peru.

Vilcabamba is a Kichwa word that means Sacred Valley. In the language of the Incas, it is composed of two words: Huilco meaning “sacred” or “God” and Bamba meaning “valley”; hence, “Valley of God” or “Sacred Valley”.

Luis Fernando de la Vega first established Vilcabamba as a town on September 1st, 1756.

 

MORE INFO > HERE

If you are really interested in growing very old please read this amazing study > HERE

AND IF YOU ARE SURE YOU WANT TO GROW OLD IN ECUADOR WITH RICHARD AND LISA MORE INFO > HERE
The old ladies seem to be proud of the hotel I am staying in and keep telling me it´s great isn’t it? Really it´s ramshackle hovel, but it functions and suits me now.

I am starting to see the odd altitude sign now. I am operating between 2,500 and almost 3,100 metres, That actually surprised me, even though it´s not too high.

LA PAZ, ECUADOR, 3,085 METRES ABOVE SEA LEVEL

Then the lovely day, 55km of which about 45 was mostly downhill with just three easy short climbs :) But then it was a 7km tough climb before it eased off into Oña. A great day.
On the way I stopped at a place called Fonda Paredor, a very nice western style restaurant in La Paz. I had spotted it while commuting past in the bus and decided to run by all the pig bar-b-q´s of sorts… Well they had the pigs up on stands and were cooking them head, feet, tails and all with a blow torch. There were about twenty of these going on along the side of road as I ran through that small town.
Please someone tell me, Is this a healthy way to cook a pig?

I went inside the Fonda which was a pleasant surprise. Country and western music pumped out of the speakers, and a cowboy store at the back, boots, saddles hats and all, great decor.
The friendly owner was at a table checking out his Facebook page. His name is Diego. He pulled up this blogpage and was very disappointed to see my Spot tracker was not flashing on the map outside his place.

THANK YOU DIEGO!

Diego told me he only has the best of meats and certainly wouldn’t cook a pig with a blow torch!
He brought me into the kitchen, everything was new and clean as was the rest of the place, spotless. He told me his meat is also the freshest, enough meat for only 40 customers a day and then the restaurant closes.
I had a delicious bowl of potato soup and a pork roast steak with French fries, rice, salad, veg, juice and coffee. While I was there he took a photo and posted it on his Facebook page. His daughter in Florida responded wanting to know who the stranger was!
This time not like the place last week, Diego kindly gave me the delicious meal compliments of Fonda Paredor.

MY BELATED ST. PATRICK'S DAY MEAL!

A really nice man and I told him that this was my belated St. Patrick’s Day meal.
The next few days to Loja were pretty uneventful and tough, except for a run through a nice town called San Lucas which I have already reported on. I am definitely running very tired and need a couple of days rest in Loja and a couple more steak dinners, no more chicken for a couple of days!

 The run out of Loja towards Macara and the Peruvian border took almost a week. The roads were bad, so bad in places it was just too hard to run safely. They were broken up from mud and rock slides due to the recent heavy rains. I have been luck in so far as I have only been caught out a couple of times.

Mud and rock slides are causing serious problems on the road.

On one occasion when it was raining heavily and late in the day I became very concerned when seven bus drivers failed to stop for me. Eventually one kind-hearted driver did. This is the bit that kills me here with all the devoted Catholicism here is that when they get a chance to help someone out in difficulty, they would rather think of their seats not getting damp! They don’t seem to care that someone could be stuck out all night in the rain and cold, perhaps get robbed, murdered or raped! I often wonder if there is a law against failure to stop.

Richard also says that the traffic police are given a job to do, to check for speeding and licences. They don’t bother enforcing some of the other stuff like lights not working, careless driving etc.

They only investigate ‘ serious crimes ‘

That’s why there are so many crazies (other than yours truly!) on the road. Thats why they drive over the unbroken yellow no cross line at high speed even coming up to dangerous bends and even as I saw a couple of times this week, even in dense fog!

They were driving so recklessly that I wondered if there was a two for one chicken dinner discount 100km away in Macara. Driving like locos all the way to some Happy Chicken place!

Though I don’t excuse them, I reckon if bus and truck drivers didn’t drive like lunatics they probably wouldn’t have a job. However, I often wonder about the regular car drivers and  think what it would be like to drive in their car with them. After all the crazy speedway stuff, just to see what exactly do they do when they get to their destination? Turn on the Simpsons en Espanol! Trade Happiest Chicken In Town vouchers? Or more than likely, it’s just cultural, habitual, they probably just stand around and talk when they arrive.

Going baack to what I was talking about earlier I can well believe it as I have been in dozens of police stations and really have to say it’s true over all of my Latin American route… Many police just sit around talking, watching television and as I found out in El Salvador in a dodgy place called San Jorge that they were more interested in their soon to be cooked pot of stew than taking a threat to me seriously. HERE

Back here some of the road was covered by rock slides. I saw some small rocks slide down onto the road ahead of me. Every time I looked up it was scary to see some of the massive boulders. Perhaps I should run on the opposite side, even if the traffic is at my back. The road is quiet, so perhaps that would be a good idea.

IT'S ALL IN A DAYS WORK SAYS LUCIO

I get talking to construction worker Lucio. He tells me it will probably take him a week to shovel and wheel barrow this pile away. Trouble is there is not enough heavy equipment around.  They have to clear the most urgent places first.

A loader and a dump truck would clear this lot in just a couple of hours. With a wink he tells me…

” Hey Tony it’s work and there is not much work around here. ”

Another day I had been thinking to myself that I had not seen many cyclists or runners in Ecuador and what happens to defy me. I was running towards the town of Catacocha after a 31km mostly downhill day. I saw a rare cyclist and then two runners ran past me. I handed them some of my worldjog business cards, we talked for a while. Three ferocious dogs came out, the lads started firing rocks at the dogs and nearly hitting me on the head with one.

Then another man runs by, followed by two women! Just as I got into the town and was about five minutes away from the plaza, the Heavens opened up. Within about ten minutes the whole town was flooded due to a poor drainage system and serious pot holes. There was no sign of it letting up, I got drenched just trying to get from one side of the plaza to the other to shelter in an internet cafe. I wanted to take some photos but the risk of getting my camera wet as happened a couple of times in central America was too great.

So eventually the rain stopped and I stopped dripping water down on the computer keyboard!

This is a problem I am faced with in these situations and remember I don’t carry many clothes, just a bare change! Do I find a hotel before eating and then come back out and perhaps getting my change soaked too. Or do I just go eat in my wet clothes and when I get to the hotel, I shower and don’t have to go out again. This is the option I almost always take.

The first hotel wanted $25! I have only paid 26 dollars once and that was when pissed off in Flagstaff,Az. after having my ipod stolen. This is Latin America so I don’t think $25 for a mom and pop place, even if very nice is justified. Luckily there was a place for $9 which had 3 beds in the room, really big and spacious. Just as well as I would have had to pay the $25, I need to face it that sometimes I will get stuffed.

On and on I ran, very little to report each day very similar and very tough.

Sometimes I am so tired that even the steep downhills are tiring and I got to stop to rest.

I eventually reach Macara and run up to the border, right up to a place called Puente Internacional. There are some nice soldiers there that take my picture. I tell them Iwill return tomorrow and continue from the exact same spot and into Peru.

It’s 2km back to my hotel in Macara, I hitch a ride as there are no buses or taxis. I don’t feel like running or even walking when the distance doesn’t count.

 Tomorrow Peru, at long last, I got a date there, a twenty-nine year dream to live.

Finally! Guess who was spotted in the audience of  The Late Late Show  in Dublin tonight Friday 30th? The Late Late Show is the worlds longest television chat show, airing for over 50 years now.

MY SISTER, ' SENT FROM MY IPHONE ANN ' MY WONDERFUL MAM SHEILA AND MY NIECE SERENA GETTING PLUM SEATS :) LOVE TO ALL XXX

 

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ECUADOR HAS BEEN RUN! NEXT UP PERU AND THE CHALLENGES AHEAD.

Friday, March 30th, 2012

AFTER A 29 YEAR WAIT! PERU AT LAST!

IN 1983 WHILE CYCLING IN SOUTH AMERICA I DID NOT CROSS THE BORDER FROM BOLIVIA TO SEE MY DREAM COUNTRY, PERU THE HEARTLAND OF THE ANCIENT INCA EMPIRE, CUZCO, MACHU PICHU AND ALL.

YOU SEE I GOT AN INCREDIBLY CHEAP AIRLINE TICKET, SOMETHING LIKE $250 OPEN RETURN VALID FOR A YEAR BACK TO EUROPE. IT WAS ALMOST CHRISTMAS. I SPENT 10 DAYS IN LA PAZ, BOLIVIA WAITING FOR THAT FLIGHT. I COULD HAVE MADE A QUICK EXCURSION TO PERU, BUT NO I SAID, I WILL RETURN AND SEE IT PROPERLY. I NEVER DID RETURN, I GOT SUCKED BACK INTO THE RAT RACE IN IRELAND.

NOW AT LONG LAST I AM BACK, BACK TO SEE PERU PROPERLY WHEN I RUN ACROSS THE BORDER ON FRIDAY MORNING :) IT HAS BEEN A LONG, LONG WAIT.

 

ECUADOR HAS BEEN RUN, AND A TOUGH COOKIE TO CONQUER. ONE WEEK LONGER THAN EXPECTED DUE TO THE MOUNTAINS.

 

I MOVED OVER TO THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ROAD WHEN APPROACHING A DANGEROUS BEND AND DISCOVERED ANOTHER DANGEROUS BEND!

 

NEXT UP IS MASSIVE PERU, THE EQUIVALENT OF RUNNING FROM LONDON TO THE TURKISH BORDER, SO ALMOST THE LENGTH OF EUROPE.

THE BIG BAG WILL HAVE 3 STOPS IN LIMA TO SAY HI TO IRISH CONSUL MICHAEL G RUSSELL, THEN ONTO CUZCO TO SEE THE SITES AND SIGHTS AND THEN ONTO PUNO (STILL WORKING ON THIS) TO GET READY FOR THE BOLIVIAN INVASION IN ABOUT THREE MONTHS TIME.

I HAVE TO BE HONEST, THE MOUNTAINS ARE TAKING A TOLL ON ME. I AM SURE THIS IS MORE DIFFICULT THAN DAILY CYCLING STAGE IN THE TOUR DE FRANCE MOUNTAINS, THIS WILL GO ON FOR ANOTHER 4 MONTHS, TWO AND A HALF MONTHS IN THE ANDES SO FAR.

MY DAILY AVERAGE HAS OBVIOUSLY TAKING A BATTERING BUT I AM MORE THAN HAPPY WITH 30ISH KILOMETRES PER DAY NOW, STILL IN AND AROUND THE 1,000 A MONTH AVERAGE.

UNLESS I CAN GET A VISA TOMORROW FOR LONGER THAN 3 MONTHS PERU WILL BE THE FIRST TIME WISE/PRESSURE COUNTRY. BUT REALLY I EXPECT TO BE OK, I AM REALLY NOT WORRIED,I JUST NEED TO BE BUSINESS-LIKE THERE.

COMPANY IN THE HARD SHOULDER

COLOMBIA WAS A TOUGH MOUNTAINOUS COUNTRY, ECUADOR WAS TOUGHER. PERU WILL BE EVEN TOUGHER THAN ECUADOR. BOLIVIA A SIMILAR SIZE TO ECUADOR WILL PROBABLY BE EVEN TOUGHER AS IT SHOULD BE WINTER HIGH UP IN THE ALTIPLANO AT OVER 4,000 METRES.

IN 1983 I SPENT SOME TIME CYCLING IN BOLIVIA. WHAT I REMEMBER ARE TOUGH AND VERY STEEP MOUNTAIN HAIRPIN BENDS LIKE THE ALPE´HUEZ IN THE TOUR DE FRANCE. I ALSO REMEMBER ROAD FULL OF GRAVEL, ROCKS AND SAND DUNES. I AM TOLD THE ROADS ARE STILL THE SAME!

SO THAT’S THE CHALLENGE FOR THE NEXT FOUR MONTHS OR SO. BY THE WAY I NEED TO EDIT MY ARGENTINA /CHILE ROUTES ON THE ROUTE PAGE AS I WILL BE GOING STRAIGHT DOWN THE CENTRE OF ARGENTINA AND RUNNING IN VERY LITTLE OF CHILE .

NOW FOR THE HARD BIT TO WRITE.

I WILL BE TAKING A BIT OF A BREAK FROM THE MOUNTAINS AND RUNNING ON THE LOWER LANDS IN NORTHERN PERU. THESE LOWLANDS HAPPEN TO BE THE NORTHERN PERU DESERT. TOWNS, VILLAGES WILL BE SCARCE, AND WATER MAY EVEN BE AN ISSUE.

MY ENTRY INTO THIS AREA WILL BE DANGEROUS ALSO DUE TO MUCH ACTIVITY WITH ARMED BANDITS IN THE AREA. 

 ALL NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS WILL BE TAKEN. BECAUSE OF THESE TWO PROBLEMS, THE DANGER AND NEED FOR WATER AND A NIGHTLY SAFE HAVEN I WILL BE REVERTING BACK TO MY DOUBLE COMMUTE AS IN CENTRAL AMERICA.

BY THIS I MEAN THAT I WILL RUN WITH VERY LITTLE ON ME, JUST SMALL CASH. I WILL LEAVE MY PASSPORT AND ALL ESSENTIAL KIT IN THE HOTELS I COMMUTE TO AND FROM TO MY START FINISH LOCATIONS USING THE FEW BUSSES THAT RUN THE BOGOTA/QUITO/LIMA ROUTE. IN FACT I WILL HAVE VERY LITTLE KIT FOR THIS LEG OF THE RUN. I AM NOT EVEN GOING TO WEAR NEW SHOES AS I WILL USE TWO HALF WORN OUT PAIRS FOR THE RUN TOWARDS LIMA. I WILL NOT BE RUNNING INTO LIMA CITY. I PREFER TO AVOID ALL BIG CITIES, MEXICO CITY BEING THE EXCEPTION WITH AN ESCORT!

IT IS IMPORTANT FOR NEW READERS TO UNDERSTAND THAT WHEN I TALK OF USING BUSES, I MEAN THAT I RUN EVERY SINGLE KILOMETRE AND THE FOLLOWING MORNING I RETURN TO THE EXACT SAME KILOMETRE OR OTHER LOCATION WHICH I HAVE PHOTOGRAPHED AND CONTINUE RUNNING FROM WHERE I LEFT OFF THE PREVIOUS DAY. THIS IS NO DIFFERENT TO HAVING A SUPPORT VEHICLE WITH A CREW. ONLY HARDER AS I HAVE NO SUPPORT CREW AND OLDER READERS KNOW I HAVE HAD MANY COMMUTES LASTING 3-4 HOURS FOR 50KM DISTANCES, BUT WHAT CAN I DO, LIVE MY DREAM AND SMILE :)

I WILL SURELY NEED TO GET MY ´MORNING ACT TOGETHER ´THE ADVANTAGE OF THE HEAVY BAG SYSTEM IS THAT I CAN PUT TWO OF MY 4 ATM CARDS INSIDE WHEN I SEND IT ON TO LIMA, JUST IN CASE! I WILL ALSO HAVE ACCESS TO NEW EQUIPMENT AND RUNNING SHOES.

I AM SORRY IF THIS SOUNDS COMPLICATED, BUT NOBODY EVER TOLD ME THAT RUNNING AROUND THE WORLD WAS EASY!

THE ARMED BANDITS REALLY JUST WANT QUICK CASH/VALUABLES AND I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF ANY INSTANCES  OF AGRESSION WHEN THE VICTIM CO-OPERATES. I AM MOST WORRIED ABOUT LOOSING MY SPOT TRACKER, USELESS TO ANYONE ELSE IN THE WORLD. I WILL HAVE A SECOND CAMERA AND BACK UP MY PHOTOS ON A STICK TO BE LEFT BACK IN MY HOTEL.

THE AREAS OF CONCERN ARE PIURA WHICH I MAY BE ABLE TO BYPASS BY TAKING THE IB ROAD TO CHICLAYO. ALSO PAIJAN, NORTH OF TRUJILLO.  AND SUPE SOUTH OF TRUJILLO. I WILL BE CHECKING IN WITH THE POLICE. TO BE HONEST THE NEXT 1,000KM OF PERU IS THE ONLY CONCERN I HAVE FOR THE REST OF THE RUN.

I HESITATE TO PUT THIS ON THE BLOG, BUT MY WISH IS FOR READERS TO GET THE ´FULL PICTURE ´AS THOUGH YOU WERE RUNNING WITH ME. GOD HELP MY POOR SUFFERING FAMILY.

 

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RUNNING WITH RICHARD AND THE LOST INCA TREASURES.

Thursday, March 29th, 2012

After a couple of decent days averaging around 40km I stopped at a small roadside shop near the village of Llagos.
I had been expecting my Ecuadorian contact Richard Evans to join me on the road that afternoon but there was no sign of him. It was around 6pm. He told me he would be leaving his home in the big southern city of Guayanquil at around noon for the 3 hour drive and meet me on the road.
Richard has run a marathon recently and has done a lot of cycling. He crashed his bike while on a recent visit to Florida, so he wasn’t fully fit. No worries with me, I don´t run fast.
The nice lady in the shop called Amba offered to phone Richard for me. I assumed Richard would be finding a hotel in somewhere like Cuenca, park his car and then jump on a bus and meet me on the road. When it became very late I just assumed he would drive out , meet me on the road and I would finish up, go back to the hotel and we would return to my finishing spot next morning by bus.
It was a bad phone line but Amba told him where I was and I got the impression he knew exactly, so I said I would meet him on the road, expecting to knock out another few kilometres as he was on his way from Cuenca, about an hour away.

WAITING AT THE SHOP FOR RICHARD
Just as I was running out the door Amba called me back and told me it was dangerous to run in this area after dark. So I decided to heed local advice and wait in the shop. Amba made me some coffee and when there was no sign of Richard after an hour and a half she cooked me a meal of fish and rice, giving me a heavy blanket to put around my shoulders as it was quite chilly.
Amba and another man standing in the grocery store phoned Richards mobile phone several times but the signal was bad and only made a connection a couple of times. It seemed Richard had passed by the shop a couple of times. I left my pack and hi-viz top outside for him to see. Perhaps he was looking out for me running on the road as I had said I would.It was now 9pm! Need less to say, I was very tired and frustrated, not to mention cold. I couldn’t understand how long it was taking him.
Then around 9.30 Richard pulls up in a taxi! He had gotten the taxi in Chunchi about 20km away!
” Where´is your car Richard? ” I greeted him with.
” Hi Tony. I don´t have one, I wouldn’t drive here in Ecuador! ”
I guess I dont´t blame him. So that explains it Richard was trying to track me down on the road in buses, going back and forward, what a man!

ALBA AND RICHARD

Alba had already told me if there was a problem that I could sleep in her house. Just as well I didn’t go out and run the few extra kilometres as we would both have been stuck in the middle of nowhere!
Instead Alba very kindly offered to let the two of us stay in the house that night on a couple of sofas with more blankets than could cover an army!


There were about six children, all girls there in the living room, Alba and an older women in a black bowler hat who I took to be her mother. We sat there chatting for about an hour before settling down to sleep.

 

It was a glorious Sunday morning. We ran for about 20km before finding a restaurant for brunch and a much longed for couple of cups of coffee. Yes more chicken, beef is hard to get here. Richard says there used to be a huge amount of Argentine beef here in Ecuador till the government put a cap on it, now beef is expensive, so hard to get.

RUNNING WITH RICHARD

We ran on, Richard has his hands in many pots. He is a professional photographer, travel writer, an ex US military man who is also a master chef and currently employed by the Inter American Academy in Guayaquil as an historian., He also has a background in teaching business techniques.

Suddenly Richard pointed to our left and ask if I wanted to go for a treasure hunt for the lost Inca Gold!

Here is an extract from a website called The Life Of Adventure.com

” In the remote mountains of central Ecuador, the largest undiscovered treasure in Latin America waits to be found.

WHERE IS THE LOST TREASURE?

This ancient horde of Inca gold comes complete with a vengeful curse, multiple treasure maps and a trail of dead adventurers. With an estimated value of over two billion dollars, this stash of Inca Gold tops my list of lost treasures.
The Backstory – Conquest of the Incan Empire
In 1532 the Spanish Conquistador, Francisco Pizarro led 183 cold and hungry soldiers up the spine of the Andes and began his conquest of the Inca Empire. The empire was in a state of turmoil caused by a civil war between two brothers, Atahualpa and Huascar. Victory had recently gone to Atahualpa, the brother who controlled the northern half of the empire. Lucky for Pizarro, the long civil war had weakened the Inca’s army allowing the Spaniards to easily captured the newly appointed Emperor at his capitol city of Cajamarca.

INCA MASK

With Atahualpa as their hostage, the Spaniards began sacking the city, stripping sacred religious objects from the temples of the sun and moon.
Atahualpa, seeing that the Spaniards’ valued gold and silver so highly, made Pizarro an offer he couldn’t refuse. In exchange for his freedom, The Emperor promised to fill his massive prison cell with gold – as high as Pizarro could reach his hand – and the two adjoining rooms with silver.

” It is impossible for me to describe the wealth that now lays in that cave marked on my map, but I could not remove it alone, nor could thousands of men….There are thousands of gold and silver pieces of Inca and pre-Inca handicraft, the most beautiful goldsmith works you are not able to imagine, life-size human figures made out of beaten gold and silver, birds, animals, cornstalks, gold and silver flowers. Pots full of the most incredible jewelry. Golden vases full of emeralds. ”

INCA JAGUAR. JUST PART OF THE LOST TREASURE

 

MORE INFO CLICK >> HERE

Then Richard explained another mystery to me about another ´lost treasure. ´

” Richard if Ecuador is so rich in Cocoa beans how come there is very little chocolate to be found in the stores, all I can find is crumbly crappy tasting stuff? ” I said it in all seriousness!

” How much do you think they get for chocolate here on the local market? ”

” Not much, the minimum wage is only about 250 dollars a month, so the cost of living is reflective.”

” Exactly. And how much do you think they can get, say in Belgium? ”

” I take your point, Ecuadorian chocolate is also popular in Ireland. ”

We ran another 13km that afternoon to a location north Tambo before calling it a day. It is always nice running with other runners. Richard as I mentioned has the Heavy Bag in Guayaquil and I have an invite to stay and chill out for a couple of days. So we took a bus there. I will return to my finishing spot which I photographed in a couple of days time.

At their lovely spacious apartment I met his wife, Lisa. Lisa is also employed by the academy as an English language teacher. She travelled extensively when younger but always had a special place in her heart for South America, Ecuador in particular.

RICHARD AND LISA

Fed up with the rat race in the States she sat Richard down one day for what Richard describes as

” The Talk ”
” Tony have you ever been married? ”
” No, but I lived with a nutter for a while! ”
” Well you know the way they go all silent and start by saying..
” We need to talk, It´s not that I don´t love you but….”
” Can we sell everything up and move to Ecuador! ”
” Three months later everything was sold and we were on our way to Quito and soon found jobs. ”
” We are happy here, despite the difficulties of living in a no service Latino culture. ”

Next day I had a talk in the academy with about 60 students whose ages ranged from about 12 to 17.
I emphasised the importance of good sportsmanship and honesty, not only in life but in sports, how dedication, honesty and respect were so important and to learn from other peoples mistakes, not your own!
How important it was not to take friendships for granted, that all friendships of meaning have to be worked on.
Keeping sport clean and as much as possible a clean and health life.

MY KIND OF " THE TALK " AT THE INTER AMERICAN ACADEMY

It was the very first day of the new track and field season, so my timing was perfect as many of the students from a wide range of countries around the world were on the team.
Then I went on to talk about the run, had a questions and answers session. It lasted about 20 minutes. I really enjoyed it.
I feel it is important to pass on positive messages to impressionable kids. It worked for me.


I remember when I was about 12 years old. I was with my family on a summer holiday in the Isle Of Man.
We were on the beach in Ramsey. My mam sat my brother, sister and me down on the sand and told us that if we didn’t smoke till we were 21 years of age that she would give each of us twenty Irish pounds on our 21st birthday! That was a lot of money then.
It was also my very first competitive challenge in life.
My brother and sister failed miserably.. Heavy smokers!
However I took to the challenge for a couple of years. Then around 14,15 and 16 I did smoke occasionally, just to be ´cool in school. ´ I even smoked a tobacco pipe! In all I probably only had about 200 cigarettes till I straightened myself out at around 18 or 19. Even though I had ´lost the challenge ´I decided I didn’t want to smoke, it was a dirty stupid habit. I remembered my mams words and how she was a heavy smoker. (she is off them 27 years now)
At my 21st birthday party my mam handed me a 50 pound note, perhaps it was 100 pounds, I can´t remember but it was a lot more than the promise.
” I shook my head and handed it back.
” No mam I didn’t keep the promise! ”
” I know son but look at you now, you are not a smoker and that´s all I wanted! “

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THANK YOU ALL FOR EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOUR 1,000 COMMENTS TO THE BLOG!

Thursday, March 29th, 2012

Thanks to kevin Scanlon for submitting the following comment which happens to be the 1,000th comment to the blog! “tony, you really are passing through some crazy places on your travels.  god help the next cheeky person who looks for a cheap photo opportunity without paying you accordingly!!!!  well done, keep up the great work.  kevin ”

I used to think radio presenters were full of B/S when they said they read and value every comment! That is till I started running around the world. Reading your comments is usually the first thing I do when logging on. I love reading each and every one of them but I do have only one concern….

Ever single one of them has been supportive and not one critical comment!

Many thanks also to Michael McMahon for sponsoring a day on the run! I had a lovely steak breakfast, 4 ice creams, a burger and chips and a lovely hotel on you today Michael! Many thanks :)

Anyone that wants to sponsor a day, hotel, meal please see Paypal link on sidebar. I will acknoledge you in this blog.

PS I just got one mor days running here in Ecuador. I expect to reach the border (2km past Macara) tomorrow, Thursday but may not cross till Friday.

Thanks for your support,

Tony

PS My Ecuador Daily Log Has Been Updated.  View HERE

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MARKET DAY IN CUEMONT, A PLACE LOST IN TIME

Monday, March 26th, 2012

 

 

 

Exiting the large city of Ambato was a nightmare. The place really is a tip with rubbish on the roads and pavements for almost every metre, including piles of gravel and rocks just piled up so pedestrians had to step onto the road in some places. Also many walls missing with 20 meter drops into someones garden. I guess drunks sober up pretty quickly here.
Further on up the highway there was a huge traffic jam.

I was told that there was a bank robbery. The robbers were in a small beat up family car. About 50 police cars and motorbikes were all over the highway. The robbers were trapped down an embankment.

CAUGHT IN THE ACT!

It was very noticeable that there were no media present, no television cameras, radio or journalists. Actually I have not even come across a journalist since southern Mexico!
Next day I hadn’t eaten a breakfast as I waited till I got to the small village I commuted from. When I got there the restaurant was closed.
So I ran on till lunchtime and arrived at what looked like a really nice restaurant on the outside, it certainly had swanky signposts directing me towards it.
Inside the tables and even chairs had white satin covers, there were patio heaters on the inside and the place was decorated with a tasteful decor. The waiter had black slacks, white shirt and a dickie bow!

I TUCKED INTO MY PACKET OF MARIA BISCUITS WHILE I WAITED FOR MY SPAGHETTI CARBORONNA!

My God! I am going to get screwed here, I thought!
Fortunately I didn’t have to make a u-turn as I settled for a spaghetti carboronna for $6, even if it was a small plate.
This place was fairly new as the painters were still painting the hallway.
While I waited for my meal I ate a few biscuits I had bought in a shop down the road. A few people were looking over at me and wondered what was going on as I had all my gear on one of the satin covered seats.
The manager, a young hot woman called Catherine came over and told me the place was only open six weeks. I had given her a business card. She asked for me to pose for photographs and the impression I had was it was for their website or facebook publicity page. I also posed in a bath they had in the front garden! Hey this not what I thought the run would come to but it’s a blast!

NO THIS IS NOT HOW I GET ACROSS THE WATER!

You not I never mentioned the name of this establishment as they didn’t even offer me a discount, so $10 with coffee and tip thrown in was a bit much for a budget traveller, even a starving one. They had plenty of opportunity to offer me one as mistake was made on the bill and Catherine just sat at the next table while I waited 10 minutes for it to be sorted. Next time management of such a place asks for photos, I promise I will ask for a discount immediately, lesson learned!
That night in Riobamba I got a discount on a really nice hotel called Rey de los Andes, or King of the Andes, indeed!
My friend and fellow journey runner, Jesper Olsen stayed here a couple of months ago on his run thru Ecuador.
That´s what the manager told me as she greeted me with… ” But where is your support vehicle? ”
” On my back I replied! ”
Then on the way to a 40km day I stopped at a school which had a shop attached to it. About ten children came over and then followed me out the gate, I  felt like a pied-piper.

 
That night I commuted from my finish just before San Martin to a place called Cuemont. I didn’t like the look of the first hotel I saw , so the bus driver told me to get back on as there was another place the far end of town.
That place was called Inti Sisa, a Belgan hostel run by some Belgians. They rent out dorm beds as part of their fundraising along with running trips to the nearby Chimborazo volcano at 6,310 it’s one of the highest volcanos in the world and the highest peak in the Andes.
I spent most of the evening talking to one of the administrator, a nice young dread-locked Belgian woman called Eva.

 

EVA AND ONE OF HER HELPERS LAZARO.

Eva told me she loves travelling but has been stationed here as she likes helping people.
Inti Sisa does a lot of work for the local community here. It´s teachers are well paid she told me, they get a sort of a Fair Trade wage. They teach reading, writing, sewing, cooking (about time I thought!) and other skills to the mostly indigenous community. Their website is  HERE  

Eva tells me the community is kind of locked in a time warp, about 100 years behind the rest of the world.
As luck would have it there was a market in the town tomorrow. Apparently people come from far and wide to sell their wares here every Thursday and Friday.
At the market I was taking some photos and was not minding when a man nearly ran me over as he led two ferocious looking pigs through the towns plaza!

I NEARLY GOT RUN OVER BY PIGS!

I hung about for about an hour taking some decent shots before hitting the road again.
I have been very tired a lot these days, many times a week I feel like I have hit the wall, or as my American friends would say, I bonk many times a week.
Irish readers stop sniggering!

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FROM THE EQUATOR TO 10,000 MILES!

Friday, March 23rd, 2012
 

THE EQUATOR AT LAST!

(more…)

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NOTHING ELSE MATTERS

Wednesday, March 21st, 2012

 

THURSDAY 22ND AND FRIDAY 23RD I AM TAKING A REST DAYS/WORK DAYS IN LOJA. COMPLIMENTS OF TOM MENTIONED BELOW.

THE BIG NEWS IS! I AM NOW UP TO DATE WITH THE BLOG WRITING, I JUST NEED TO ADD THE PHOTOS. PLEASE STAY TUNED FOR FOUR NEW POSTINGS OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS :)

THANKS AS ALWAYS FOR YOUR COMMENTS AND SUPPORT.

MANY THANKS TO FELLOW JOURNEY RUNNER TOM DENNISS FROM AUSTRALIA. TOM HAS VERY GENEROUSLY SPONSORED ME FOR A WEEKS WORTH OF STEAKS AND HOTELS HERE :)

HE  STARTED HIS 29,000KM AROUND THE WORLD RUN ON JAN 1ST AND IS CURRENTLY RETRACING SOME OF MY STEPS IN ARIZONA.

PLEASE CHECK TOMS WEBSITE HERE

THOUGH HE IS ON HIS OWN VERY TIGHT BUDGET THIS WAS A VERY KIND GESTURE.

IT IS OBVIOUS THAT LIKE ME TOM IS A GREAT BELIEVER IN KARMA!

THANK YOU SO MUCH TOM AND MAY THE ROAD AND THE PEOPLE BE AS GOOD TO YOU AS THEY HAVE BEEN TO ME!

 

I am about 3 weeks behind in the blog as I have had so many issues and problems to resolve in the last month. Recently I took 2 rest days and started 5 of my seven days on the road in internet cafes, so I would like to apologize for the delay in the blog.
However out of sync here is one update which lashed out of my head as I ran thru the small town of San Lucas, Ecuador yesterday. I had it written in my head by the time I got to the other side of the town! This morning at 5am  I jumped out of bed to get it onto the hotel computer. Sorry for the rough version, I will update with photos and spell check later!

Yes the roads in Ecuador have been a pleasant surprise, paved all the way from Tulcan near the Colombian border, half of which has a decent hard shoulder.
All the way from Tulcan the road is marked, not with signposts but almost every kilometre is marked by the sad dumping of babies diapers out of vehicles. I could probably find my way here from Colombia without a map, just follow the diaper trail.
So I ran into the north end of San Lucas not expecting much, just the usual chicken restaurants. I got my usual welcome from the ´welcoming party ´some 5 mongrels!
I am now armed by a Dazer 2 dog deterrent WEBSITE which Sir Richard Beresford-Wylie sent me. Sir Richard invented this device and I can tell by the look on the faces of the mongrels they dont like it as much as I do :)

THAT ONE IS FOR SIR RICHARD!

I ran towards the town center. It was not like any other town I had run through. Women were out washing clothes outside their houses. There was a constant pedestrian stream in both directions. The people here in Loja state are mostly the indigenous peoples of Ecuador. The men and young boys mostly wear white shirts, and long baggy black short pants. Their long black hair in pony tails, everyone wore a wide smile and gave me a warm greeting.


As the traffic rushed through the small town of about two kilometres long, the folks just walked along slowly. Women with long black dresses, I was reminded of the Amish people of New York and Pennsylvania.

By chance I had been listening to my mp3 player. Then I turned it off half way through Metallicas ´Nothing Else Matters ´ PRESS PLAY
Yes how fitting. There are people here, probably amongst the poorest people I have met on the run and though it seems to me on the outside they are contented, they don´t need much to be happy.


Their houses are mostly pretty basic shacks, but happy homes from what I could tell as I went by. People were out cleaning and renovating what little they had got. There was a ´happy feeling in San Lucas, Nothing Else matters.
I stopped for lunch, yes more chicken, no getting away from it. Last week I stopped in a large town and though I might find something different, mabey even an American franchise, what did I find.. Kentucky Fried Flippin Chicken!
Talk about selling sand to the Arabs!
Here as I ate by the roadside eatery I watched the children walk from school, many dressed like miniature versions of their parents, bowler hats and all.


I was so taken by the town that after lunch I just walked through it, stopping to talk to more of the curious locals. Almost all the women were camera shy, it is said photographs take some of their spirit away.

These people wanted me to stop for a beer!


By the far end of the town I was on a high, this town had made an impression on me, sometimes it´s hard to put a finger on it, sometimes it´s just a warm glowing feeling.
This lady told me she sometimes works in the fields picking fruit,flowers and plants but there is not much work around now. We put our heads together and ended up swapping hats!

WE PUT OUR HEADS TOGETHER!

Three more dogs escorted me out of the town. So, feeling a bit like James Bond, I thanked Sir Richard, my Mr. Q and slipped my dazer back into my pocket. I used to believe that dogs mirrored their owners. Well perhaps sometimes but not always as there are too many nice dog owners in places like this. I now believe there are so many cranky dogs as perhaps they are half starved.
I turned back on my mp3 player and played a request for the town of San Lucas, another Metallica classic, Hero Of The Day. PRESS PLAY

So it was time for me to….. Wherever I May Roam PRESS PLAY

 


PLEASE CLICK > HERE TO SEE MY ROUTE SO FAR AND MY REMAINING ROUTE. START AND FINISH IN DUBLIN IRELAND WHERE THE FLAG IS. NOTE I GOT TO EDIT MY CHILE AND ARGENTINA ROUTE. I WILL BE RUNNING IN VERY LITTLE OF CHILE AS I PLAN TO RUN THROUGH THE CENTER OF ARGENTINA.

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*** UPDATED ECUADOR DAILY LOG

Tuesday, March 13th, 2012

    FOR ECUADOR ROUTE PRESS  > HERE    FOR INFORMATION ON ECUADOR PRESS > HERE

.

TOTAL KILOMETRES FOR ECUADOR:  1,097 FOR 31 ROAD DAYS.

TOTAL TO DATE16,826 KM FOR 396 ROAD DAYS.

29/3/2012. From yesterdays finish at km 15 near Tangula to km 40 in Macara, then roads leads to Peru border for 2km. Total for today = 27.

Tomorrow , Friday I will return to the border, cross and then find a place to send The Heavy Bag to the Irish Counsil in Lima where I will collect in a month and resend to contacts in Cuzco a further month over the mountains. There is a chance I will not run as these first days what with crossing and dealing with The Heavy Bag tend to be time consuming. Thanks for your great support in Ecuador, Now for Peru :)

28/3/2012 From km 20 then 15km run to a junction and kms reset to zero. Another 15km run. Finish at km 15 near Tangula. Today 30km run. This Am strong/PM tough uphills.

27/3/2012. From km 1,014 I ran 11km and then at a junction markers ran out. Ran another 20km as here kms were painted on the road! Finished at km 20 and commuted back to Naraña at km 5.  Today 31km ran. Another tough day in the Andes.

26/3/2012 From Km marker 983 to km 1,014 on route 35… . 31km today. Heavy rain at end of day

25/3/2012. FROM CATAMAYO GAS STATION (KM 951) TO KM 983. KM MARKERS SUDDENLY APPEARED ON THE ROUTE TODAY! PAN-AMERICAN ROUTE 35. START WITH 2 AND A HALF HOUR CLIMB, RAN NON-STOP TO SAN PEDRO AND THEN MORE CLIMBING,T OTAL CLIMBING TODAY =25KM.  TODAY 32KM RUN. FOG AND HEAVY RAIN SET IN FOR THE LAST 5KM. I WAS LUCKY TO GET MY BUS BACK TO LOJA AS MSEVERAL DIDN’T STOP.

24/3/2012. FROM LOJA, HOTEL DEL BUS TO CATAMAYO GAS STATION = 36KM, START WITH 15KM UPHILL AND THEN NICE DOWNHILL AT END DAY, TOUGH DAY.

22ND  AND 23RD REST DAYS IN LOJA EATING STEAKS :)

21/3/2012 FROM SANTIAGO TO LOJA = 33KM A VERY TOUGH DAY… AND COULDN’T FINISH MY STEAK!

20/3/2012 FROM SARAGURO AT KM 41 TO SANTIAGO AT KM 71. = 30KM TOUGH BUT LOVELY DAY. RAN THRU SAN LUCAS, A LOVELY COMMUNITY, RAIN IN MORNING

19/3/2012. FROM ONA (KMS RESET TO 0 ) TO SARAGURO AT KM 41 = 41KM TODAY.

20 KM ALL UPHILL AT START OF DAY, LONG LUNCH BECAUSE OF RAIN.

 

TOTAL TO DATE 16,576KM FOR 388 ROAD DAYS.

I AM ABOUT ONE WEEK AWAY FROM THE PERU BORDER :) IT´S BEEN A LONG DREAM TO RUN INTO CUZCO AND MACHU PICCHU, THE HEARTLAND OF THE INCA CIVILLATION!

19/3/2012 41KM RUN TODAY …FROM KM 0 IN UÑA TO SOUTH OF SARAGURO

18/3/2012 55KM RUN TODAY FROM KM 28 NEAR SHIÑA TO KM 83 OÑA.

HAPPY ST. PATRICKS DAY TO ALL!

3 TOUGH AND ONE LAZY DAY LAST WEDNESDAY SINCE LAST UPDATE. DONT HAVE LOG BOOK WITH ME NOW, SO WILL FILL IN DETAILS LATER. 19KM, 54KM 25KM AND 24KM TODAY  = 122KM = 16,480KM FOR 386 ROAD DAYS. TODAY FINISHED IN SHIÑA AND COMMUTED 55KM FORWARD TO OÑA, SO WILL RETURN WITHOUT PACK TOMORROW AND HOPEFULLY HAVE A BIG DAY AND STAY IN OÑA, A DEAD VILLAGE! AGAIN.

TOTAL DISTANCE TO DATE = 16,358KM. FOR 382 ROAD DAYS.* LAST UPDATED ON THE 3RD, SO PLEASE READ UP FROM THERE *

.

 

12TH AND 13TH MARCH 2012 REST DAYS. PLEASE NOTE THAT KM MARKERS FOR LAST WEEK WERE RARE AND DISTANCES ON MANY DAYS HAD TO BE CALCULATED LATER ON GOOGLEMAPS.

11/3/2012. FROM KM 22 TO KM 42 IN ZHUD AND THEN RESET TO KM0 AND TO KM13 NEAR JUNCAL. = 33KM. TODAY I RAN WITH A FRIEND,RICHARD EVANS FROM GUAYAQUIL. RICHARD AND HIS WIFE OFFERED ME A COUPLE OF REST DAYS IN GUAYAQUIL, SO I COMMUTED THERE.THEY WERE ALSO GOOD ENOUGH TO ACCEPT MY BAG SENT FROM TULCAN. I WILL SEND IT ON AGAIN TOWARDS PERU BORDER.

10/3/2012. FROM GOLZOL TO KM MARKER 22 PAINTED ON ROAD. TODAY = 36KM.

9/3/2012. FROM LAGUNAS OZOGOSHE TO GOLZOL = 43KM TODAY, FELT BETTER AS MOSTLY DOWNHILL AND LEVEL! STILL NO ROAD MARKERS, DISTANCES CALCULATED BY GOOGLEMAPS

8/3/2012 FROM SAN MARTIN TO LAGUNAS OZOGOSHE = 34KM. ANOTHER VERY TOUGH DAY IN MOUNTAINS, NOT MUCH SHOULDER AT SIDE OF ROAD. LATE START AS I WENT TO MARKET IN CUEMONT AND TOOK SOME GREAT PHOTOS!

7/3/2012. FROM KM 170 NEAR RIOBAMBA TO JUST BEFORE SAN MARTIN =40KM , NOT MANY KM MARKERS, CALCULATED ON GOOGLEMAPS.. TOUGH DAY IN MOUNTAINS, SHORT OF BREATH

6/3/2012 FROM KM 137 IN MOCOA TO KM170 JUST BEFORE RIOBAMBA =33KM.

5/3/2012. FROM KM106 IN AMBATO TO KM 137 IN MOCOA. = 31KM TODAY.CLEARING THE CITY OF AMBATO WAS A NIGHTMARE!

4/3/2012. FROM KM 71 IN LATACUNGA TO KM 106 IN AMBATO, TODAY AT KM 92 IN YAMBO I RAN Y 10,000TH MILE OF THE RUN :) , LOVELY DAY, STOPPED TO TALK TO LOTS OF PEOPLE. TODAY 35KM

TOTAL 16,073 KM RUN TO DATE FOR 374 ROAD DAYS

3/3/2012 FROM KM 35 TO KM 71 SOUTH OF LATACUNGA 36KM TODAY, GOOD DAY, HEAVY TRAFFIC, DOWNHILL AND FLAT MOSTLY STILL RUNNING ON ECUADOR ROUTE 35 WHICH IS THE PAN-AMERICAN HIGHWAY. TOMORROW I NEED JUST 21 KM FOR 10,000 MILES. AND ALL GOING WELL AND THEY HAVE KM MARKERS THIS WILL BE REACHED AT KM MARKER 92. NOTE: 10,000 MILES = 16,093.44KM

2/3/2012. FROM TAMBILLO WHERE KM MARKERS WERE RESET TO KM 9 TO KM 35. VERY LATE START TODAY AS I HAD A LOT OF ONLINE WORK TO DO.

TODAY WAS DOG TOUGH, I CANT BE SURE BUT I THINK IT WAS BECAUSE OF THE ALTITUDE! IT WAS MOSTLY UPHILL, I WAS SHATTERED AND WALKED MOST OF THE WAY, NOWHERE TO STAY SO I MADE A COMMUTE TO LATACUNGA SO I SHOULD FINISH HERE TOMORROW NIGHT WITHOUT MY PACK.

1/3/2012. FROM PALUGI TO TAMBILLO = 36KM RUN TODAY. LATE START, VERY TOUGH MORNING, VERY HUMID AND MOUNTAINOUS. 16,000TH KM CLOCKED UP TODAY.

29/2/2012. FROM KM 26 IN SANTA ROSA TO PALUGI = 41KM TODAY. TOUGH DAY, BACK TO THE GRIND!

28/2/2012 39KM TODAY FROM KM 65 NEAR PIJAL TO KM 26 IN SANTA ROSA.. I CROSSED THE EQUATOR TODAY :) THE LAST 3 HOURS WERE VERY EASY AS I RAN WITH A HAPPY HEART AND SANG ALONG THE WAY! :)

27/2/2012. START KM 105 IN IBARRA AND FINISH AT KM 65 NEAR PIJAL. 40KM TODAY, SHORT COMMUTE TO CAYAMBE

TOTAL TO DATE IS 15,861KM OR 9,855 MILES FOR 368 ROAD DAYS. I HOPE TO MAKE THE EQUATOR ON TUESDAY.

26/2/2012. FROM KM 146 IN AMBQUI TO KM 106 IN IMBARRA. TIERED AFTER 62KM BIG EFFORT YESTERTDAY. TODAY WAS TOUGH, MOSTLY CLIMBING. 40KM.

25/2/2012. FROM KM 207 IN JULIO ANDRADE TO KM 145 IN AMBQUI. TOUGH MOUNTAINOUS DAY. LATE START AND VERY LATE FINISH AS IT WAS A LONG WAY TO FIND PLACE TO STAY, SHATTERED. 62KM TODAY.

24/2/2012. 30KM RUN TODAY, FROM COL/EC BORDER AT KM 237 ON ROUTE E35 FINISH AT KM 207 IN JULIO ANDRADE.

TOTAL TO DATE = 15,759KM FOR 366 ROAD DAYS

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TOWARDS THE EQUATOR

Wednesday, March 7th, 2012

SORRY FOR THIS VERY ROUGH DRAFT!  PICTURES TO FOLLOW. Total 6th March 2012 = 16,172km for 377 road days 33km today

MANY THANKS TO KEVIN FLOOD,LARRY DOHERTY, PAUL JOYCE AND KEVIN MOORE FOR MAKING THE NEXT WEEK OR SO COMFORTABLE FOR ME! THANKS LADS YOUR SUPPORT IS VERY MUCH APPRECIATED :)

Two nice days running took me from Pasto to the Ecuador border. The first day was 44km and as always the traffic was hectic. That night I stayed in a nice resort called Los Toboganes having bargained a few dollars off after flashing my business card. The next day 38km took me right up to the border. On the way I noticed more and more people wearing ponchos, more the traditional garb of Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. I feel I am making progress now. Having touched the border I returned to Alex´s house in Pasto.

MY GREAT FRIEND ALEX IN PASTO. LUBIA WAS PHOTO SHY!

 Colombia has now been run so it´s time to prepare for Ecuador. I will carry my circa 16kg bag over the border in a couple of days.

COLOMBIA HAS BEEN RUN! nOW FOR ECUADOR!

I will then mail it to Richard in Guayaquil, which is about two thirds my way thru Ecuador, not quite at the Peru border but near enough. My bag contains running shoes, running clothes, socks, and such luxuries as vitamin tablets which I count out for the next country. Also conditioner cream for my feet which I treat every night. I also have a heavy duty sleeping bag and other equipment that I change out for the forth coming challenges. Alex and his wife Lubia, a Russian free-lance journalist couldn’t have been nicer or more helpful. Lubia is expecting their first child, a girl in April. They are so easy-going it´s incredible… Though the baby is due in April they are talking about coming out to meet me on the road in Peru around that time! Lubia has been living here two years now. She met Alex at the carnival in Pasto. So I returned to the border and carried over my support bag. I will return to the border tomorrow and start running Ecuador. I took a mini bus to Tulcan and checked into a hotel. Within an hour I had hailed a taxi to the Servientrega cargo office. Here I use this company as they are very reliable, fast and cheap. I boxed the bag, labelled it, paid $15 for the delivery to my next contact Richard Evans an American living in Guayanquil and was then celebrating my great system with a chicken and chips and ice cream lunch, all done and dusted within an hour!

I HAD A NICE CHAT WITH THIS MAN. I LOVE TO STOP AND TALK TO PEOPLE

Back at the hotel I turned on my laptop. There was a serious attempt on one of my 48 hour records, the treadmill record of 405km/251 miles. Six runners were racing each other in a 2 day treadmill race in a small French town of Evreux. It was set up specifically to attempt to break the record. I would be telling a lie if I said I had no interest! I woke up several times during the night to check the hourly updates, in fact I got very little sleep as the lead changed and a tough French athlete came within 10km of breaking the record. His name is Christian Fatton. If anyone is interested in reading his report , here it is HERE

 

Over the years many people have asked me questions about these races/attemps, so perhaps it´s time to add a few comments to the blog.

I had sent a message of good luck to all the athletes, saying all records are meant to be broken, including mine. I would be telling another lie if I said I wasn’t delighted to still be the holder. Even though I have been stereotyped by this treadmill lark and the media love it always talking about the boredom! What boredom could there possibly be if you are prepared and chasing a world record, especially with a realistic chance of breaking it! I say, Happy Days! Running  a treadmill attempt is very much a personal experience which few athletes have experienced and most would not even consider. I know of several athletes that could break my mark and when I spoke to them about it they just laughed it off, beaten in the mind! I have worked very, very hard on my mind strength and have always considered myself to be just an average athlete but with exceptional mind strength, which is one of my few tallents!

The media and many other people also get confused by the treadmill stuff as it is almost always indoors and my indoor 48 hour record (426km/265 miles), which was set on a 250 metre indoor track in Brno,the Czech Rep almost 5 years ago. That is my main pride and joy as it was set in competition against  58 other runners. Indoor 24, 48 and 6 day races started in the 1800´s and in those days were huge occasions where smoky arenas were crowded by people betting on runners like they now bet on horses. There was huge prize money for the winners then! So that´s why it´s so important to me, it´s an honour to have surpassed the distances of many great athletes that went before me. There have been hundreds of such races including 2 day splits in six day races since those olden days. Nowadays they are less frequent. More info on those athletes of bygone years  HERE   This treadmill competition was fun.

I was shattered the next day and just ran 30km from the place I stopped at the border a couple of days ago to a very small village called Julio Andrade. That was a very routine day, yes a routine 20km climb at the start! On the way I stopped at a house for water. An old lady, prob in her late eighties told me it was only 15 minutes on foot to Julio. I guess she is a faster walker than I am a runner as I arrived almost an hour later!

Next day was a long day, 62km long. As I mentioned before, I am not interested in speed anymore, I take my time, probably got no option with almost 16,000km in the legs, much of my speed is gone. These days it takes me all day to do what I used to do all night, run a marathon!

The roads are a bit better now, and I still got about a 1 metre shoulder. Except for the odd landmine in the shoulder.

Not so many trucks today, I felt safer, on I ran into the night. Stopped at the fire station for water, no water, I ask you! That was in Ambqui and luckily across the road was a place called the ” Oasis Hosteria.” It was a nice resort, with cabins, swimming pools and the works. Once again I flashed the card when I was asked for 20 dollars, ( Ecuador along with El Salvador and Panama uses the American dollar) The nice man on reception made a phone call and though he was reading my card to his boss about the worlds run he still said cyclist! I give these cards out and even when people read them they still ask what country am I from, I tell them its on the card, same for my name and please read again I am running not cycling. The boss said I could have the cabin for 12 dollars! The next couple of days I ran hard but the mountains sapped my energy. Some days I felt strong and other days I was short of breath which never happened to me in the Colorado Rockies where I crossed 6 passes all well over 3,000 metres. I rarely get an altitude reading here but think it´s around 1,600 metres. Not much I know but there is a lot more climbing still to do! I love the mountains,that´s why I moved to Colorado and lived there for almost 8 years. Mountains are in my blood.

Actually here in the Andes sometimes I feel like I am in the Rockies again as the climbs are mostly long gradual efforts. Some of the mountains I have climbed in New England in the States could be argued to be tougher as they are steeper climbs, as could some of the mountains in Co. Wicklow,Ireland especially Sally Gap.

 

 

 The traffic here is as busy as in Colombia but not so many motorcycles or bicycles, which is a relief to me as often they came up behind me in the hard shoulder in Colombia.

The indigenous tribes in northern Ecuador are generically called Quichuas (Language: Quichua) but are actually a whole series of tribes. If you observe carefully, the dress, especially the women, are similar but do vary as far as colors, types of hats, etc from town to town and tribe to tribe. In fact a lot of the towns are named after their local tribe – Otovalos, Canaris, Cayambis and Quitus, etc.

In fact, the same styles of tribes go down well into Peru, except there they are called Quechuas (Language: Kechua). That’s as far as the Sierras (Andes) there are whole other sets of tribes on the coastal plains (Huancavilca and others) and the Oriente (Amazon Rain forest – too many to even try to mention). They say there are about 2.5 million indigenous people in Ecuador, and the largest tribe is about 50,000. I am getting excited as I am getting closer and closer to the Equator, or Mitel del Mundo, center of the earth as it is know here.

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SPONSOR A DAY ON THE WORLD RUN!

Saturday, March 3rd, 2012

HI ALL!

STILL RUNNING SOUTH OF THE EQUATOR AND MORE THAN 16,000 km RUN AND ALMOST 10,000 MILES! WHICH IS 16,093.44 KM.

MY TOTAL AT THE END OF YESTERDAY,1ST MARCH WAS 16,011KM.

ANYONE THAT WANTS TO SPONSOR A DAY, OR MEALS FOR A DAY ON THE RUN PLEASE FEEL FREE TO USE THE PAYPAL OR BANK ACCOUNT ON THE RIGHT SIDE BAR.

EACH DAY INCLUDING ALL OTHER EXPENSES IS WORKING OUT AT AROUND 25 EURO, MEALS IS ABOUT 10 EURO OF THIS.

ANY SPONSORS WILL BE GRATEFULLY MENTIONED IN THE BLOG :)

THANKS FOR ALL YOUR HELP AND LOVELY COMMENTS! TONY

MY TOTAL AT THE END OF YESTERDAY 1ST MARCH WAS 16,011KM.

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since Tony began his World Run on 25th October 2010

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About Tony

I have always considered myself to be an average runner. In school, I was even bullied for I was a sports wimp. Through hard work, dedication, perseverance, self-belief and a strong mind I succeeded in not only running around the world but breaking four ultra running world records during my competitive career. Having previously cycled around the world I didn't start running until I was almost 30. Then I had a dream of running around the world. For many reasons, I waited for over 20 years. One reason was to establish my pedigree as an endurance athlete. I started and finished my world run as the current World Record-Holder for 48 Hours Indoor Track 426 kilometres (265 miles), a record I have held since 2007. I also broke and still hold the World Record for 48 hours on a Treadmill 405 kilometres (251 miles) in 2008. When I retired from competition, more pleasing than any of my world, European or Irish records I had the respect of my fellow athletes from all over the world - in my opinion, sports greatest reward - an achievement I am most proud of. Then I finally put myself out to pasture, to live my ultimate dream to run around the world! This blog was written on the road while I struggled to find places to sleep and to recover from running an average of 43.3 kilometres or 27 miles per day for 1,165 road days. There were many nights I typed this blog on a smart phone, so fatigued my eyes closed. Many journalists and endurance athletes have referred to my world run as the most difficult endurance challenge ever attempted. During my expedition I rarely had any support vehicles, running mostly with a backpack. In the more desolate areas I pushed my gear, food and water in a cart which I called Nirvana, then I sent her on ahead to run with my backpack once again over altitudes of almost 5,000 metres in the Andes. I stayed in remote villages where many people had never seen a white person before. I literally met the most wonderful people of this world in their own backyard and share many of those amazing experiences in this blog. My run around the world took 4 years. There were no short cuts, I ran every single metre on the road while seeking out the most comprehensive route across 41 countries, 5 continents, I used 50 pair of running shoes and my final footstep of the run was exactly 50,000 kilometres, (almost 31,000 miles) I eventually finished this tongue in cheek named world jog where I started, at the finish line of my city marathon. I started my global run with the Dublin Marathon on October 25th 2010 and finished with the Dublin Marathon on October 27th 2014 at 3 05pm! Thank you for your support, I hope you can share my unique way of seeing the world, the ultimate endurance challenge! Read more...

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