Irish man wanting to run 3000km through outback on his own

Pisco Sour

Some of you may be aware that Tony Mangan is about a year and a half into a 4 year journey where he wishes to become the first person to run around the world. He started in Dublin in late 2010 and is now in Peru.

http://www.theworldjog.com/blog/

Crazy endeavor but fair play to him. However for his Australian leg of his journey, probably in 12 months time. He plans to (after running through Tassie, and then up the East Coast from Melbourne) run 3000km through the outback from Rockhampton to Darwin, ON HIS OWN!!! :eek: He has no support vehicle and personnel, and plans to run through this unforgiving vast landscape with limited supplies on his back and camp during the nights.

Am I the only one who thinks that this is utterly stupid and will only end in distaster?

Cookie_Monster

Pisco Sour wrote: »

Am I the only one who thinks that this is utterly stupid and will only end in distaster?

I dunno, once planned carefully and properly why should it be. Only 20 days or so if you cover 50km a day*, should be do-able. Of course I would assume he at least has the sense to carry a sat phone if something does go wrong.
I would figure running through certain African or South American countries would be far far more dangerous simply because people will rob and kill you.

or more correctly 60 days, d'oh

Pisco Sour

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

I dunno, once planned carefully and properly why should it be. Only 20 days or so if you cover 50km a day, should be do-able. Of course I would assume he at least has the sense to carry a sat phone if something does go wrong.
I would figure running through certain African or South American countries would be far far more dangerous simply because people will rob and kill you.

Because of the heat? Lack of shelter? 200k between roadhouses to restock? The lack of roadside assistance that he will have? He's doing the whole thing on a shoestring. He wont be able to afford a satelite phone (though not needed as he will be running on the main highway), and certainly wont have the money to hire a team of personnel and a fully equipped air conditioned vehicle to help him through what will probably be 3 months running through pure nothing!

Not 20 days. More like 60 days if you do 50k a day, which will not happen in that heat. He could run at night but then runs the risk of clashing with Kangaroos going full throttle.

The Aussie

Australia has been crossed many times before from North to South and East to West on foot from walkers, runners and even a bloke who dragged a Cross (i think it he dragged it up the Eastern Seaboard), i would be timing it though, could not even imagine what sort of hell it would be in Summer
Good luck to him though, beats hanging around Bondi/St Kilda.

iwsf

well prepared it is feasible i guess but you need to be mad to do it !
How will he manage with the heat and how will he carry water ?
I saw lads cycling the Nullarbor but crossing Australia running .

Anyway good luck to him