Austria, Latvia and Estonia – Anatomy of the Layover Run

In planning to run in 44 countries in a little over 4 weeks, I knew that I would need to squeeze in some runs on very tight schedules and I knew that I would need to plan these stops down to the detail to make sure I could get to the site that I wanted to run, run 4 miles and get on to my next form of transportation.  Three of these layover runs, just happen to be in 3 of the prettiest that I have visited: Vienna, Riga and Tallinn.   Here’s a look at what I had to do to fit a 4 mile run into a short amount of time and few of the photos of the sights

- Flight scheduling:  In most places I considered 3 hours between flights to be the minimum time that I would need to get in a run.  I would also make sure that I chose my seat to be as close to the front of the aircraft as possible

- Pre-planning – Before landing I would make sure I had figured out logistics like: where was the baggage storage, what transportation would I need to get to the running site, how much money would I need to exchange/withdraw, etc.

- Rush to Passport Control – It is important to remember that your place in line at immigration is exponentially related to the amount of time you will spend in the line.  If you walk faster, take a few seconds less to reach the line, and pass a few people on the way – you will save minutes in line.

- Ground Transportation – Here is it key to know the options, prices, schedules, locations, etc. for taxis, buses and trains.  At most places I was able to avoid the higher cost of the taxis and still fit the schedule of my run using a bus or train.

-   Run route without getting lost and hopefully along a route with sights like these….

Vienna, Austria

Riga, Latvia

Tallinn, Estonia

-  Return as planned or, as in my case at each of these stops, a little later than planned, but just in time to make it to the next destination (even if that means finding a different ferry leaving Estonia, because you missed the one you were supposed to catch).

Country Sponsors

I would like to thank our good friends Tom and Beth Paynter for their friendship, Beth's running and triathlon motivation for Lila and I, and their generous donation to 444 Parkinson's Foundation to sponsor my stop in Estonia.

UAE and Qatar – Creating Communities

I had previously been to both UAE and Qatar on very short layovers and my stops during "Run-the-World" were to be short as well.  Fortunately, I had contacted just the right people to help me make the most of my short stays.

The majority of my contacts for this journey were made through internet searches for Parkinson’s support groups in the specific countries or cities. As I have mentioned before, I had varying success locating groups to work with a each stop.  In UAE, I stumbled across a wonderful group, Parkinson's Support Dubai (Parkinson's Support Dubai).  This group began largely due to the effort of Gity Young, who has Parkinson’s, and Vonita Singh, whose father had Parkinson’s. Over the past few years they have been able to reach out to the Dubai PD community and  establish a small support group.  Their efforts have brought others into the circle of those helping PwP, including Ingrid van de Kamp, who was vital to coordinating my visit.

Additionally, in Dubai we were fortunate to have the support of members from Urban Energy Fitness (Urban Energy Fitness).  In a similar fashion, a group of women with a interest in running have formed a group that regularly runs together through Urban Energy Fitness and works together help individuals meet their running goals.

In Doha, I was able to run with members of the Doha Bay Running Club (dohabayrunningclub.com)  Once again this is a group that started only a few years ago and has grown steadily around a common interest.  They have formed the primary running club in Qatar, but were quick to emphasize the social aspects of the club, including the post-run coffee shop discussions.  They have seen, not only the growth of their own club, but the expansion of the running community throughout the country of Qatar an the entire Gulf region over the past few years.

Many people affected by Parkinson's around the world stand to benefit from involvement in a community to provide support and advance public awareness, along the lines the groups I have met in Dubai and Doha.   Creating these communities requires involvement of people with the time and skills to make the group a success. Interesting, many that I have met in my travels that have organized support groups still need help  in specific areas, such as IT and legal assistance.  I feel there is potential for groups to work together to acquire this support in a collaborative fashion.  One of my hopes for "Run-the-World" is that we can capture the snapshots of the needs around the world to help identify the problems that still need to be addressed.  I encourage everyone to continue to follow the blog and most importantly like the Facebook page. It has become clear to me that the common voice that can come from my project will be primary through the network establish via Facebook.

Thanks,  Mark

Turkey - Transition and Thanks

Well, I finally got around to transcribing this off the airsickness bag I wrote the draft on...

As I started to make the transition to Europe and the Western world with my arrival in Istanbul, I finally began to take comfort in the my mind that transitioning this crazy project from a personal challenge to a public event would in some way have "success".

When I somewhat hesitantly began to consider doing "Run-the-World" in the public eye, I had a couple specific concerns.  First, I was not sure that I would be comfortable in the spokesman's role.  My wife warned my that I would have to be open about many things that I usually would not widely discuss.  Additionally, I am generally not one to seek the spotlight, as my brother-in-law said after our event in Malaysia, "I never seen Mark talk that much".  Secondly, there was always the concern that the project would not resonate with the public and I would be left with as sense of rejection or failure.  I wasn’t sure how myself or others would judge success or failure, but I was definitely moving out of my comfort zone.

My stop in Turkey was the first time that I really felt the lack of time to work while traveling affected my timely planning.  I had made contact with Dr. Okan Dogu, General Secretary for the Turkish Parkinson's Disease Society, but had not finalized a plan for my visit and without a phone, I was relying on some last minute emails.  On arrival in Istanbul I was making my way to the luggage storage counter with a plan to check my overnight emails once I had dropped off my bag.  Then I heard someone call out, "Mr. Marcus".  I was pleasantly surprise to find that Dr. Dogu had arranged to have Dr. Arman, a neurology resident and Zeynep Derebasi, a photographer pick me up at the airport and help document my run.

After the run we also had a quick media interview and chance for photos.

Over the first week of my journey a few moments stood out and gave me the confidence I needed to know that the project was gaining credibility and I could relax a in the knowledge that it would not be a failure.  First was the response of the audiences – from the first formal talk in Vietnam to the meetings in Japan, Singapore and Malaysia, meeting with groups like these has been a highlight for me. Second was the social media feedback, especially through Facebook. Finally the hints, that I might have some credibility in the backpacker scene went a long way to boost my motivation.  During my night in Fiji, I had let a couple of my dorm-mates know why I was in Fiji, and I had been wearing  my Run-the-World t-shirt earlier, but I am not sure what prompted the table of backpackers behind me to start looking at my website and discussing how it would be possible to do what I am doing. They weren't aware of my presence, but I was good to get their "approval".

So many people have contributed to get the word out about this project, to arrange meetings, to coordinate press coverage and donate to the foundations --- I would like to thank each of you for your part in help me make the transition from hope with self-doubt to a confident feeling that this a worthwhile endeavor.

Thanks, Mark

Maldives - The Daily Grind in the Maldives

Having seen the pictures of the white sand beaches and the aqua waters, I fully expected my time in the Maldives to have a real vacation feel.  However, in the end it was to be much more like a typical work day.

To start the Maldives is a different place.  An Islamic republic with an economy based on tourism and despite being comprised of 26 atolls - there is a real sense of a nation outgrowing its land mass to here.  On arrival you have 3 options:  take the hotel-provided ferry to your luxury resort, catch a water taxi across to the city of Male, or drive around the runway to the growing town of Hulhumale.  I did the latter.

Hulhumale is a town quickly being built on reclaimed land that has a collection or new and newly being built residential apartments and moderately priced guest houses.  Given the tree lined streets and beautiful backdrop of the beach and clear water, I figured this would be the perfect place for a morning 4-miler.  The added benefit was that I would be running in the world’s flattest country, so no extra energy needed to overcome hills.  Despite all of this and after a pleasant run I was left with a single impression…how could the Maldives have so much trash.  Garbage seemed to be everywhere - lining the roads, floating in waterr, scattered around the trash bins  and even piling up in the cemetery.  It wasd hopeful to see an awareness campaign was underway.  As with Parkinson’s, the key to improving a situation is first to raise awareness regarding the problem.

 

I had a late night flight out of Male the day after arrival, so I set up an ambitious "to do" list for the day.  This probably contributed largely to the workday feeling I experience.  But adding to the feeling was the bustle of little Hulhumale, where no one seemed to be on vacation.  Everyone was working or commuting to work. 

In the afternoon I decided to take the water taxi over to the island where the main city, Male, is located.  Given that I had seen a number of city tours advertised online, I expected to see a number of touristy places in Male.  As it was, I rarely saw a tourist.  However, walking the streets for a couple hours did bring me face-to-face with daily life in Male.  It was a rewarding experience, just not expected.

At sunset I took the ferry back to the guesthouse.  Again, despite the beautiful sunset, the lasting image was of locals commuting home after another work day.

My visit to Maldives was not disappointing.  Not everyday is marked by two Sri Lankan holidays, World Parkinson's Day or a visit to a Wonder of the World. We just need to find ways to maintain momentum toward our goals through the common days as well.

Jordan - Petra

If my first visit to a Wonder of the World on this journey didn't live up to the hype, my second clearly exceeded it.  Petra is much like Machu Picchu in that it is difficult to understand how unique the experience is until you finally get to visit the place for yourself.

I bought a guidebook, took JETT bus (the only bus service not associated with a package tour) and explored the site on  my own.  This turned to be a great way to see Petra.  In addition, given the immense size of Petra and the presence of numerous hiking trails, it turned out to be a great place to run - though the terrain was quite difficult.

Hopefully these images will give you a little sense of what it is like to see Petra, because I really cannot explain it in words.