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The Unforgettable Dream ( Come on Take Me Home – Home Again)

So I settled down that night in a football dressing room they provided at the back of the Iorwerth Arms bar in the Welsh village of Bryngwran . My last night on the road for tomorrow night I will be at my destination Holyhead.

I pulled a piece of plywood which was lying behind a row of chairs, pulled a nail out and propped it up on eight chairs to make a bed.

I slept well, in all about eleven hours rising at eleven am when Phil came by with some tea and Weetabix, then Wyn gave me a sausage breakfast roll. Wonderful people.

So I was off and running about noon, twenty four hours to Dublin, I am in great form running with a spring in my step. For some reason U2′s song The Unforgettable Fire has been ringing loudly in my head these last two days.

My thoughts have the music in the background, like its the final scenes in a movie epilogue, I rename the song and sing The Unforgettable Dream

“ Come on take me away
Come on take me home
Home again

” Walk ’til you run

And don’t look back
For here I am

Carnival

The wheels fly and the colors spin ”

Yes I am rolling now, Is it possible I will ever forget this dream. I have often wondered during some of the glorious, most memorable moments of the run that if, God forbid I ever develop such a cruel condition as dementia or Parkinson’s could I possibly ever forget this run in the future, Sadly I think that is to be expected of such a deliberating condition.

I have decided to finish Wales at the South Stack Lighthouse as it’s further west than Holyhead, so on I run around about twenty stunning inlets and small bays,

In a village called Valley stop at a grocery store and a lad there called Rob tells me he is new to running and how much he enjoys it. He tells me he loves Spain so much and wants to run the coast of Spain, I tell him to go for it. I sit down on his stool and drink my coffee while he tells me I am living his dream.

Up the road I check my smart phone, I get a congratulation email from my friend Jean Beliveau from Quebec who walked 77,000km around the world in 11 years. He stayed in my home for a week. One night when we were talking about his world walk I told him he was living my dream,

Now I am thinking of Rob and how things have changed.

This was Jean’s email:

WOW Tony!!!

Luce and I are so happy about what you have done.

I remember when I was in your home in 2006, you said you are doing my dream… YOU did your genuine dream.

Congrats, Jean.

PS. When you will feel the best time, please Skype me.

So on I run, a man tells me it’s too far to run to South Stack. I tell him I am running around the world, same to a woman who offers me a lift. The reply is always the same.

” Good on ya mate” Not really sure if they ever believe me. What would you think if someone answered you like this?

Eventually I made it to the South Stack lighthouse, down 365 steps to the end of Wales, My final foreign footsteps have been cast…

I look out to the Irish sea and see a mountain. On a clear day perhaps Ireland.

And once again my head explodes in a crescendo of familiar rock music

I hear the unmistakable intro with The Edge on keyboards, that goes on and on, the intro is the constant chorus being repeated over and over these last two days.

Eventually Bono comes into my dream he is singing at full volume,

“Stay…

Stay tonight…

” I’m going home,

I’m going home…

” Home tomorrow….

Home…. I’m going home… I’m going home… “

And the music continues…. On it goes to the beat of…

” I’m going home,

I’m going home…

” Home tomorrow….”

So it went on and on I could hear…

Larry banging away on his drums in his distinctive way. While Adam and the Edge thundering away on bass and lead guitars,

I raise my hands, punch the air…. I am at my final foreign shore, ready for home.

” Ready for Home, Ready for Home

My head is spinning as my thoughts coincide to the words and music of…

” Come on take me away

Come on take me away
Come on take me home
Home again

And if the mountain should crumble
Or disappear into the sea
Not a tear, no not I

Stay in this time
Stay tonight in
Ever after, this love in time
And if you save your love
Save it all

Don’t push me too far
Don’t push me too far
Tonight,

Tonight….

Tonight…..

” Your only rivers run cold
These city lights
They shine as silver and gold
Dug from the night
Your eyes as black as coal “

And then I think of tomorrow in Dublin port

I canter back to Holyhead, I dare not miss that ferry!

Words of the Unforgettable Fire courtesy of Adam Clayton and U2

Press HERE to play The Unforgettable Fire

Please read two new postings below.

This entry was posted on Friday, September 12th, 2014 at 8:21 pm and is filed under jogging. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

4 Responses to “The Unforgettable Dream ( Come on Take Me Home – Home Again)”

Kevin Ryan Says:
September 12th, 2014 at 10:01 pm
Tony, you need to change your title to
Ne Plus Ultrarunner.

Stop the ferry – just thought of the Isle Of Man……
Siobhan Says:
September 12th, 2014 at 11:40 pm
Tony, run for home……………….
Sue Reid Says:
September 13th, 2014 at 5:13 am
Congratulations its been great checking in on your blog to see where you are running. As someone who is around the same age as you it keeps me positive that our dreams are always achievable. Congratulations
Kevin Says:
September 26th, 2014 at 5:56 pm
These final miles must be very emotional Tony.

I often sing (out loud if in wilderness areas) or in my mind if around the public!

Can’t imagine how light yoir legs must be feeling to be back on the Emerald Isle!

I think U2 should be playing at your finish line!

Strong running,

Kevin.

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...