An inspirational Dubliner who has embarked on a run
around the world has taken his first steps on the long South American leg of
his unprecedented global journey.
Over a year ago former construction worker Tony Mangan
(54), who is from the Liberties originally, ran the Dublin Marathon and he has
been running ever since.
The marathon marked the start of Tony’s incredible
attempt to fulfill a dream to run all around the world. He hopes to mark the
completion of one of the most gruelling world journeys ever undertaken by
circumnavigating the globe from east to west, through all five continents.
He aims to run the very last leg by completing the
Dublin Marathon in October, 2014. By then he will have covered approximately
50,000km or 31,000 miles.
Already Tony has run across Ireland, followed by a
trot from Newfoundland down through and across the USA, all the way to
California. Then he went down through Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras,
Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama.
He has endured extreme conditions ranging from
freezing blizzards in Canada to scorching heat in Arizona and Mexico and two
months of continuous torrential rain in Central America.
So far he has covered over 14,000km or 8,700 miles in
323 ‘run days’. That is an average of over 43km or 26.9 miles per day. Or, more
than 323 marathons in a little over a year.
Tony visited Ireland on a short respite break over
Christmas and returned to Panama on December 31 to recommence his epic
expedition on January 1. He is currently fundraising to meet the cost of
funding a support vehicle for his trip through South America.
The inspirational Southsider, who cycled around the
world in the late 1970s, also holds two world records for running over 48 hour
periods.
He has been dreaming of running around the globe for
the last 20 years.
“I had this dream for over 20 years but for many
reasons I decided not to do it immediately,
? he explained.
“In 1978 and 1979 I
cycled around the world and while I was doing that I felt I was travelling too
fast. I thought
‘wouldn’t it be great to
see the world on foot’.
“Then I became an extreme runner and was covering huge
distances, so it was just a natural progression. All the time I was feeding
this monster by reading all these travel books.
?
Tony said several people have already been recorded in
the Guinness Book of Records for either walking or running around the world but
he maintains that his route is by far the most comprehensive.
“Very few people have matched up the route I have.
What I am actually doing is consecutive, unbroken around the world running.
?
He said that his mental strength and commitment to
completing his goal were key to his ability to keep going on the gruelling four-year-long
journey.
“When I get to the finish line I am going to get down
and kiss the ground,
? he revealed.
“All the travel books will tell you that you
can’t focus too much on the finish because it will wear you down. But my focus
and mind strength is incredibly strong, so I know that I can lapse and dream
about it and it still won’t affect me.
?
Tony has financed himself almost fully but now needs a
support vehicle, particularly for the arduous South American leg of his
journey, which will involve running for long periods in the Andes mountain
range.
This will cost
?¬1,500 per month including the hire of
a driver, use of vehicle, fuel and daily expenses. Tony already has a driver
and vehicle lined up but requires urgent funding to go ahead.
A bank account has been opened for donations: Tony
Mangan, Permanent TSB, 70, Grafton Street, Dublin, Sort Code: 990610, Account:
19980028
Readers can follow Tony’s progress on his live blog of
his run by logging onto www.theworldjog.com/blog