World Run II / Reports

The map shows the position of which the pictures for the day are taken (if any). The start and finish markers are placed at the first and last valid registered position. This is not nessesary the actual start and finish position, if GSM or GPS signals was not available.

Goto: 2011-07-01 2011-07-03 Peru

2011-07-02:

23
Distance today: 0.0 km (Accumulated: 26785.0 km)
Elapsed time: 00:00:00
Country: Peru

[birthday at Lake Titicaca, Peru].

40 :-)

First of all THANK YOU for all the birthday greetings wich came pouring in since midnight from many corners of the world - each of them touching me and making me aware that even when 'alone' out on some distant runningroad, highway, desert, mountainpass or jungle - there is friends keeping track !! And that is a very important part of why I feel safe while doing these runs :-)

It is a tradition especially among ultrarunners that we like to run our birthday in km's or miles - for example: if you are getting 65years old; you run 65km on your birthday (and I know runners, for example my now deceased friend Jurgen Ankenbrand from California who in his older years would spend the entire day, from early morning to near-midnight, shuffeling his age in miles at Huntington Beach !!).

But, as you can see, that is not my choice. I will go for a small enjoyable 10km jogg along the beautifull Lake Titicaca later today. To me birthdays are very symbolic and contrary to what many people might expect, there is much much more in my life than running; a 10km would be appropriate as it will be enoyable yet not take up all time :-))

It may sound surprising, when running now the 2.time around our world, but to me running must as much as possible always be an enjoyable thing and not something one 'tortures' oneself through. I guess, that may be the reason why I have been successfull in those runs ! There is a saying that "training is 90% hard work and 10% joy" - to me its always been a priciple and a focus of mine that my training and competetions are "90% joy and 10% struggeling"; and is has been so for nearly 30years of longdistance running now :-)

When looking back, the running certainly plays a big role. But its often just as much a method to achieve other things too: The thrill of competing to see how much one can improve, how much absolute focus can bring one further, the thrill of the world runs to see how far will power (the old stubbon viking way ;-) can take one across the continents - not very high-tech, not with special diets except for lots of chocolate each day, not with pills, painkillers and what-not that the medical industry can tempt with; but with a lot of joy in the running, even when I may at the same time complain strongly (just look at the archives of world run one and two..). But also, running has become a strong tool for me to experiense the world, its cultures and my sourroundings in a very intense way.

And the result of this and all the running actually comes as quite a surprise !

When I was a young kid, I enjoyed reading books, often books about philosphy but also about the classical explorers and the adventures, cultures and natural wonders of the world. But I never for a second expected to myself be part of that style of life; growing up in a very small and very secure Scandinavian contry I was certain that I would have a quiet life, mostly within the boundaries of europe and a safe business carrer. Ceartainly, I was already running by then and preparing to run my first marathon as a young teenager. But it would have sounded more than just unlikely if I had know half of the adventures of the world runs or 28years of competetive running.

When I grew up it was just about the time where european runners stopped dominating in longdistance running, after earlier in the 1900 the Finland runners and later the english, italian, portuges and spanish runners had been olympic winners. So I knew without a doubt that there was no use to even in a glimse consider living from my sport ! An unbelievable leap to now having spend the last around 8 years as fulltime 'professional' (though I never look at running as work -the day I do that is the day its time to stop !!) in a sport that is still nearly fully an amateur sport. And, its one of the qualities in ultrarunning that I cherish the most; that there is no "stars" like in the top sports - basically we are all the same runners up against nearly un-thinkable odds; and therefore much more brothers in arms' than competitors :-)

One of the books I enjoyed reading most back then, and a book which somehow has kept showing up in my life is one called "The Adventure is Still Alive" / "Endnu Lever Eventyret" in danish - a collection of the adventures of culture and nature across the globe. I have to admit I would never ever had expected to seek up those adventures myself or be part of them. But life surprises us and despite that its sure has been hard challenges at times: not least lately when my father died right as I was struggeling the most with the 2. world run in South America, or when running across Siberia as the first person in 2004, or struggeling along with malaria and two operations in East Africa in 2008-2010 tempted to 'quit' nearly each step of the last 7000km - when it all adds up I have got more than I would have dared to dream of. So, I will do someting unusual today: try to be a little gratefull :-))

To be honest I have been and am, surprised that people want to pay to hear the lectures of the world runs back home - a runner with too many km's on 'the engine' and some tall stories; and that companies 'knock on the door' to discuss sponsorships. Its a priveleague to live this life - but, its a life that is only possible because of all those people who sees someting in it - someting that I cant always glimse myself !

In the pictures from today I have tried to give a little impression of the Lake Titicaca; and in the last picture - taking in the Inca culture, literally !

Thanks again for all the birthday wishes; they reach me strongly up here at the Lake and make me very eager to push on strong, when I have been at a fast visit home to the funeral and returned to the route.