WHERE TO FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE WORLD
Hola!
2012 was a tough year on the run with a disappointing total of around 11,000 kilometres run.
This was mainly due to my two timeouts (including this upcoming one) averaging about a month each. Also a week off in Peru. Not to mention a crucifying 7,000km and seven months in the Andes mountains with no support vehicle!
The reason for my last timeout was personal as is this one. I am fighting very hard to keep the focus on the run but it has not been easy. My close friends will know exactly what I am talking about. It has been a traumatic year in my personal life, the most difficult year of my whole life. I have kept all this off the blog. I even considered cutting a year off the run to finish in October 2013.
In order to achieve this I had considered cutting off the bottom half of South America and heading from Northern Argentina to the Chilean coast, skipping Oceania and starting Asia in Shanghai, China. I even have (a now expired) Chinese 3 month visa in my passport. Eventually I decided to return to my original plan and the original route, to run around the world the way I had dreamt of running it.
I am very tired now and need a rest with my family. I will spend Christmas and the New Years period in Dublin. I expect this to be my last timeout. Perhaps when I get to Europe a long weekend Ryan Air flight might prove to be irrestible. It takes an average of an additional week total to get to and from my route for these timeouts. Christmas 2013 I expect to spend in China, in the Gobi Desert. I need to ‘ get the finger out ‘ as we say in Ireland or perhaps even the leg out in my case and get some serious running done or I will be in danger of missing my dream finish with the finish line of the Dublin marathon on October 27th 2014.
So the plan is Thursday 13th December I fly from Ushuaia with Nirvana to Buenos Aires and stay with my great friends John and Clara Boyle who have helped me so much here.
Saturday 15th I fly with Nirvana from Buenos Aires to San Diego, California and arrive on Sunday morning. I will stay there one night also by kind invitation by my other great friends Roger and Cindy Darrieulat . I will leave Nirvana with them. I will then take a return flight to Dublin on 17th arriving on the 18th. I will return to San Diego on 3rd January 2013. I have vivid memories of the very steep hill up to their house in El Cajon. In the Andes many times I said that such and such a hill was as tough as Roger and Cindys hill!
San Diego was chosen for a couple of reasons – one being that I did not want to drag Nirvana across the Atlantic twice and needed a place to park her. It would have been much easier for me to fly one way from Buenos Aires to Dublin and then another one way flight from Dublin to Fiji or forget Fiji and just fly from Dublin to Auckland, New Zealand. Had I done that I would have not travelled across the Pacific Ocean and continued on in a western direction around the world. I would have been travelling in the opposite eastern direction. That was not within my criteria.
Another reason for choosing San Diego was because it is substantially cheaper to fly from North America to Fiji than it is from Argentina and then cheaper again for the timeout in Dublin.
On Jan 5th I fly from San Diego to Nani, Fiji arriving early on the 7th. One day travelling and one day extra as I will be travelling over the international date line. I did a real Phillias Fogg on this one and forgot about these two days as I had planned on 10 days in Fiji and now only get 8!
I even wondered if I would be the first runner to run across the island till my buddy Ash from Runways in Dublin emailed me to say Fiji in January will be unbearably hot, at least it was for his run across the island many years ago 
January 15th I take the short flight from Nadi, Fiji to Auckland arriving around lunchtime.
After that I plan on 6/7 weeks total for both islands in New Zealand before arriving on the Australian island of Tasmania around beginning of March and then onto the mainland in Melbourne around St. Patrick’s Day.
Some Stats:
North America = 14,024km run
South America = 10,742km in 276 road days.
Americas = 24,766km
Plus 377km run in Ireland
Total to date: 25,143km for 596 road days
December 12th, 2012 at 1:39 am
Good update with all your future plans Tony. Enjoy the break from running for a few days. See you soon
Ann
December 12th, 2012 at 10:20 am
tony, the update is great. even in these tough times you have shown savage determination and strength to keep going as planned. i am sure you will enjoy the break with your family. maybe we will see you over the christmas. kevin
December 12th, 2012 at 8:31 pm
hello tony…i have a contact for you in AUSTRALIA
please e-mail me bscochrane@gmail.com
many congrats on this a mazing feat so far
merry christmas
your friends in newfoundland
canada
stewart and bernie cochrane
December 14th, 2012 at 8:50 pm
Tony well done
First half of the world run completed.Followed all your blogs on your adventure.Enjoy the brake and recharge the batteries (and back up batteries) for the Mind is just as important as the Body.
When you return and cross the international date line you are starting Your Run Home.
December 15th, 2012 at 2:00 am
Come on amigo… great work in the Americas… now you have to face the next challenge… abrazo from Mazatlán, México
December 15th, 2012 at 2:36 am
Thank you Ivan, Stewart and all who helped me in every way along the way, you played your part
December 17th, 2012 at 4:45 am
Hi All. Sunday night in San Diego with my great friends Roger and Cindy, had a lovely night and also a nice time with John and Clara in BA. Tomorrow 17th I fly to Dublin and arrive Tues morning. Talk soon Tony
December 17th, 2012 at 1:50 pm
Tony – Have a good break and good luck for 2013. Half way there!
December 18th, 2012 at 7:23 am
Welcome home Tony for Christmas 2012 Mam
December 23rd, 2012 at 1:43 am
HeyTony—bet you are relaxing well in good old Dublin right now. What a couple of years this has been—an amazing achievement!!! truly amazing!!!
Glad that you have finally sussed everything out regarding the rest of the trip–looks like a good route—but I will be sad to see you leaving the Americas. Seems just a short time ago that we shared time in Sedona—and now you are headed to other continents. Yea, I know, with internet and communications the way they are now, you are as close as ever—will still seem a little different knowing you are geographically much further away—-anyway–keep your eye on the prize—you will grab it, of that I am sure—-
Merry Christmas, and may 2013 be one of many many miles, and good health to go along with them
cheers Greg
December 25th, 2012 at 7:04 pm
tony, happy christmas. kevin
December 28th, 2012 at 8:46 pm
Hi Tony,
It was great to meet you on the road to Ushuaia! We are travelling back up the R3 now and it is still windy! I bet you are glad it is a distant memory
Enjoy your Christmas at home with family and Good Luck for the next step of the adventure.
Nollaig & Josh
December 28th, 2012 at 9:06 pm
Hi Nollaig! Lovely to hear from you and Josh! Yes I am having nice Christmas back home and looking forward to the restart in Fiji in about 10 days or so, Can hardly wait
It is nice and mild in Ireland! I hope you had a great time on Antarctica? BTW, I passed on your kind donation to Aware, thank you. Happy New year and travelling, Keep in touch Tony