Irishman Runs Seven Marathons on Seven Continents, in Six Days

by Kraig Becker on

Irish endurance runner Richard Donovan completed an impressive series of runs a few days back when he completed his seventh marathon in just six days. Even more impressive than that however, is that each of those marathons was run on a different continent.

The World Marathon Challenge got underway on January 31st when Donvan ran a marathon in Antarctica, covering the 26.2 miles n 4 hours, 39 minutes, 29 seconds in temperatures hovering around 0º Fahrenheit. Upon completing that race, he immediately hopped on a plane and flew to Cape Town, for his second run on the same day. From there, it was on to Dubai, where the temperatures soared dramatically, but Richard completed his third marathon in two days on the 1st of February.

The next destination was London, where the city was experiencing its worst snowfall in years, but Donvan pushed through, and logged his 26.2 miles, at three in the morning no less, before jetting off to Toronto, for yet another marathon. He completed the South American leg of his challenge by running a marathon in Santiago, Chile. The last of his runs took place in Sydney, Australia on Thursday, February 5th.

All told, Richard completed his journey in just 5 days, 10 hours, and 8 minutes, collecting 26,719 frequent flyer miles in the process. According to this story from the Independent, his only opportunities to eat and rest were aboard the airplanes he was flyng on, which caused him to battle sleep deprivation and jet lag the entire was as well.

What were Richard’s motivations for undertaking the World Marathon Challenge? To raise awareness of the ongoing crisis in Darfur, and to raise funds for the Irish charity GOAL.

2009 Dakar Rally

by Kraig Becker on

After taking a year off thanks to security concerns, the Dakar Rally is back, and well underway, just not where you would traditionally expect the iconic off-road race to be. The 2009 edition is the 30th running of the famous long distance, endurance race that has historically run from Paris, France to Dakar, Senegal, but this year finds itself on an entirely different continent, racing through Argentina and Chile.

Beginning and ending in Buenos Aires, this year’s race officially got underway back on January 3rd, with 540 teams setting out to cover the 5,951 mile course. Broken down into 14 stages, ten in Argentina and four in Chile, the teams will endure long days in the hot desert sun pushing themselves and their machines to the limits. The final 140 mile stage is scheduled to take place on Saturday, bringing the epic race to a close for another year. Whether or not it returns to its roots in Europe and Africa in 2010 remains to be seen.

Check out this amazing gallery of photos from the race. They give a little insight into danger and intensity of a long distance rally like this one, in which racers use motorcycles, quad runners, trucks, and cars to cross the rugged and demanding terrain.

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Traveling To The End of the Earth

by Kraig Becker on

Have you ever wanted to travel to the End of the Earth? Literally! Well, here’s your chance. According to this story, published a few days back by the Times Online, the tiny town of Puerto Williams, located on Isla Navarino, a small island off the coast of Chile, has become the new hot-spot for adventure travelers looking to reach the southernmost city in the world.

For the longest time, Ushuaia, Argentina has been considered the southernmost city on the planet. Backpackers and adventure travelers flocked to Tierra del Fuego on the tip of South America, to experience its natural wonders and take in its remote beauty. But as that traffic has increased, Ushuaia has become more and more commercialized, forcing adventure junkies to look elsewhere to get their fix.

Enter Puerto WIlliams, a place so remote that, until recently, it could only be reached by a ferry that ran just once a week. Now there are daily flights to Isla Navarino, and the town recently paved its first two streets. This has opened the doors for visitors, who find a virtually untouched outdoor playground to explore, with dense forests and jagged mountains dominating the horizon.

Puerto Williams remains a sleepy little town for now. It has just a few stores, a couple of hostels, and three bars. But as an emerging adventure travel destination, it’s sure to be on the radar of the “been-there, done-that” crowd soon enough. And who knows what will happen after that? They might even pave the rest of the roads.

Top 10 stupidest laws you could encounter abroad … will you run into any of them in Puerto Williams?


Gadling Take FIVE: Week of Nov. 22 –Nov. 28

by Jamie Rhein on

A person could get pretty depressed when taking a gander at how money, or rather the lack of it is influencing the places we love to go.

Perhaps some of the change is due to cultural shifts that would happen anyway. It’s hard to tell sometimes exactly what condition is causing the change.

This week at Gadling, there are a few posts that have to do with changes that are taking place around the world.

  • In France, fewer people are hanging out in cafes these days. Jeffrey gives the issue some thought in one of his posts.
  • Brenda provided more insight regarding the woes of Hawaii’s travel industry. As a person from the state, and a world traveler, she has an understanding of the factors that are influencing people’s vacation decisions.
  • In a post yesterday, Brenda also offered musings about the state of travel given the fact that there are so many places that seem inhospitable. She’s interested in Cuba and wonders if Americans are welcome.
  • Aaron, however, usually a sunny sort, has great things to say about travel in Chile. If you don’t catch this one detail while you read, he’d love to go back and is looking for someone to take him along.
  • On another positive note, if you want to feel great today, look at ImprovEverywhere’s latest video. As their latest stunt proves, everyone in the world could use a rousing welcome home–even if it’s from a group of total strangers. All you need is signage, balloons and warm, smiling faces.

Five things you didn’t know about Chile

by Aaron Hotfelder on

Having recently returned from a fantastic trip to Chile, I feel compelled to spread the good news about this long, thin pencil of a country. I’ve already sung the praises of its Torres del Paine National Park– now here are five more reasons to make Chile your next travel destination.

1. The Atacama Desert, the driest spot in the world. There are some spots in this desert where precipitation has literally never been recorded. But despite its stark, lunar landscapes (see photo), northern Chile’s Atacama Desert is actually one of the most-visited tourist destinations in the country.

San Pedro de Atacama, its largest and most popular city, is surrounded by gorgeous mountains, active volcanoes, and a massive salt flat. Also within a short drive are crystal-clear lakes, ancient fortresses, a geyser, and the archaelogical site of Tulor. Many restaurants have only outdoor seating– no need to worry about the rain– and your meals will often be eaten near a campfire– hey, the desert can get chilly at nights.

2. Penguins! Who said penguins only live in Antarctica or at the zoo? These well-dressed birds can be found in southern Chile’s Seno Otway Penguin Colony, where visitors will see them lounging on the beach and commuting to and from their nearby nests. The surrounding view would make it worth the price of admission by itself.

3. Punta Arenas. As traveler (and former Gadling interview) Tyler Cowen notes, “Chile is one of the world’s best countries for lovely small towns.” And Punta Arenas is without a doubt one of the nicest.

Located in the heart of Patagonia, Punta Arenas features hundreds of brightly colored homes and shops (including a North Face), as well as fantastic restaurants and a cool cemetery. (Can cemeteries be cool? If they can, this one is.) And hold on to your hat– literally– if you visit Punta Arenas. This is one of the windiest places on earth, with windspeeds regularly hitting 50 to 75 miles per hour. An experience unlike any other.

4. Easter Island. If you’ve got an extra US$800 laying around for a flight from Santiago to Easter Island, by all means check it out. (And if you’ve got US$800 more, I’d even go with you.) Famous for its moai statutes which were created by the Rapanui, this remote Polynesian island also offers a nice museum and adventure activities like scuba diving, snorkeling, horseback riding, and surfing. (Seriously, take me with you.)

5. Outstanding food and drink. Chile’s seafood is fresh, affordable, and top-notch, including its famous sea bass, abalone, salmon, crab, and lobster. You haven’t been to Patagonia until you’ve tried the lamb, or cordero, which is so good that several friends and I actually chanted COR!-DER!-O! on the way to a lamb fest at one of Punta Arenas’ finest restaurants, Puerto Viejo. Our driver thought we were insane, but that was how we felt.

And if you haven’t jumped on the Chilean wine bandwagon yet, I’m telling you, get on the wagon (or off it, as the case may be.) Chile’s vineyards produce a first-class sauvignon blanc and the Carmenère will make you want to be a better person.

For more on Chile, see my post on Patagonia’s Torres del Paine National Park.