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Ugandan runner due to arrive in London after 516 days, 7,700 miles on the road
- pkkkzip 2y agoHow many hours was he running everyday? This is an insane amount of running. I wonder if there is any health implications?
- afthonos 2y agoHe ran an average of 15 miles a day. That is absolutely within the normal levels of human endurance if you build up to it.
- thehappypm 2y agoI think that’s about the average of what a typical Appalachian Trail hiker does, which means that it is very well within the bounds of reality for a regularly able and very motivated person
- aprilthird2021 2y agoLooking at his Strava he seems to be doing more like 20-30+ miles a day
- ordersofmag 2y ago7700/516 = just under 15 miles a day or around 100 miles per week. Typical mileage for any elite distance runner or even a decent D1 college runner (and low for an elite marathoner). But they often do it in one or two continuous sessions, often with significant intensity. The task of just covering the mileage in a day (without trying to do it in one go or trying do any of it fast) is nothing particularly exceptional. Heck as a slow 50-something dude I did 100 miles weeks during Covid when I had some free time. Health effects: assuming you were biomechanically inclined to do okay with lots of running and built up to it over a long enough time to avoid the usual overuse injuries it would almost certainly just make you healthier.
- carabiner 2y agoPCT thru hikers do about 18 miles per day over mountainous terrain with a 25 lb pack. They're moving at a slower walking speed though.
- lemontrees 2y ago[flagged]
- parthdesai 2y agoOnly on HN you'll see a comment like this downplaying the achievement. With Endurance sport, it's the lack of rest days that make it exponentially harder, you really can't compare with what you've.
- RandallBrown 2y ago15 miles a day is pretty tame for any long distance runner. Even without rest days. You're going to be doing 15 miles in ~3 hours. That's plenty of rest time. I suspect this guy was actually running significantly more every day but also took some significant time off. Russ Cook, who also ran the length of Africa, ran a route that was 2000 miles longer, in about 5 less months. He covered on average about 28 miles per day. They're both very impressive accomplishments, but not as physically impressive as mentally, at least in my opinion.
- parthdesai 2y ago15 miles a day every day for about 1.75 years. Funny, you bring us Russ Cook, his body was literally breaking down. Again, 15 miles on average is tame for a long distance runner. It's starts to become exponentially harder when there are no rest days involved. Both of the achievements are nothing to scoff at.
- throwaway2037 2y ago28 miles per day? That is 45 km. How is that possible? What would your feet look like? When I read about people who did immensely long walks, it is always your feet that give out.
- dyauspitr 2y agoYou can walk 3 miles an hour at a leisurely pace. That’s a 5 hour walk everyday or probably like a 3-4 hour run. Really not all that bad if you’re used to it.
- andrewstuart 2y agoExtreme exercise such as distance running damages the heart. https://youtu.be/Y6U728AZnV0 https://youtu.be/Y6U728AZnV0
- scott_w 2y agoThis is simply not true. Even research that suggests damage also suggests endurance athletes have better outcomes anyway: https://www.heart.org/en/news/2019/03/01/is-long-distance-running-good-for-the-heart https://www.heart.org/en/news/2019/03/01/is-long-distance-ru...
- gregwebs 2y agoThe article you linked doesn’t support the statement made about it. The evidence is mixed but shows worse overall outcomes for those overdoing it. Here’s a scientific publication that’s clearer that recommends 1-2 days off per week, and no more than 5 hours running per week. https://journals.lww.com/acsm-csmr/fulltext/2015/03000/exercise_and_the_heart___the_harm_of_too_little.12.aspx https://journals.lww.com/acsm-csmr/fulltext/2015/03000/exerc...
- scott_w 2y agoQuote from the article: > Recent research has raised alarms about the potential for plaque buildup and scarring in the heart in some long-distance runners. Yet other studies have suggested that when marathoners get heart disease, they may be able to weather it better than non-runners. All articles discuss scarring and physical signs but no clear link between exercise and worse life outcomes. The article you cited noted most issues resolve themselves within a few weeks after a race. There are literally 0 people exercising at “race intensity” day after day, which is completely different kettle of fish to your regular training run. Kato here certainly isn’t doing that. Given many professionals and amateurs run over 5 hours per week and easily break 5/6 miles at a time. A quick search will show strong runners regularly hit 6-8 hours per week. Cyclists will cover greater distances and times and, apart from Pantani (who was doped to the gills), you don’t see them dropping dead of heart attacks despite regularly covering 10-20 hours a week. Similar for triathletes. So no, the evidence really isn’t there that distance running causes heart disease.
- pineaux 2y agoFor all the people reacting that this is not a lot. Don't forget he has had a lot of border troubles, police troubles, money troubles and support troubles. Including rest days, I would estimate his running days at somewhere around the 400. That would mean about 20 miles per running day. So 6 miles short of a marathon, each day.
- dudeinjapan 2y agoWhen he got tired, he slept. When he got hungry, he ate. When he had to go... he went.
- bevan 2y agoIt is insane in today's world! But big mileage (barefoot, no less) is something we evolved for. Check out the great book Born to Run by Chris Macdougal which explores that concept.
- gregwebs 2y agoMicah True, a hero of Born to Run, died after the book was published at age 58 of heart failure while doing a 12 mile training run.
- bevan 2y agoYes, that's explored in the sequel. He lives on in Urique, Mexico where his likeness is plastered everywhere and is the namesake for the big annual race in that town.
- highcountess 2y ago[flagged]
- mb7733 2y agoHe lives in London.
- pineaux 2y agoHe lives in London
- eesmith 2y agoQuoting the linked article: > The epic run was conceived by the London-based Kato to highlight the history of human migration and the discrimination faced by many black Africans, a message underlined by the fact he endured daily racism from police and passersby in parts of Europe. Running to the 'epicenter of global subjugation and decimation of large parts of Africa' seems part of the point for the run.
- ajaixncicknd 2y ago[flagged]
- cjbayliss 2y agoHaving to deal with police four times a day on average on the part of the journey through Croatia is insane. I’d have given up and flown to the next country.
- gerdesj 2y agoThankfully our hero is made of sterner stuff than either you or me: "On other occasions, however, he almost packed it in. In Uganda, his one-man support crew resigned, leaving him without a support vehicle or help at a time when his funding for the run was almost exhausted. To compound matters, all routes ahead involved either conflict or extreme risk."
- ptspts 2y agoWhy would someone start this long run without enough funding secured for the whole length?
- dyauspitr 2y agoWhy do you have a mortgage?
- em-bee 2y agomaybe he was planning to get more funding along the way (by selling his story for example) or some expected funding fell through. for something like this you don't have to have all funding sorted out the day you start. i mean, it would probably help, but i don't think it's wrong to start and see how far you can get.
- hipadev23 2y agoWhy did you have so many issues in Croatia? Traffic police and ID checkpoints?
- noman-land 2y ago"The police stopped me at least four times a day. Sometimes, I caught locals taking photos of me and reporting me to the police,” he said.
- nadermx 2y agoA man went on a mission to raise awareness. I'd say he accomplished that.
- endofreach 2y agoUnfortunately some sites make it hard to get past the headline with their banners (and ads) for me. So i won't know what he ought to create awareness for.
- kitd 2y agoIt's in the first paragraph of the linked article, and is expanded on further down.
- endofreach 2y agoWell obviously you didn't get it... anyway, thanks for the downvotes.
- Thorrez 2y agoReminds me of Karl Bushby, who's walking from Chile to England. He made it to at least Kazakhstan so far. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Bushby https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Bushby
- beretguy 2y ago> They were detained by Russian border troop officers while they were crossing the Russian border near the Chukotkan village of Uelen, for not entering Russia at a correct port of entry. They were threatened with being banned from Russia, which would stop the journey. You can always trust russia to be a pain in the neck, to put it mildly.
- exe34 2y agoI'm sure the US would just let anyone in at any point along their border...
- anonzzzies 2y agoif i have to believe musk, there is no issue at all doing that.
- exe34 2y agoconcerning if true.
- borski 2y agoLuckily, it isn’t.
- anonzzzies 2y agoWhat? The almighty musk is lying about this? His whole presidential campaign is around needing more kids and illegal immigration. You didn't hand over your country to some criminals & grifters did you? Or maybe it was always in the hands of these people.
- rezmason 2y agoHe succeeded! He arrived on Sunday. https://therunningchannel.com/deo-kato-completes-run-from-cape-town-to-london/ https://therunningchannel.com/deo-kato-completes-run-from-ca... Does anyone know how he ran from continental Europe to England?
- yoavm 2y agoSeems like he took a ferry from Calais to Dover https://www.runnersworld.com/uk/news/a63224509/deo-kato-london-cape-town-run/ https://www.runnersworld.com/uk/news/a63224509/deo-kato-lond... https://www.instagram.com/p/DDynCvFAph_/?img_index=1 https://www.instagram.com/p/DDynCvFAph_/?img_index=1
- input_sh 2y agoLooking through his Strava, I don't think he did? He reached Calais on the 19th and started from Dover on the 20th, so I'm assuming a ferry.
- kordlessagain 2y agoLooks like you could walk, in theory (but not legally): > During one Sunday in October 1993, Wally Michalski and Mike Turner, working as contractors on the British side, used a pair of the Saracen bicycles to cycle the 100-kilometre (62 mi) round-trip from Folkestone to Coquelles and back again. The pair took around five hours to complete the journey, while wearing full overalls and needing to carry respirators.[1] [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycling_in_the_Channel_Tunnel https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycling_in_the_Channel_Tunnel
- llm_trw 2y agohttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pippa_Bacca https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pippa_Bacca Running in the other direction seems to be somewhat more dangerous.
- debugnik 2y ago> Bacca's naked, strangled, and decomposing body was found in bushes > DNA testing suggested that Bacca was raped by multiple people, and not just Karataş. How sad. Looks to me like the dangerous part is doing so as a woman, not the direction.
- llm_trw 2y agoThey made it fine when going through Europe.
- tdiff 2y agoBeing a woman may expose you to extra risks, but it doesnt mean men are safe there.
- debugnik 2y agoOf course, I just meant that it seems to have been the main factor in her story, rather than the fact that she entered Turkey from Europe. I can't really draw any general conclusions out of a sample of two; well, one, because this runner apparently didn't cross Turkey, so not really a similar route.
- thruway516 2y ago>>"Kato wanted his journey to draw attention to the earliest migration of humans from Africa and challenge the racist notion that people should “go back to where they come from”. Viewed as a whole, he said the run had underlined the positive aspects of migration and its potential to “create a more culturally connected and enriched global society”. This is an epic feat and gives me hope for humanity. My hats off to Mr Kato!
- workfromspace 2y agoI don't like his take on Czechia: while being stopped by police 4 times is not pleasant, I'm guessing it's nothing compared to the (lack of) safety in many countries in Africa, South/Central America and Asia. [0] [0]: https://www.numbeo.com/crime/rankings_by_country.jsp?title=2023&displayColumn=1 https://www.numbeo.com/crime/rankings_by_country.jsp?title=2... In the meantime, could someone with experience (i.e a local) please tell me about the current safety of and racism against a white person in Cape Town, where he started his peace run? Is it safer than Johannesburg? I'd love to visit South Africa, but I'm too scared of visiting there nowadays.
- prmoustache 2y agoCzechia has never been mentioned. As a matter of fact, Africa is crossed partially or completely on a fairly frequent basis by white backpackers and bikepackers. You can find numerous guides and reports on the internet. Also, around 16% of the population of Cape Town is white. Having said that even in the most dangerous places in Africa the problem is not necessarily racism but inequalities and unemployment. Cross a place where unemployment is high and education level is low due to inequalities, crime will be rampant regardless of average skin color. If you happen to have interesting goods or be seen as a vulnerable, you may have problems. Hence the reason you might have issues in some places in Cape Town but not in a peaceful village somewhere else in Africa. And said peaceful village that could happen to have been very dangerous in another time when same country was in civil war. I am not saying racism against white people don't exist, but there is no reason to oppose racism against white people to a black guy running to raise awareness about racism. That guy is probably against any form of racism, especially as his life partner happens to be white.
- aprilthird2021 2y agoLook at the mental gymnastics you need to do to hold this worldview. 1. Not 4 times. 4 times per day every day you are in the country 2. Don't complain about racism in 1st world if you are from the 3rd world because the 3rd world isn't safe. Conveniently missing that racism here is between ethnicity of the 1st world towards 3rd world ethnicities, so basically this absolves all racism in that direction in the 1st world. 3. I'm scared of visiting South Africa because of racism, but a black man scared of racism in Europe where the police are constantly called on him, that's no big deal and he shouldn't complain, which I'm doing right now.
- aprilthird2021 2y agoI would highly recommend looking at his Strava, he basically logs every day and the everyday kindness of strangers along his journey as well as the bad parts. We are humans, we are good and bad all mixed in one, and his run really reflects a depth of human experience, in my mind. https://strava.app.link/5KsFE3BoEPb https://strava.app.link/5KsFE3BoEPb
- jamieplex 2y agoNow THAT is true grit....
- baud147258 2y ago> I didn’t feel that I belonged in [Croatian] society. Why is he surprised? He doesn't speak their language, is just a privileged sportman running through their town/city/village.