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: 2012-05-02 2012-05-04 Usa

2012-05-03:

14
Distance today: 21.0 km (Accumulated: 34814.0 km)
Elapsed time: 01:55:33
Country: Usa

Start 12:00, 11c, light rain & light wind, at cross of Kimball Rd. & hwy.16 in Boston. Finish 14:40pm., 11c, overcast & same, at "Red Roof Inn" on hwy.1, just North of Boston, 1km after mile-marker "56".

Change of scenario !

Today I ran through Boston; one of Usa's oldest cities with a history dating back to puritan settelers from the U.K. in 1630.

Yet I didnt have much time to ponder its history, take in the landmarks or dwell on the city's rich marathon-history wich is welknown by nearly all marathon runners I suspect ! My mind was elsewhere:

As you have been able to read in the last few reports there has been some problems w. the logistics of the support-car sponsorship and today I had to come to a very difficult decition: Eighter I continued to devote myself to the problems w. missed drop- & pickup of veichles, or I focused on the run. Ultimately ofcourse there is only one way that choice could be made; I had to say Thank You for an excellent sponsorship from Kew West to Boston with the enviromentally green hybrid car, Toyota Prius, and continue on my own.

Besides the time and confusion spend on trying to make the car-exchanges along the route (one dealership covering one streatch up to the next) then also there were some concearn about what would happen once at the Canadian border. That is one place it would be even more difficult to be stranded, without certainty reg. the support-veichle.

Certainly, it also was a matter of economy: My finances are nearly spend, and if I go further into my private savings I will have a very difficult situation once I hopefully return to Scandinavia after the finish in New Foundland. The expenses on the streatch from Washington D.C. to Boston, especially on accondation for me and my support-driver, had simply cost more than I usually would spend on 5-6 months of running. For example having to stay in a tent in Flushing Meadows Park the last few days before the 6day race in New York to save expenses. And to run forward - knowing that there is going to be even more trouble once the finish line is reached - is simply not a way to do a run of this scale.

So, I made the painfull decition to send my good support-driver Andrew back to Virginia, by train, and prepare myself for the last 2500km's. With a backpack.

Wether its doable or not, I wonder. Its certainly not ideal to run with 10-15kg especially after the 6day race or with 4 continents 'in the legs'. But I will give it a try. At this moment its a daunting task in itself to pack the essentials into the backpack wich you see in the top left corner on the picture at the frontpage...

On a little bit larger scale; its a chilling scenario with the highways ahead and trying to make it running from one motel to the next - most likely I wont have room to carry the tent, sleepingbag and groundcover. Though I will pack an emergency bivuark for worst case scenarios. But I hope the courage will come. I will take tomorrow off' to pack properly and consider exactly what items I cant do without, the rest is left behind in the hotelroom. Still, to be honest I could have done the packing tonight and continued in the morning. In all honesty the restday mostly is to get the guts in place' before the push North..

But as with all things its possible to see the good sides too: The economy will be considerably better; I will have a very intersting challenge (and I thrive by challenges, in case you havent noticed ;-); the run will be as "green" as it can possibly be - and I will only have myself to blame if I cant make it; and only myself to urge to Please try with every strain of energy that is left.

A part from this; what better way to remember the original purist' settelers of Boston ? Running doesnt get much more pure than this: a runner, a world, and a backpack !