Just One More Big Country To Be Run!
May 11 and I am annoyed with myself for stopping at only 40km yesterday just because I found a decent truck stop. I should have known there was another one ten km further down the road. So I run nice and steady through some picturesque valleys with some small climbs and a mountain pass called Tepebasi Gecidi altitude 2,057 metres. I checked the sign with my smartphone altimeter app which read 2,044 metres, just 13 metres out, I wonder which is correct. Also temperature 12 degrees C. Humidity 66%.
The grass is very green here, obviously from all the rain. I wonder about not seeing many motorcycles and later a man tells me motorcycling is not too popular because of the climate, rain and snow in the winter. Still I am surprised as petrol is almost two euro a litre which is eight times the cost in oil rich Iran. I guess that is one reason Turkey is far more expensive, along with high inflation.
I had many long stops that day but was determined to post a decent distance- so with some nice steady running and lots of time I churned out 54 kilometers
This took me to a village called Caykoy.
I headed for the mosque which was locked.
Some men were sitting in the garden drinking tea. Nobody knew who the key holder was and after a bit of discussion I was invited back to a sort of community house owned by Adam and his brother Bilal.
In all there were seven lads there and I was delighted when they gave me a plate of pasta and mince meat, not to mention about five teas!
Though they were all in their twenties or thirties and farmers, strangely only one was married.
They all left after we had a chat lasting about an hour. One of the men called Bunok spoke decent English which is rare in village Turkey. Bunok wants to study business in some big university in Istanbul. So I had the house to myself that night and had to promise I wouldn’t leave early before breakfast next morning. Not much chance of that I thought as getting up early and spending too long over breakfast are both big problems for me!
I continue my run west through Turkey with my eyes focused on Istanbul. Oh how great it will be to get there when I can at last ease up. This is my last big effort of the run as I feel I am nicely positioned. Technically behind but so too is a sub four minute miler going into the bell lap. And I am running the world in negative splits 
Before Erzurum I start to see trucks.from Europe, Holland,Hungary and Greece. Surely they are destined for a location near the Iranian border. Are they going to be dropped there and then a Turkish or Iranian truck can hook the trailer up and finish the run. Or are they going to one of the so called ‘ Stan ‘ countries. Are the sanctions against Iran a farce I wondered again. I did not see much depression or hardship in Iran, the contrary Iran could have been a central European country, a country with electric lights in the desert parking rest areas, light years away, sic! from India and even Turkey. In my mind Iran is a first world country.
I took the bypass avoiding running through the big city Erzurum and continued running along these beautiful mountain roads.
Now I am out of the far east I am seeing a different Turkey, a beautiful country with beautiful mountains and rivers. Only shame is they don’t do picnic areas.
On I ran for another three days, loving what I saw, sometimes I was reminded of Colorado, this surely is the prettiest I have seen since I ran through my former home state in the Rockies three years ago.
I enjoyed it so much and got into a wonderful thoughtful zone that it blocked out my tiredness.
and followed up by running another beautiful 49 and a 47. I continue sleeping in mosques and restaurants. Sometimes there is nobody in the mosque and for privacy just go upstairs to the women’s pray area. I never see women. Just men. Like everything else even prayer is male dominated, the women presumably stay at home to pray. Occasionally there is a service at about 4 or 5 am. I am woken up to the wailing sound of Shane McGowan looking for his dentures. I just snuggle up in my sleeping bag.
One day I stopped at a petrol station and the attendant asked me many questions on his laptop Google translate page. So I just opened up this site and clicked on the sites Turkish translate. So he read the last posting, laughing at my description of the Turkish government being a democracy with military rules, just like Myanmar/Burma. I asked him if it was true, Yes he nodded.
I see Turkish Gendarmerie on the road, they drive what look to me like armoured cars. Am not sure if they are military police. I will find out.
It seems shorter to run through Erzincan than take the bypass. The city has a population of 90,000, so I will run through in the morning.
One of these thoughtful zones I got into I wondered about the end of the run, Yes its starring to sink in, soon my baby will be gone, my dream but just a happy memory.
I am running through my last big country of the run, Turkey about 2,000 kilometres long.
We don’t have any big countries in Europe well except for Finland,Sweden and Norway. They must each be just as long from north to south as Turkey is. The three of them together about the same size as Chile.
Yes I want to run another big country…. But where.
I decided I want to run a full lap of Ireland about 1,500 or 1,600 km in six weeks starting from the ferry port in Dublin on September 13th. I plan to run north to Belfast, Larne, Malin Head Galway, Mizzen Head, Cork, Kilkenny, Waterford, Wexford, Sally Gap and many places in between. I ran about 365 kilometres in Ireland at the start of this run so this will put Ireland up with the big boys, where we belong, so proud to be Irish the more I travel.
Details are being worked out.
I know one runner has run a lap of Ireland. His name Alan Corcoran from the great running county of Waterford. I hope Alan and other runners around Ireland can come out and push this old plow horse on towards Dublin, the marathon and October 27th my date with the end of the world.
This means I plan to run from Dover to Holyhead a distance of 530 kilometers in the south of England and Wales. I unfortunately will not be running in the north of England or Scotland, sorry
Can’t wait! Four months and I am back running on Irish soil
Today May 14 I ran 51km total 43,853km for 998 road days.
See you soon in my new millennium. Actually two millennium’s in about three days :)
May 15th, 2014 at 5:37 am
Good Man Tony, It’s great to see progress across Turkey. Again congrats. And inspiring to hear of plans to run Ireland towards the conclusion of the most daring expedition of the millennium. Well done well done.
May 15th, 2014 at 8:21 am
great news tony. i hope they find mcgowan’s dentures soon…………..sounds like you are enjoying the last push through the lovely countryside. well done. kevin
May 15th, 2014 at 9:22 pm
great progress again tony,what will you do when your ambition is achieved? continued success on on your run, regards john
May 16th, 2014 at 12:16 am
On the home stretch Tony, keep on running and good luck today in 1000 road days take care Ann -:)
May 16th, 2014 at 12:02 pm
Keep up the great work Tony. 1000 road days and on the home stretch! Look after yourself! Gary
May 16th, 2014 at 12:07 pm
Hey Tony, spot doesn’t seem to be working today on road day 1000, but I’m sure you are running. What an amazing achievement. Only one big country left
Ireland
Sinne Fianna Fáil atá fé gheall ag Éirinn
shin-na fee-in-na fall, a-thaw fay yeol egg erin
Buion dár slua thar toinn do ráinig chugainn
bween dar slew, harr thin the raw ne gooin
Fémhóid bheith saor. Seantír ár sinsir feasta
Fway vawid veh sair, shawn-tier awr shinshir fasta
Ní fhagfar fé’n tiorán ná fé’n tráil
nee-owg fur fay teer-awn naw feign trawl
Anocht a théam sa bhearna bhaoil,
an nocht a hame saw varna vwail
Le gean ar Ghaeil chun báis nó saoil
lay gown owr gwale cunn boss no sale
Le guna screach fé lámhach na bpiléar,
le gunna sh-rake fay law buck naw bell air
Seo libh, canaídh Amhrán na bhFiann.
shull liv con-ig arawn naveen
Congratulations and well done Ann -:) Ta tu ag teacht abhaile
May 16th, 2014 at 12:09 pm
Congratulations Tony on 1000 road days, we are so proud of you and looking forward to having you back on Irish soil soon for your lap around Ireland. Take care and god bless mam -:)
May 16th, 2014 at 4:48 pm
Congratulations tony on reaching 1,000 road days a great achievement ! Keep going great that
There is just one more big country left until you finish , keep running , mark
May 16th, 2014 at 8:20 pm
congrats on milestone of 1000 road days
May 16th, 2014 at 8:22 pm
ONE THOUSAND ROAD DAYS!!! You machine you!!! Keep it up!! Keep the show on the road!! Almost on the home run!! Congratulations!! Have a celebration and a decent dinner tonight!!
May 16th, 2014 at 8:32 pm
Tony—wow 1000—-seemed so far off a couple of years ago when you crossed the US—-Love your idea of a tour of Ireland–If my old legs could stand it I would come along and run with you–but alas, age is getting the better of them and those kind of miles/kms aren’t possible anymore—-maybe a bicycle to follow you on??? hmmm now that is an idea!!—
Anyway–sounds like things are moving smoothly–and soon you will cross the Bosphorous and be in Europe–on the homeward bound leg—-very exciting—
OK man–good running–Greg
May 27th, 2014 at 4:50 pm
We all here in Nayarit México, seeking the extraordinary achieve of Tony with his 1000 days and 1000 marathons.
Tony you are printing your name forever in the Worldwide records ever done for an Human on earth.
Specially today such very near the finish line……god blest your steps.
We are sharing your dream.
Regards
Andrés Montero Flores & Family
Ahuacatlán Nayarit; México