"Run-the-World" By the Numbers

Today I am exactly two months away from the first of my planned 44 – 4 mile runs.  Over the past few months I have spent numerous hours creating a travel plan, booking flights and then readjusting the schedule when necessary.  Now the itinerary is set with a start in the remote capital city of Ulan Bator, Mongolia to represent that Parkinson’s Disease affects people worldwide and a finish in London at the former home of Dr. James Parkinson, himself.

You can view the details on the “Run-the-World Itinerary” page, but I thought I would post a few fun facts here.  In addition to 4 miles, 44 countries, 4 weeks/4 days – here are some more numbers related to the route:

Distance running = 176 miles

Flight segments = 55

Number of airlines = 27

Distance flying = 72,857 miles/116,571 km (3.0 x the distance around the earth)

Time in flight = 175 hours and 6 minutes

Longest flight = Houston to Beijing (7,222 miles/14 hours and 50 minutes)

Ferry crossings = 2

Land border crossings = 5

Furthest north = Reykjavik, Iceland

Furthest south = Melbourne Australia

Largest city = Tokyo, Japan (population 33.2 million)
            Most expensive city for expats = Luanda, Angola

Tallest building = Burj Khalifa, Dubai, UAE (829.8 meters/2,722 feet)

Highest elevation = Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (2,355 meters/7,726 feet)

Number of Olympic marathon courses = 7

I invite you to review my itinerary and offer suggestions regarding sites to see and activities, send me questions and share the website with anyone that might be interested in the project.  During the coming month I will be finalizing my activities at each stop.  To date, I have identified contact persons/ organizations in 24 of the 44 countries that I will be visiting.  If you are in any of the cities on my route, or know of others who will be, I would love to hear from you.

Finally, I would like to leave you with one more number...

     5-10 million = approximate number of people in the world with Parkinson’s Disease.

-Mark