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: 2011-12-30 2012-01-01 Colombia

2011-12-31:

12
Distance today: 0.0 km (Accumulated: 31900.0 km)
Elapsed time: 00:00:00
Country: Colombia

[travel-day 3. towards Cuba: Bogota - El Salvador - Havana, Cuba]. (6km, 32:48min in Bogota, not counting in the world run 2 total as its not "forward distance").

A Tough Year - and a Tougher New Year ?

First of all: HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL RUNNERS & NON-RUNNERS FOLLOWING THE WORLD RUN 2 !!!

IT MEANS A LOT TO ME, AND I CAN SEE THAT WE HAVE JUST PASSED 1MILLION VISITORS :-)

When beeing out on the roads of the different continents for weeks, months, years; you are often alone. In your tent under the stars, in 4-or 5 star hotelrooms, in seedy hostels, in goast-salesman' refuges in North Africa...; when you are not invited to stay at locals' - wich luckily also happens. But no matter where, and perhaps especially while on the longest stages of the run: You who follow me is in my thourghs and it Encourages me that I am not alone in this long run towards the goal.

In tropical rainshowers, in arctic cold, through the desert of the world; over mountain-passes, along oceans, next to rain-forrests - It matters a lot that one is not alone ! I think we as humans understand ourselves mainly through others. And when there is no others, we fail to comprehend who we are ourselves.

One example is when I was running across the Canadian Praries in 2005 during world run 1. In that run I was pusthing a runningstroller w. all my equiptment and with no crew. Out on the 2500km streatch between the Rocky Mointains, through wich I had running company by Peter from Holland, and Winnipeg mid-way across the continent where I met kind canadians-danes Frank & Helle - I was running alone. A two-lane highway and a small village every about 3days. After two months I had lost any clue of what I was doing. I was just running forward pushing my stoller in front of me. The cellphone driven over by a truck 1800km ago and no contact with anyone except the check-in counter at the small windy motels along the road. I was convinced that no-one had any idea where I was or what I was doing. Slowly I convinsed myself that it was a training run, just as all those runs along the lakes and through the deep, green, danish forrests back home. I had lost the idea that I was in fact running around the world and not that far from my finish. Had I been less stubbon, I would just have stopped there and then. Why not, it didnt matter anything !

- This is the difference it makes, that you follow the run. THANK YOU :-))

I can't give you so much back at present, other than Wishing You a Great New Year with lots of Success in the areas wich matters to you !!

... But perhaps a little 'drama' to wake up on after the New Years celebrations:

Because my New Year started just as hard as the old one has been. I got refused bording on the airplane bound for El Salvador and eventually Havana, Cuba. The reason for this I will wait a little with. First a small recapture of the year that went by, seen from the world run:

- Fantastic scenery at the start of the 2. half of world run two, at Punta Arenas at the Southern point of South America, exactly one year ago at 1. January. A rough wilderness, a howling wind, a chilling cold temperature. I Enjoyed it intensely !!! Then running into Argentina, brutally dangerous traffic indifferent to the safety of themselves and others, but friendly people once they were not behind a wheel ;-) Running across the Andes Mountains into Chile; running up-up-up untill peaking at 4km's altitude, an experiense wich is amongst the best in my running-life right up there with the fantastic and lifechanging run across Siberia in 2004 as part of world run one. Then the troubles began: My 4wd. supporcar broke down. I had to buy a new. And find a new support-driver. Then the next support car had to be sold too; it was not allowed across the border to Peru. At the same day my father died. Whom I started running with 29years ago. And as if that was not enouth, my Grandmother died four months later at age 95; a person whom I have learned my travel skills from as well as my determination. A profound loss in my life.

I had my 40year birthday a couple of days after my fathers death, at the shore of Lake Titicaca - an almost magical experience reminding me of Lake Baikal in Russia. Amazing. Then a very short visit to Denmark to attend my fathers funeral on the other side of the world, and the day before that to honour all our run's together by organizing a marathon race for runner-friends around the lake at my hometown where we so many times had jogged by at our morning runs. Hastily back to Peru and resume the world run 2. Then a new supportdriver, and new problems: he was robbed at gunpoint just North of Lima while waiting for me and the visiting runner and by-then girlfriend Sarah Barnett from Australia to run up to the supportcar. Then a new support-driver. And entering Equador, and another highlight: Reino from Finland visited and ran with me for nearly one month bringing me not only financial sponsorship via his number of companies, but far more important - by showing excellent understanding of the world run and the state of tiredness I am in after the km's and not neast the year running through Africa wich left me diminished by two operations during the run and infections, malaria etc. But by understanding and accepting that I was struggeling even to do a normal stage and not just leaving me behind (wich is easy when a 'fresh' runner visits the run) - I picked up strength and motivation and eventually towards the end of his visit actually had picked up distance and pace to nearly the best level so far in the run, despite that I at the same time passed the 30 000km mark. THANK YOU Reino or in finland language: KIITOS :-))

From there on the momentum more or less held all the way through Colombia to the finishing 92km stage to Punto Bolivar at the Northern tip of South America. And this long continent of the run was suddenly completed ! A lonely experience since the Northern tip is very sparsely populated, and surprisinly not a single word from the main sponsor - but such is professional sport and I accept that and take joy in the support from friends and followers of the run :-) !

But now to the drama:

After the finish of South America I had planned a run across Cuba, from the South-Eastern coast to Havana in the North-West, as a "bonus" before beginning the run across the last continent, North America.

- This was not to happen. And I found myself in a desperate situation where I had pushed' all I could to reach the finish of the continent 3 days ago, the last months running on the energy of knowing that I had 5days of holiday/rest once I arrived on Cuba, before starting the run across the island. For five days not needing to pack and un-pack each day, not wash the running clothes, organize the logistics for the road ahead, keep contact to sponsors and local authorities, negotiate with the support-driver. I was thirsting for a little break after one more year and one more continent run across.

The airplane ticket was bourght, the hotel in Havana booked and paid. But at 4:30am. in the night I was refused to enter the airplane at Bogota airport during final check-in ! Cuban authorities had denied that I could enter Cuba, in what looks to be a lack of understanding how a run like this could be possible. And without the accept from the eventual arrival airport at Cuba - I was not allowed to enter the airplane in Colombia. Deep in the night, tired to the bones, I was left in the departure hall. More disappointed than I can explain.

To make it almost ridiculous - and I dont blame those who thinks one cant be that unlucky (I couldnt fathom it myself at first): My creditcards were not functioning in Bogota; my bank in Denmark had temporary closed them !!! Not because of over-use, I have not had an 'overdraw' since I was 19y.o. and living-the-life as skii-guide while studing law at Copenhagen Univercity outside the skiiing season ;-) No, the problem was that they feared credit card fraud in Bogota. So, no money to withdraw untill I had exited Bogota. Wich I ofcourse couldnt due to Cuba's refusal of entry. A geographical stale mate !

- Ok, then I had to think quick and get to the next proper streatch of the run after the "bonus" on Cuba had failed to be possible: USA. From Key West at the most Southern point of America to the Canadian border in North.

NO !

I could not get a valid entry into the USA, since I didnt have an "onward ticket" out of the USA afterwards wich is required. Obviously I dont have such an onward ticket because I am planning to run to Canada. Not fly or in other ways 'skipping' distances. That is the situation now, I dont have cash from the creditcards, I dont have entry into Cuba, the tickets to the airplane to Cuba is lost, the visa to USA appears to be far away. It could not have come at a worse time. As if you think you have won a round in a long boxing match - just to get knocked out by the referee as you go to your corner to rest before the next round ! Hopeless is not a word I use much, but I can guarantee that after 3 continents and with 32 000km in the legs. There is no more energy now. I must depend on that this situation gets solved somehow. I will put in my best effort and problem-solving, but the energy isnt there, its used up. The positive is... That my family, what is left after my father and grandmother died this year, is doing a HUGE work to try to find a way to proceed with the run.

And that is a beautifull example of how you can depend on your family when all else fails :-)) A HUGE THANK YOU TO THEM !!!

To point out another positive' in the middle of this nearly-hopeless situation, I was thinking back on what the absolute highlights were of running across this continent:

www.worldrun.org/report_day.php?day=2011-04-08
(Running at 4km's altitude between Argentina & Chile)

www.worldrun.org/report_day.php?day=2011-10-13
&
www.worldrun.org/report_day.php?day=2011-10-15
(in 3 days running through 4 climate-zones, Equador)

- I think the pictures alone explains why those are life-time experienses :-)))