Running The Sahara

Wow! Time flies. Was tagged in a post today reminding me that it was 14yrs ago today that Charlie, Kev and I finished our 111 day, 4500 mile expedition across the Sahara Desert. Believe it or not, but I’ve never really studied this movie poster. As I was about to post this, the last line of text on the poster caught my eye. “We will never be the same” could not be truer words. When we reached the edge of the Red Sea after our months long expedition across 6 countries, I realized how through adventure we have the ability and opportunity to learn so much. About the world, about ourselves and about others. As a matter of fact, Sahara for me was pivotal in changing the course of my life forever. The impossible2Possible foundation was created from Sahara, with a mission of taking young people on learning based expeditions of their own, to the remotest parts of the world,  free of charge. With the hope that these youth would too, realize that in themselves, is the capacity for the extraordinary Sahara would also set in motion for me my passion for exploration, and since Feb 2007, I’ve spent over 17,000kilometers on foot crossing the length of many deserts, some for the first time. The Atacama, Gobi, Namib and more. The Sahara gave me the confidence to pursue colder expeditions such as our world record South Pole expedition in 2009, as well as winter expeditions to the Arctic, Siberia and others. Before running across the Sahara, I loved competing in ultras and mountain bike races, and before those races I lived a previously very unhealthy life. The Sahara taught me to follow my passion, and pursue my goals as honestly to myself as I can. That if I believed I could cross the Arctic pulling a sled, and I was willing to commit, then I could. It’s not something unique to me. We ALL have an explorer in us, capable of exceeding mental, physical and emotional limits we think we might have.

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