Man to start around-the-world run on NYE

As revellers are cracking open the bubbly this New Year’s Eve, Tom Denniss will be running.

And he won’t stop for two years.

On Saturday, Denniss kicks off the first leg of a 29,000km around-the-world ultra-marathon, an attempt to set a new Guinness World Record for circumnavigating the globe on foot.

That means running the equivalent of 700 marathons in about 700 days, across every continent except Antarctica, through deserts, mountains and snow.

But the 50-year-old Sydneysider says it’s no sweat.

“It’s not as hard as a lot of people think.

“As long as you go slowly you’re OK. It’s when you try to go fast, that’s when it’s hard on the body.

“But it is the thing most outside my comfort zone that I’ve ever attempted before.”

Denniss has been clocking up around 25km per day over the past year to prepare for the journey, and just completed a run from Melbourne to Sydney to get a taste of the slog ahead.

“It’s a fair bit longer than that, but once you slot into a groove, I’m OK,” he says.

“Still, it’s one thing to run for a few weeks but after a few months or even a year or so, that’ll be the test.

“You’ve got to get up and confront that 40 or 50km, even if it’s freezing or raining, but I guess that’s what I’m in for.”

Denniss says the journey will not only be a physical and mental test but a chance to see natural wonders like the Andes, Grand Canyon and the Nullabor.

“It’s certainly going to be a nice way to see the world.”

Under rules set by the Guinness World Records a successful human-powered circumnavigation means travelling the distance of the Tropic of Cancer, crossing the Equator, and ensuring each leg of the journey starts right where the last finished off.

Denniss, who is raising funds for Oxfam along the way, says planning has been crucial.

“Through Death Valley and Monument Valley (in the US) it will be the spring time so it shouldn’t be too hot or too cold,” he says.

“When I get over the Andes I need to make sure that the passes are open after the Winter snows.

“And I’d rather not be anywhere too cold in the middle of winter, like northern Europe.”

Despite the gruelling schedule, Denniss is confident he’ll have time to relax with a beer or two.

“It’s all good fuel, but it’s probably not going to be wise to overdo it,” he says.

Views: 0

You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

Leave a Reply

Powered by WordPress | Designed by: Premium WordPress Themes | Thanks to Themes Gallery, Bromoney and Wordpress Themes