Please sign-up to One Run Global – NOW! : https://onerun.global/take-part/
Please like / follow Run the World on Facebook , Instagram and Twitter
Date : 24th November, 2020
Run map and details : https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/5867021940
Right, first things first : have you signed up for the One Run Global Relay?* If the answer is ‘yes’ then please feel free to continue reading. If the answer is ‘no’ then proceed immediately to sign-up. Do not pass Go. In fact don’t even draw a breath until you’ve signed-up.
Pretty please and thank you!
Now we’ve got that out for the way, let’s get on with the blog.
When the planning started for One Run Global way back in, um, September one of the goals was to make it the first event ever with participants in every country in the world. This, like so many things in the world, was easier said than done..
Anyway, a lot of hard work has subsequently gone into meeting that goal with the result that, by Monday, we had 17 countries to go. And 17 days until the event.
As part of the plans for the remaining countries, I said I’d run to every one of their Embassies in London, deliver a letter asking for help, and generally see if I could find someone with relevant contacts to talk to.
The idea was to cover off 8 of the countries on Tuesday but, as luck would have it, Iran came in overnight, so I only had to run to 7 embassies.
First up, was the Embassy of Equatorial Guinea and the early signs weren’t promising – there was a sign on the door saying the embassy was closed on Tuesdays and Thursdays due to Lockdown London. Happily, despite this, there was someone present and the charming gentleman below came out for a chat about One Run and agreed to pass on my letter.
Next up was the Sudanese embassy where I was met with slightly incredulous looks but, again, a friendly reception.
Leaving St James St behind, I ran past Clarence House and Buckingham Palace – vaguely wondering if I should have been dropping off One Run letters along the way –
– and onto the North Macedonian Embassy where I met Katerina who was good enough to take the letter and the following photo.
By this stage I was feeling quite good about how it was all going. Unfortunately my next two stops were less successful – there was no one in at the Timor-Leste embassy and I couldn’t find the Solomon’s embassy at either of the two addresses I’d found online. Nor was their advertised phone number working. Hey ho.
No stop at the Iranian embassy meant I had a nice run along the southern edge of Hyde Park interrupted only by a troupe of armed horsemen.
to my final two destinations : the Belarus Embassy – where First Secretary Maksim Gorely was kind enough to take my letter – and the St Vincent and Grenadines High Commission.
Will any of it come to anything ? Who knows but it was a great run and I can tell you that Cuba and Belarus came in during the day so we’re now left with 14 countries. Please, please shout if you have contacts in any of the following!
Chad
Equatorial Guinea
Micronesia
Nauru
North Korea
North Macedonia
Palau
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
San Marino
Solomon Islands
Sudan
Timor-Leste
Togo
Tuvalu
* The One Run Global Challenge
At 7pm local time on December 10th people in every country in the world will run, walk or move for an hour creating a spectacular 24 hour relay around the world. It’ll be a historic first – never before has there been an event with participants in every single country – and participants’ videos from around the world will be streamed from the One Run website along with exclusive music sessions, celebrities, competitions, prizes and more!
So why take part?
– It gives us all a reason to keep active and do something together during these difficult times
– With over 6000 sign-ups to date – across 190 countries – it should be an epically memorable event
– It’s not affected by COVID – whatever the restrictions on Dec 10th we’ll still be able to run for an hour. Even if it is around our own dining tables!
– Organised by the team behind One Run for Boston and the London Relay
– It’s a lovely not-for-profit project in support of 5 children’s charities including UNICEF
