Aussie on 1000km run in Israel

An English-born Australian is running the length of Israel’s National Trail…a journey of 1009 kms which he hopes to complete in 12 days.

Starting on Wednesday 17th April 2013 , adventure runner and philanthropist Richard Bowles will run over 80km each day along the 1009km INT, described by National Geographic as one of the worlds most ‘epic trails’,that windsits way from Eilat in the southernmost part of Israel to Dan in the North, , where he plans to arrive just 12 days later on April 28.

Described as a hybrid of Bear Grylls and Forrest Gump, Melbourne based adventure runner Richard Bowles is set to create another record in the world of ultra-distance  trail running, in one of the most fascinating countries on the planet. In 2012 he ran the world’s longest marked trail (5,330k National Trail, Australia) and a total of over 10,500km on trails.

Combining a passion for adventure, a love for running, and a determination to make a positive contribution to the places through which he runs, Richard and the team have chosen to support the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI), the leading environmental group in Israel, and custodians of the INT.

The project is entirely funded and supported by Source Outdoors, an Israeli outdoor equipment company who discovered (from a magazine cover featuring Richard wearing the pack) Richard had chosen one of their backpacks to use throughout his 10,500k of trails in 2012. Richard is proud to represent Source, and says “During my epic runs of 2012, the Source pack was the only item I used that I had purchased myself, I needed the very best equipment in the toughest of environments”.

Richard says he is keen to meet with the communities through which the trail passes, and always takes the time to do so…even when running such huge distances each day.

“The highlight of the projects in 2012 was meeting people. Being welcomed into their homes, sharing stories over a meal, and enjoying the wonderful adventure that they had now become a part of”. Richard invites runners and supporters to get in contact and join in this fantastic project, history in the making.

The question most people ask is why would anyone want to run over 80km each day for 2 weeks? Richard explains, “The trail less travelled offers the best adventures, and I’m all about challenging myself on a daily basis.