In 14 Hollywood-mirroring months, the 34-year-old from Stuttgart cultivated a Gump-esque beard after swimming, cycling and running across the planet and collecting a fan group of runners as he crossed Mexico.<\/p>\n
But just who is Jonas Deichmann? And whatever possessed him to take on such a feat?<\/p>\n
Who is Jonas Deichmann?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\nMultiple world-record holder, speaker and adventurer, Deichmann first caught the adventure bug in university, when he completed a two-year, around-the-world bikepacking journey. Ever since, he\u2019s thrown himself into extreme, record-breaking endurance challenges.<\/p>\n
In 2017, he became the first cyclist in history to ride across Eurasia, travelling the entire 14,331km landmass of Europe and Asia from west to east in just 64 days.<\/p>\n
The next year, Deichmann cycled 23,000km across the Americas in 97 days, from the Arctic Ocean in north Alaska to Argentina\u2019s Ushuaia, AKA the \u2018End of the World\u2019.<\/p>\n
Ever restless, Deichmann then completed an ambitious Cape to Cape expedition in 2019, cycling 18,000km from Norway\u2019s Cape North to Cape Town in South Africa, overcoming violent conflicts, food poisoning and police harassment to complete his mission 72 days later \u2013 that\u2019s an average of 250km a day.<\/p>\n - Best swimming challenges: Open-water adventures for triathletes<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n
- Best cycling challenges for adventurous triathletes<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n
- Best running challenges in the UK<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>
<\/p><\/div> <\/section>
Yearning for an even more extreme challenge and undeterred by a pandemic, Jonas set his sights on the gold standard for adventurers \u2013 a human-powered, aroundthe-world trip.<\/p>\n
Aiming to complete the equivalent of 120 Iron-distance triathlons in just one year, Deichmann departed Munich on 26 September 2020, on an epic journey that would involve swimming 460km along the Croatian coast, battling a Siberian winter on the bike and surviving a brutal 5,000km run across Mexico. In short, the ultimate test of human endurance.<\/p>\n
So, over to Herr Forrest himself, as he relives the tri to end all tri\u2019s\u2026<\/p>\n
Swim, bike and run around the world<\/strong><\/h2>\nDay one: It begins<\/strong><\/h3>\n ![\"""\"]( "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> From Munich to Munich, via the world. The challenge commences\u2026 (Credit: Markus Weinberg)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\nFrom the Odeonsplatz in Munich we cycle with good company in the pouring rain. It\u2019s actually still the end of summer here, but somehow, it\u2019s started like it\u2019ll end \u2013 in heavy snowfall and floods.<\/p>\n
Reaching the Adriatic Sea at Karlobag marks the start of the swim leg. I\u2019ve never really swum in the open sea, and never with a raft. My training was swimming 60km across Lake Constance.<\/p>\n
I always think that if you can swim for one day, you can also swim 460km, it just takes a bit longer <\/blockquote> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div> And already on day one, I\u2019ve figured out that the sea is something very, very different. There\u2019s the salt water, currents, wind\u2026 the first few days turn out to be hell.<\/p>\n
I always think that if you can swim for one day, you can also swim 460km, it just takes a bit longer. But ever since day one, I\u2019ve struggled heavily with open wounds from the wetsuit, everything\u2019s super-painful especially in the neck and arms. I can\u2019t drink anything apart from water.<\/p>\n
![\"""\"]( "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> Jonas finishes swimming in Dubrovnik after 456km at sea (Credit: Markus Weinburg)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\nThe scariest moment I\u2019ve ever had in my life happens a week into my swim leg, during a big crossing. Usually I swim along the shore, but at one point, I have to cross over to the island of Pag. It\u2019s extremely scary; there\u2019s around seven kilometres of open water to cross. There are boats too, so it\u2019s dangerous.<\/p>\n
This is my very first crossing, and\u2026 I\u2019ve miscalculated. There are some currents I didn\u2019t know about. As it begins to get dark, I find myself in the middle of the sea, far away from the coast, completely alone. I didn\u2019t plan to swim in the dark, so there\u2019s no lights on my raft. Eventually I make it, scared but alive.<\/p>\n
Day 60: Back to the bike<\/strong><\/h3>\n ![\"""\"]( "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> The bike leg begins from Dubrovnik, heading towards Montenegro (Credit: Markus Weinberg)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\nA lot of triathletes say it, that the best moment of the triathlon is when you get out of the water, and for me it\u2019s absolutely true. After 54 days, I end my short but successful swimming career, and I\u2019m just happy to be back on the bike.<\/p>\n
While I\u2019ve been swimming, the second coronavirus wave has started across Europe, so suddenly everything is very uncertain. I set off from Dubrovnik with company from Marcus my cameraman and Ivan, who swam with me yesterday.<\/p>\n
We soon pass the border into Montenegro, which is one of the most beautiful and amazing countries. It takes me about two days for the legs to adapt. I struggle a bit on the climbs at first. But the body remembers and I\u2019m soon in shape.<\/p>\n
After 54 days, I end my short but successful swimming career, and I\u2019m just happy to be back on the bike <\/blockquote> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div> The countryside\u2019s particularly beautiful in the high mountains along Lake Skadar, shortly before we reach Albania. The few locals we pass are super nice and everyone waves us on our way to North Macedonia. We start to get a lot of snow and it becomes super cold.<\/p>\n
The first big challenge is that I need to do a PCR test now to cross every border. And the border between North Macedonia and Bulgaria\u2019s 1,300m high.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m stood at the border and it\u2019s -10\u00b0C at night. I did my Covid test in the capital of Skopje yesterday, before cycling up to the border. But the test [result] didn\u2019t arrive. I wait for four hours before finally I\u2019m allowed into Bulgaria, and can cycle down the mountain.<\/p>\n
Day 72: The waiting game<\/strong><\/h3>\n ![\"""\"]( "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> Jonas spends some weeks waiting in Turkey, Goek (Credit: Markus Weinburg)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\nThe situation looks pretty bad when I get into Istanbul, but I still have some hope of getting a special permit into Russia thanks to my political connections. It quickly becomes clear that there\u2019s no special permit for now, everything\u2019s closed.<\/p>\n
Strangely, there\u2019s a lockdown in Turkey on the weekends, but only for the Turkish people because they want to protect the tourism industry. Tourists and foreigners can do whatever they want! It\u2019s bizarre and the only country I\u2019ve ever heard doing this.<\/p>\n
Now it\u2019s just one country, no borders, and I\u2019ll be at the Pacific <\/blockquote> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div> I decide to go south and wait it out, so I cycle out of Istanbul on a 12-lane highway, in one of the biggest cities in the world, which is usually always completely traffic jammed. But I\u2019m cycling in the middle of the road, with no cars in sight. It\u2019s like riding out of London on the main roads at 5pm, alone.<\/p>\n
Seven weeks later, and I get a special permit and sports visa from the Russian Triathlon Union and Olympic Committee. I get back on the bike and turn back into Bulgaria and Romania, through Moldova and the separatist province of Transnistria, which is a self-declared republic that\u2019s not internationally recognised. Here, they still believe that the Soviet Union exists. It\u2019s a pretty strange place.<\/p>\n
From here, I continue onto Ukraine, and after another 10 days waiting and a letter from the Russian Minister of Interior (somehow, I\u2019ve gotten into high politics), I\u2019m finally allowed to cross the Russian border. Now it\u2019s just one country, no borders, and I\u2019ll be at the Pacific.<\/p>\n
Day 172: A Siberian Winter<\/strong><\/h3>\n ![\"""\"]( "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> Selfie break on a snowy Russian road, somewhere between Charkiw (Ukraine) and Ural (Credit: Jonas Deichmann)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\nTo be honest, cycling through Russia\u2019s just horrible. This is the most dangerous place you can be in the world as a cyclist because there\u2019s no infrastructure. There\u2019s too much traffic and the trucks don\u2019t respect you. It\u2019s super, super dangerous.<\/p>\n
For this reason, I decide to take very small roads through western Russia, and often get completely stuck in the snow. Everyday there\u2019s another bad surprise. Storms, blizzards, and long distances on the bike.<\/p>\n
After a couple of weeks, I make it across the Ural Mountains and from there it\u2019s just the same one road \u2013 the Tran Siberian Highway \u2013 all the way to Vladivostock and the Sea of Japan.<\/p>\n
Even the Russians say, \u2018God created Sochi, and the devil created Mogotcha\u2019. Now I know why <\/blockquote> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div> The further east I get, the less traffic I see, and the more nature emerges. Things get more interesting after Novosibirsk and Irkutsk, that\u2019s where the wilderness of Russia starts. And it\u2019s just incredible.<\/p>\n
![\"""\"]( "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> Camping out on Lake Baikal in the snow and ice (Credit: Markus Weinburg)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\nArriving at the massive Lake Baikal, I first make a hole into the lake with stones and go ice swimming. Then, I make a fire next to the lake and camp out, right there in the middle of the ice. It\u2019s one of the best nights ever.<\/p>\n
Around 800km later, after 10 hours in the -10\u00b0C snowy rain and cold and a remote stretch of 200km with only one house, I reach a place called Mogotcha. It\u2019s the middle of nowhere. Even the Russians say, \u2018God created Sochi, and the devil created Mogotcha\u2019.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a military checkpoint here, and if you really did something bad, they could send you to Mogotcha. It\u2019s the place where nobody wants to be. Now I know why.<\/p>\n
Coming to the end of the bike leg\u2019s incredible. Vladivostok\u2019s a really beautiful place and my favourite city in Russia. Originally, I wanted to sail across the Pacific. But upon reaching Vladivostock it becomes clear that this isn\u2019t going to happen, there\u2019s not a single sailing boat on the entire Russian Pacific coast. So, I make a choice and pay to carbon-offset a flight to Mexico, from there the run begins.<\/p>\n
Day 262: Hello Mexico<\/strong><\/h3>\n ![\"""\"]( "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> Jonas starts the 5,500km run at the Mexican border (Credit: Markus Weinburg)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\nThe first few marathons are absolute hell. At this point, I haven\u2019t run for seven months because I\u2019ve been busy cycling and swimming.<\/p>\n
Setting off from Tijuana with a local called Leonardo, it takes me five days for the muscles to gradually adapt, but after this I start feeling stronger with each step.<\/p>\n
At this point, no one knows me. I\u2019m running alone most days and absolutely loving it. Baja California\u2019s full of beautiful desert and beaches.<\/p>\n
A local drugs cartel controls this area and they\u2019re waiting for me <\/blockquote> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div> I\u2019m able to find the perfect sleeping spots everywhere, often behind cactus trees. It\u2019s simply amazing. I start to get into regional news, running along this one road, but I\u2019m not national news. Not yet.<\/p>\n
Five weeks later and I cross over from La Paz to the mainland. I\u2019ve been running in dry 40\u00b0C heat, but here it\u2019s humid and everything is green. From desert to rainforest. Sinaloa is narcos country, it\u2019s very different.<\/p>\n
I immediately started to climb from the coast for safety reasons, through the Sierra Madre mountains. In one climb I go from sea level to 2,800m.<\/p>\n
A local drugs cartel controls this area and they\u2019re waiting for me. One moment I\u2019m running up a mountain, and the next two guys on motorbikes come towards me with guns. They say, \u201cJonas, welcome, we\u2019re already waiting for you. We\u2019re the bosses here and you don\u2019t have to worry\u201d. They want to take a selfie with me. The local drugs cartel.<\/p>\n
They\u2019re calling me the \u2018German Forrest Gump\u2019. From that day on, I was never alone again <\/blockquote> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div> Five days later, I meet La Coqueta. She\u2019s a street dog and she doesn\u2019t stop following me for 130km, sleeping outside my tent at night. I can\u2019t get rid of her.<\/p>\n
In Durango I manage to arrange for adoption in her hometown of El Salto, where she\u2019s made an honorary member of the community. She\u2019s national news. And the next day, I am too. They\u2019re calling me the \u2018German Forrest Gump\u2019. From that day on, I was never alone again.<\/p>\n
Day 328: The German Forrest Gump<\/strong><\/h3>\n ![\"""\"]( "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> Running into Mexico City with a crowd of supporters (Credit: Markus Weinburg)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\nAt the beginning, the crowd\u2019s pretty motivating. But then, it gets busier and crazier. It\u2019s something that would never happen in Europe, but this is Mexico.<\/p>\n
Coming into Mexico City, I\u2019ve got nine police pick-ups in front of me and an armoured car with a machine gun on the top. Eleven police motorbikes are up ahead, blocking the traffic on the main road to a city with millions of people, just so that I can run through. In Germany, even our president doesn\u2019t get this kind of service.<\/p>\n
- Best swimming challenges: Open-water adventures for triathletes<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n
- Best cycling challenges for adventurous triathletes<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n
- Best running challenges in the UK<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>
<\/p><\/div> <\/section>
Yearning for an even more extreme challenge and undeterred by a pandemic, Jonas set his sights on the gold standard for adventurers \u2013 a human-powered, aroundthe-world trip.<\/p>\n
Aiming to complete the equivalent of 120 Iron-distance triathlons in just one year, Deichmann departed Munich on 26 September 2020, on an epic journey that would involve swimming 460km along the Croatian coast, battling a Siberian winter on the bike and surviving a brutal 5,000km run across Mexico. In short, the ultimate test of human endurance.<\/p>\n
So, over to Herr Forrest himself, as he relives the tri to end all tri\u2019s\u2026<\/p>\n
Swim, bike and run around the world<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Day one: It begins<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"""\"]( "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>From Munich to Munich, via the world. The challenge commences\u2026 (Credit: Markus Weinberg)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n From the Odeonsplatz in Munich we cycle with good company in the pouring rain. It\u2019s actually still the end of summer here, but somehow, it\u2019s started like it\u2019ll end \u2013 in heavy snowfall and floods.<\/p>\n
Reaching the Adriatic Sea at Karlobag marks the start of the swim leg. I\u2019ve never really swum in the open sea, and never with a raft. My training was swimming 60km across Lake Constance.<\/p>\n
I always think that if you can swim for one day, you can also swim 460km, it just takes a bit longer <\/blockquote> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div>
And already on day one, I\u2019ve figured out that the sea is something very, very different. There\u2019s the salt water, currents, wind\u2026 the first few days turn out to be hell.<\/p>\n
I always think that if you can swim for one day, you can also swim 460km, it just takes a bit longer. But ever since day one, I\u2019ve struggled heavily with open wounds from the wetsuit, everything\u2019s super-painful especially in the neck and arms. I can\u2019t drink anything apart from water.<\/p>\n
![\"""\"]( "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Jonas finishes swimming in Dubrovnik after 456km at sea (Credit: Markus Weinburg)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n The scariest moment I\u2019ve ever had in my life happens a week into my swim leg, during a big crossing. Usually I swim along the shore, but at one point, I have to cross over to the island of Pag. It\u2019s extremely scary; there\u2019s around seven kilometres of open water to cross. There are boats too, so it\u2019s dangerous.<\/p>\n
This is my very first crossing, and\u2026 I\u2019ve miscalculated. There are some currents I didn\u2019t know about. As it begins to get dark, I find myself in the middle of the sea, far away from the coast, completely alone. I didn\u2019t plan to swim in the dark, so there\u2019s no lights on my raft. Eventually I make it, scared but alive.<\/p>\n
Day 60: Back to the bike<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"""\"]( "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>The bike leg begins from Dubrovnik, heading towards Montenegro (Credit: Markus Weinberg)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n A lot of triathletes say it, that the best moment of the triathlon is when you get out of the water, and for me it\u2019s absolutely true. After 54 days, I end my short but successful swimming career, and I\u2019m just happy to be back on the bike.<\/p>\n
While I\u2019ve been swimming, the second coronavirus wave has started across Europe, so suddenly everything is very uncertain. I set off from Dubrovnik with company from Marcus my cameraman and Ivan, who swam with me yesterday.<\/p>\n
We soon pass the border into Montenegro, which is one of the most beautiful and amazing countries. It takes me about two days for the legs to adapt. I struggle a bit on the climbs at first. But the body remembers and I\u2019m soon in shape.<\/p>\n
After 54 days, I end my short but successful swimming career, and I\u2019m just happy to be back on the bike <\/blockquote> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div>
The countryside\u2019s particularly beautiful in the high mountains along Lake Skadar, shortly before we reach Albania. The few locals we pass are super nice and everyone waves us on our way to North Macedonia. We start to get a lot of snow and it becomes super cold.<\/p>\n
The first big challenge is that I need to do a PCR test now to cross every border. And the border between North Macedonia and Bulgaria\u2019s 1,300m high.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m stood at the border and it\u2019s -10\u00b0C at night. I did my Covid test in the capital of Skopje yesterday, before cycling up to the border. But the test [result] didn\u2019t arrive. I wait for four hours before finally I\u2019m allowed into Bulgaria, and can cycle down the mountain.<\/p>\n
Day 72: The waiting game<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"""\"]( "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Jonas spends some weeks waiting in Turkey, Goek (Credit: Markus Weinburg)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n The situation looks pretty bad when I get into Istanbul, but I still have some hope of getting a special permit into Russia thanks to my political connections. It quickly becomes clear that there\u2019s no special permit for now, everything\u2019s closed.<\/p>\n
Strangely, there\u2019s a lockdown in Turkey on the weekends, but only for the Turkish people because they want to protect the tourism industry. Tourists and foreigners can do whatever they want! It\u2019s bizarre and the only country I\u2019ve ever heard doing this.<\/p>\n
Now it\u2019s just one country, no borders, and I\u2019ll be at the Pacific <\/blockquote> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div>
I decide to go south and wait it out, so I cycle out of Istanbul on a 12-lane highway, in one of the biggest cities in the world, which is usually always completely traffic jammed. But I\u2019m cycling in the middle of the road, with no cars in sight. It\u2019s like riding out of London on the main roads at 5pm, alone.<\/p>\n
Seven weeks later, and I get a special permit and sports visa from the Russian Triathlon Union and Olympic Committee. I get back on the bike and turn back into Bulgaria and Romania, through Moldova and the separatist province of Transnistria, which is a self-declared republic that\u2019s not internationally recognised. Here, they still believe that the Soviet Union exists. It\u2019s a pretty strange place.<\/p>\n
From here, I continue onto Ukraine, and after another 10 days waiting and a letter from the Russian Minister of Interior (somehow, I\u2019ve gotten into high politics), I\u2019m finally allowed to cross the Russian border. Now it\u2019s just one country, no borders, and I\u2019ll be at the Pacific.<\/p>\n
Day 172: A Siberian Winter<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"""\"]( "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Selfie break on a snowy Russian road, somewhere between Charkiw (Ukraine) and Ural (Credit: Jonas Deichmann)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n To be honest, cycling through Russia\u2019s just horrible. This is the most dangerous place you can be in the world as a cyclist because there\u2019s no infrastructure. There\u2019s too much traffic and the trucks don\u2019t respect you. It\u2019s super, super dangerous.<\/p>\n
For this reason, I decide to take very small roads through western Russia, and often get completely stuck in the snow. Everyday there\u2019s another bad surprise. Storms, blizzards, and long distances on the bike.<\/p>\n
After a couple of weeks, I make it across the Ural Mountains and from there it\u2019s just the same one road \u2013 the Tran Siberian Highway \u2013 all the way to Vladivostock and the Sea of Japan.<\/p>\n
Even the Russians say, \u2018God created Sochi, and the devil created Mogotcha\u2019. Now I know why <\/blockquote> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div>
The further east I get, the less traffic I see, and the more nature emerges. Things get more interesting after Novosibirsk and Irkutsk, that\u2019s where the wilderness of Russia starts. And it\u2019s just incredible.<\/p>\n
![\"""\"]( "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Camping out on Lake Baikal in the snow and ice (Credit: Markus Weinburg)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n Arriving at the massive Lake Baikal, I first make a hole into the lake with stones and go ice swimming. Then, I make a fire next to the lake and camp out, right there in the middle of the ice. It\u2019s one of the best nights ever.<\/p>\n
Around 800km later, after 10 hours in the -10\u00b0C snowy rain and cold and a remote stretch of 200km with only one house, I reach a place called Mogotcha. It\u2019s the middle of nowhere. Even the Russians say, \u2018God created Sochi, and the devil created Mogotcha\u2019.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a military checkpoint here, and if you really did something bad, they could send you to Mogotcha. It\u2019s the place where nobody wants to be. Now I know why.<\/p>\n
Coming to the end of the bike leg\u2019s incredible. Vladivostok\u2019s a really beautiful place and my favourite city in Russia. Originally, I wanted to sail across the Pacific. But upon reaching Vladivostock it becomes clear that this isn\u2019t going to happen, there\u2019s not a single sailing boat on the entire Russian Pacific coast. So, I make a choice and pay to carbon-offset a flight to Mexico, from there the run begins.<\/p>\n
Day 262: Hello Mexico<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"""\"]( "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Jonas starts the 5,500km run at the Mexican border (Credit: Markus Weinburg)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n The first few marathons are absolute hell. At this point, I haven\u2019t run for seven months because I\u2019ve been busy cycling and swimming.<\/p>\n
Setting off from Tijuana with a local called Leonardo, it takes me five days for the muscles to gradually adapt, but after this I start feeling stronger with each step.<\/p>\n
At this point, no one knows me. I\u2019m running alone most days and absolutely loving it. Baja California\u2019s full of beautiful desert and beaches.<\/p>\n
A local drugs cartel controls this area and they\u2019re waiting for me <\/blockquote> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div>
I\u2019m able to find the perfect sleeping spots everywhere, often behind cactus trees. It\u2019s simply amazing. I start to get into regional news, running along this one road, but I\u2019m not national news. Not yet.<\/p>\n
Five weeks later and I cross over from La Paz to the mainland. I\u2019ve been running in dry 40\u00b0C heat, but here it\u2019s humid and everything is green. From desert to rainforest. Sinaloa is narcos country, it\u2019s very different.<\/p>\n
I immediately started to climb from the coast for safety reasons, through the Sierra Madre mountains. In one climb I go from sea level to 2,800m.<\/p>\n
A local drugs cartel controls this area and they\u2019re waiting for me. One moment I\u2019m running up a mountain, and the next two guys on motorbikes come towards me with guns. They say, \u201cJonas, welcome, we\u2019re already waiting for you. We\u2019re the bosses here and you don\u2019t have to worry\u201d. They want to take a selfie with me. The local drugs cartel.<\/p>\n
They\u2019re calling me the \u2018German Forrest Gump\u2019. From that day on, I was never alone again <\/blockquote> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div>
Five days later, I meet La Coqueta. She\u2019s a street dog and she doesn\u2019t stop following me for 130km, sleeping outside my tent at night. I can\u2019t get rid of her.<\/p>\n
In Durango I manage to arrange for adoption in her hometown of El Salto, where she\u2019s made an honorary member of the community. She\u2019s national news. And the next day, I am too. They\u2019re calling me the \u2018German Forrest Gump\u2019. From that day on, I was never alone again.<\/p>\n
Day 328: The German Forrest Gump<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"""\"]( "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Running into Mexico City with a crowd of supporters (Credit: Markus Weinburg)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n At the beginning, the crowd\u2019s pretty motivating. But then, it gets busier and crazier. It\u2019s something that would never happen in Europe, but this is Mexico.<\/p>\n
Coming into Mexico City, I\u2019ve got nine police pick-ups in front of me and an armoured car with a machine gun on the top. Eleven police motorbikes are up ahead, blocking the traffic on the main road to a city with millions of people, just so that I can run through. In Germany, even our president doesn\u2019t get this kind of service.<\/p>\n
- Best cycling challenges for adventurous triathletes<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n
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