Their Run horizontal , vertical mine! - The Run!

We keep exchanging such news .... and not normal news.....but news that are totally different and riveting .... news that give a jitter to the rational, normal belief and understanding. During one of such exchanges Rahul sent me a link to this mind blowing mission that three guys from three different parts of the world undertook in late '06 - early '07. This mission deserves to be called "THE RUN". I had heard/read of such marathons in the most punishing of climatic conditions on this earth but this is way beyond one's wildest imagination.

From right is Charlie, Ray and Lin - USA, Canada and Taiwan. I have not yet been able to grasp their inclination towards enduring such an ordeal. Reading through their site on National Geographic I see that they are more into trying to understand the culture and get to know more of the people and the lifestyle there in the Great Saharan Desert.

The Mission: Running 4000 miles across the Sahara Desert - East coast to West Coast of that enigmatic African continent.

One can read more about these guys and their Run at this dedicated site.

For me what strikes out in this attempt by my fellow three human beings is their willingness to persevere the inclement conditions of the Sahara Desert. Well, I like hot regions but having to run in the heat of the largest Desert on earth with a daily target of at least 40miles is of course no mean a task. I can only imagine the itching caused by the sweating, parched throats, high possibilities of encountering lots of wild insects, reptiles and animals. Subscribing for such a mission is itself a feat, I would say.

I have always wondered about the liking of 'torture' and suffering in human psychology. And what befuddles me more is the most certainly asked question about it - "Why?", "Why am I doing this to myself?" , "Why?". I have quite often asked this question to myself but never got any answer, or say there isn't any answer or rationale to this strange affinity for suffering. I just end up saying "aah! It feels good.". Suffering - be it emotional or physical I have always kind of liked it. In my own small number of such experiences, I have come closer to the fervor of life. Though I doubt if continuous suffering will get one to the Ultimate Truth of LIFE :-D. And I may not indulge into that. However as Lin has confessed...

"...learning and positive changes are the result of suffering, as suffering only makes one a stronger and better person. "

Personally I have realized that its in these times of suffering that the faculty of critical thinking and deep introspection is instilled and is in full action. For me, it has indeed triggered a lot of good and healthy thinking and has in fact led to many discoveries about myself. Some discoveries I forget , some I carry along but there is a lot of gain in such suffering. I kind of get pleasure in such suffering. Strange but true. The pains at the start of such suffering are engulfed and put aside by the deep thinking that soon ensues, or may be the constant pain is constantly fueling the thinking going on. It makes me unusually silent but not a single thought of loneliness creeps in. I am alone but not alone....am with my suffering, I am with my determination to persevere , I am with my doubts of succeeding, I am with my fears of failing, I am with my loneliness, am with my pains, am with my apprehensions, and for somehow I feel I am with HIM. HE is watching me going through the ordeal...be it physical or emotional...HE always watches and sees how I am going through it as HE must have watched this Trio going through the Sahara. For me, be it roller skating on the slopes of Himachal, cycling up that arduous Gaganbawda Ghat or that Mumbai-Pune one, or the monotonous NH17 on the way to Goa, or those solo treks in the hot sun with minimal water and food in the Shayadris, or simply rowing at the highest load in the NTU Gym, such physical and mental suffering has done a lot to me. and in a way I have liked that feeling. Though obviously this suffering of mine I am talking about is 0.0000000001% of what Charlie and the other two athletes have gone through in the Sahara desert. I can only imagine and admire this phenomenal feat they have achieved.

Certainly not to a scale as this mission of Charlie and his gang but am going on a kind of nano-"mission" this Sunday - 25th Feb. Its the Vertical Marathon 2007, Singapore. Organized by NTU and participated by all. Its banner I saw for the first time a couple of weeks back had fascinated me when I read that its a stair-way climb to the top of a 60 story building at Raffles Place. This 60 story building - The Republic Plaza - presents one with a climb of over roughly 1500ft - that is if you climb up all the 1380 steps there. Yes, a perfect venue to torture yourself and am going to enjoy pushing my legs against the stairs, gaining height at each and every breath.

I wonder even if God knows why am very much into such physical activities instead of participating into those Ice-cream, food eating contests I see going on here when all I want these days is a couple of KGs of fat over my bones to be like a good looking chubby boy.

Anyways looking forward for this Vertical Marathon and am going to complete it for sure, be it in the evening or the next day morning I am going to climb up all those 1380 stairs and click a photograph of the city center from the top.




Re Plaza, am coming!!!!!!!!!!!!

ufff....5:43Am dude! Got to go flat now.