That's cool dude.
P.S. Leave the condoms at home. Probably won't need those if you don't take showers!
That's cool dude.
P.S. Leave the condoms at home. Probably won't need those if you don't take showers!
Try to get hold a copy of 'Round Ireland with a fridge' by Tony Hawks - an hilarious account of a guy who decided to walk round Ireland with a fridge. I'm sure it will further inspire you in your quest.
Sehon40, will you count the accomplishment if you do any Gallowalking?
Hey, maybe that's the ticket. You and Jeff can hook up together, he can sponsor you mega bucks, and he can write a book called "Gallowalking Across America:A True Story" detailing your daily encounters.
A group of monks in Japan take marathon-running to new heights.
"If they don't finish, they commit sepukku (suicide) or jump off a cliff."
John Stevens
Author of The Monks of Mount Hiei
Move over Paula Radcliffe and Haile Gebrselassie, the real long distance stars are the "marathon monks" of Mount Hiei.
The world's best runners usually complete two to three marathons a year, but these Japanese monks end up doing that in a day. And, while their big name counterparts can earn up to £1m a year, the monks do it all in the name of spiritual enlightenment.
The monks, known as Kaihigyo, are spiritual athletes from the Tendai sect of Buddhism. Their ultimate achievement is to complete the most gruelling physical and mental task in the world - the 1000-day challenge.
It is an amazing feat, which takes place over seven years and culminates with the monks running the equivalent of two marathons a day over rough hilly tracks for 100 days. It is not surprising that only about 30 priests managed the feat in the 20th century. There is no room for failure either.
The monks have taken a vow to kill themselves if they do not finish. "They carry a knife with them," said John Stevens, Sendai University professor and author.
"It's so if they don't finish, they can commit sepukku (suicide) or jump off a cliff."
Of course, Stevens was relieved to point out that no-one had taken a "sharp exit" in the last century, but that had not always been the case.
"In the 19th century, there's at least three monks that died in training. You can actually see their graves on the trail."
The whole challenge is a seven-year process.
For the first three years, the hardcore Buddhists walk 40km for 100 consecutive days - and that is just the basic training. In the fourth and fifth years, they do the same distance over 200 days, more or less a full marathon every day for more than six months. But it is in the final two years that the challenge really heats up.
In the sixth year, the monks do 60km for 100 days and then the following year, this is upped to 84km.
If this is not bad enough, they must make stops at temples of worship on the way.
This may sound like a good idea, but, with as many as 260 on route, the 84km run can take up to 20 hours, leaving little time for sleep. There is also a nine-day fast, during which time you are not allowed to sleep.
To make matters worse, their 'hi-tech' footwear consists of a simple pair of "stress sandals."
Certainly, these monks give a whole new meaning to the word "gutsy" and could give the world's top athletes a run for their money. But marathon runners need not fear as the Buddhists take a 12-year vow not to leave their mountain.
For them, the 1000-day challenge is truly a test of faith.
This sounds like something you read in the tabloids. And it always takes place overeas in some far away place......hmmmm.
Didn't renowned streaker and former 2:20 man Mark covert average that for ahout 15 or 20 years?