THE LONG ROAD TO CUSCO – DOOR TO DOOR – THE PURIST WAY TO JOURNEY RUN
June 21st means I am one year in Latin America, one year since crossing from California to Baja,Mexico 
Total 19,342km for 465 Road days.
Thurs. 21st 54km From km 1,122 Marangani to Santa Rosa, km 1,176. Climbed over a mountain pass 4,393 metres above sea level. Shattered last 3 km today, crawled into town as after descending there was another climb to almost 4,000 m!
Wed 20th From km 1,084 in Tinto to Marangani, km 1,122. 38km today.
Tues 19th. 44 km today finish in Tinta. From km 1,040 in Quiquijana to km 1,084.
Mon 18th. 45km today From km 995 in Oropesa to km 1,040 in Quiquijana
Sun 17th 27km today. From km 968 Cusco to km 995 in Oropesa.
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A couple more good days took me to Huancayo where I took a couple of rest days to catch up on he blog – that was a ten hour rest day in an internet cafe. I also watched my team Leinster become European champions for the third time
I also sent the Heavy Bag onto Arequipa where an English man called Joss and Ana, his Peruvian wife have given me an invite to chill out in a few weeks time.
A couple of days later Joss told me the Heavy Bag arrived. It´s becoming a very effective system, sending on my 20kg supply bag of shoes and spare gear ahead.
Hopefully it will not get lost in the future, I could have two smaller bags going I suppose, but it´s so hard to do everything. I also use it as a backup in case I ever lose or have my atm cards stolen as I usually send at least one of my four cards with it, just in case. Same with my equipment and photo backup - I got spares – I guess one can never be too prepared.
I ran on, sometimes the roads were really bad, jagged rock and gravel. I felt much of that road in my joints. Sharp cluster thorns the same as I encountered in Nebraska get blown onto my shoes, socks and running tights. They are very sharp. I remembered how Nirvana got so many punctures there from them. The solution was a blue gue a tyre shop sprayed into her inner tube.
Here there were days when I had to wade across small streams or make my way across stones at the side. Some days there were as many as a dozen such streams.
Now I was running at a lower altitude, around 3,600 metres. It was cold first thing in the morning and as soon as the sun dipped behind the mountains. Now I am not looking for the shade on the side of the road as I was a month or so ago, at this time of the day I am looking for the warm sun.
Every day is a race to the next hospedaje or hotel. I just can´t contemplate getting caught out with no tent or sleeping bag. That is my decision door to door, the purist way to journey run, with just a 3 kilogramme pack on my back.
Running through a dusty village one day a woman came out of her house and gave me four potatoes.
The Peruvians are wonderful people.
As I run I am always checking where is my next water location. I usually just have one litre extra as it is rarely very far. There is no point in me carrying too much water, after all a litre is about a kilo in weight. Mostly I have more than enough in the two bottles in my hands and whatever I have in my pockets, that´s the plan, pockets to distribute the weight and keep as much off my back.
Next day, a 50km day I get stuck when I finish in a small village called Mantacra. It´s almost dark and there is no place to stay. I get talking to a man and ask if there is a priest. He brings me over to a house.
The pastors name is Isidor. They tell me I can stay with them, I am so relieved but they leave me outside the house talking to about a dozen children. I am giving them English lessons.
ENGLISH LESSONS
It´s really cold and I am very tired but managed to struggle through till I am called inside. There are two women there called Alisa and Albertina. They serve me chicken soup and then a chicken dinner, which for once is delicious and hot.
Alisa and Isidor
We talk for a while before they bring me next door to a shop which has little or no stock. In a corner they have sorted a mattress and blankets for me. It´s about eight o´ clock so I settle down to sleep.
Next morning around five thirty I hear whistles out in the street. I get dressed quickly, a nice early start. I say goodbye to the family and am surprised to see about twenty young boys and girls from the age of about four upwards out running. A middle-aged man is also running and blowing his whistle. They are obviously a running club, the man is their coach.
RUNNING WITH THE CHILDREN.
It was a nice, brisk morning. I ran with the children for about ten minutes till they turned off up a road towards a tunnel.
Next day, May 24th was a tough 57km day. I finished in a village called Anco. On the way a man called Jorge stopped me and gave me four large mandarins and another couple of lads stopped their car and gave me an energy drink, nice people in this area.
GRACIAS JORGE!
In the restaurant I suddenly felt nauseous. My head was swaying from side to side. I felt I had a temperature. I was almost falling into my bowl of soup. After about ten minutes it passed and I felt better, not sure what this was as I am well acclimatised to altitude.
Well if the problem yesterday was due to over doing it, today I ran 65km to finish late in a large town called Huanya. More oranges were fed to me by lads on a scooter, if it wasn’t for these roadside offerings I would not be getting my daily fruit intake as most times I buy junk!
TIGHT SQUEEZ WITH THIS BUS! JUST AS WELL NIRVANA WAS NOT HERE!
I met a German motor biker from Hamburg called Edgar. He says he selects a different part of the world and rides for about three or four months every year.
EDGAR FROM HAMBURG
Says it costs about the same to ship a bike over here as a flight. He was complaining that Spanish speaking people are the only people in the world that don´t speak much English. Motor bikers are not my favourite travellers. I see them almost every day, mostly Germans who rarely even wave as they zoom by. Its easy to spot them in the distance. They stand out from the local bikers as they ride decent bikes, have leathers, helmets and proper pannier boxes. He is also complaining about how far away the hotels are, I tell him to try running to them! On a motorbike one can be out of almost any discomfort zone, almost anywhere in the world in just a couple of day, easy or what? Too easy for ultra runners!
June 20th, 2012 at 8:34 am
tony, another 2 great posts. decent people make such a difference. those bikers don’t know what they’re missing!!!!! take care, kevin
June 20th, 2012 at 10:21 pm
Anotther great read Tony. Glad you eating some fruit. Wonder what was in that energy drink? Looking firward to part 3. Take care Ann:)
June 20th, 2012 at 10:24 pm
Hi Tony. Glad to see you are meeting good people and continuing to enjoy. Wonderful photographs in previous blog. Take care and god bless Mam
x
June 21st, 2012 at 12:36 am
Great blogs and great running Tony. Some going – you are averaging 41.58 kms per running day. That is a marathon a day! Amazing stuff without a support vehicle and especially through such difficult terrain! Mind yourself.
June 21st, 2012 at 1:24 am
Thanks Larry and all for your welcome messages. Yes I am just below the marathon average, about 600mts according to your calculcations. I am running straight for the Bolivia border now. It´s 380km away. I will then make a side trip to my friend Joss and his wife Ana in Arequipa foir a day or two. As you know with my ” Heavy Bag “system there is usually a day or two lost at borders, so I expect to be running in Bolivia in about 2 weeks time. I will take a day out in the border area for a place called Lake Titicca, which are famous floating islands. After that I do not see many rest days. I plan to start ´putting down the boot! ´ and have a short month through Bolivia and into Argentina, which is special for me as they got the best steaks in the world. In 1983 I spent 5 happy months in Argentina and as a result ever since it´s been my favourite country in the world
Argentina also has a very much European mentality, so hopefully a much easier time!
Best wishes to all. Tony
June 21st, 2012 at 7:54 pm
Hey Tony—Germans–figures–I have had many encounters with them on the road–not very pleasurable ones I might add—haha—-stick with the locals!!
cheers and good running–Greg
June 21st, 2012 at 11:40 pm
Incredible! We met Tony one day ago on his run from Cusco upwards the altiplano! We thought that cycling is hard… Respect for Tony. We cannot imagine to run those distances and carrying all (less) you need in such conditiones.
All the best fo you! – Keep on running.
Johanna & Andreas, Germany
June 22nd, 2012 at 12:27 am
Hi all. I have a terrible internet connection and cant do much, cant even get into blog as I wanted to upload photos. Good day today, Thurs. 54km and climbed over a mountain pass almost 4,400 mts above sea level. 38 km yesterday, wed. Total: 19,342km for 465 road days. Finish in Santa Rosa. Today June 21st I am one year in Latin America as I crossed from California to Mexico.
June 22nd, 2012 at 12:32 am
hi tony!!!!
well what can i say…another great read….god speed to you
your friends in newfoundland
stewart and bernie cochrane
pasadena
newfoundland
CANADA
I’M out in buchans newfoundland at present and away from home…getting the field work done with the help of three students….busy times
gotta hit the bunk
stewart
June 22nd, 2012 at 9:23 am
tony, the photos are fantastic. the combination of your words and photos paints a great picture of the world. well done, kevin
June 24th, 2012 at 12:44 pm
Tony
Well done and keep it going.
enjoy your rest with Josh and Ana
Ger
June 24th, 2012 at 9:53 pm
Hi tony, the photos are lovely good to see other cultures, keep running doing a great job, mark
June 24th, 2012 at 9:58 pm
Another great read Tony. Can’t believe the living conditions, very extreme. Be careful of those spikes, the last thing you want is a serious injury. Funny about the children and the lessons! You must have impressed them if they were up at 5.30 to join you! Keep up the good work and make the most of the healthy stuff!! Serena