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: 2012-06-29 2012-07-01 Canada

2012-06-30:

8
Distance today: 24.0 km (Accumulated: 35938.0 km)
Elapsed time: 02:21:10
Country: Canada

Start 10:30am., 17c, overcast & no wind, at km-marker "267" on TransCanadian Highway 104. Finish 13:10pm., 25c, cloudy and light wind, at green county sign "Kingsville", near km-marker "14" on TransCanadian Highway 105.

Last part of the continent, now behind !

After about 10km of the run today I reached a small bridge. It marked the end of the North American continent on the route of this second world run. From here on there are two islands left; Cape Bretton wich I am currently running on and New Foundland wich awaits in a few days.

The km's left stands at almost exactly 1000km - and the energy left in the body stands at almost exactly 0 (zero) ;-)

Even though there are ofcouse always "something" left in the body, and if one thing then the sport of ultrarunning proves this each time, then I have to say that I am a bit concearned. 1000km may seem like a 'drop in the water' compared to the totality of the run, but at the state of fatigue which I have been in the last 1500km its a drop that feels like an ocean.

There are though in any situation positives to focus on, and at this moment especially encouraging that one of the regular runners in world run two, Reino from Finland, who has visited and run with me in as different places as Mozambique in Africa and Colombia in South America plans to arrive shortly and join by 2. July.

Not only does that mean running company, which I think will have a huge impact on the daily motivation, but this also means supplies of items that it has proven difficult ot find in these remote streatches: new runningshoes and not least a replecement for the gps-unit and gps-phone that has malfunctioned for a week now. The least thing not to be underestimated, since its at the core of doing an extreme ultra-run like this - to do it documented and correct all the way. Often during the run I am in contact w. other continent-ultrarunners, and besides logistics we discuss the developments in the sport in ways of keeping it "clean" of shortcutting and people who has perhaps a little gap between the claims and whats in reality has been run. So it bothers me bigtime, to put it diplomaticly ;-), that I myself has found the documentation lacking during the last days. Its nice with the daily documentation pictures, logbook etc. But the only 100% method remains gps-logging of each running step of the way.

So also in this reguard I hope it will give a boost to the fighting spirit once I meet up with Reino in two days from now and can take the new equiptment in use.

Also it makes a big difference with the encouragement by emails etc. I am slightly surprised that people still follow the run with such entusiasm - and it means that I have one more way of motivating myself here when 'hanging on by the nails' the last bit. Perhaps it sounds strange: but one of the psycological/motivational effects of doing these runs for a very extended time is that one little by little looses the overview of the project and the entire run. The same happened a good year into the first world run I did; it became difficult to distinguish the stages from running normal training sessions at home. Ofcourse beeing dramaticly more tired than I ever would be at a training run at home, or even at an ultra-competetion when it comes to the last part of the wr's, but even though logic suggests that the run become more important the longer you arrive into it - then the opposite effect builds up: The longer you get into it, the less it seems to matter seen from your own viewpoint. When it comes to this, it is a little difficult to explain, because its ofcourse not an usual situation most runners find themselves in, but it is as if you were running the last km's on a marathon (each day for a month or so towards the finish ;-) but while you are struggeling physically with that type of fatigue - then motivationally you cant distinguish it from doing a 3km training run at home. And, thus it becomes increasingly difficult to push' yourself through the daily stages since they do not seem to matter.

Well; I hope it offers a little glimpse into the battle that is going on at the moment.

One more positive thing beeing that the nature grows more wild and fascinating almost for each step now; but inside... I long for the return to Scandinavia for each step too, its now been a very very long time since I was home :-)

NB: The pictures & reports from the last week will be uploaded in the next few hours !