Ultrarunner to cover 2018 Tour de France route on foot
Peter Thompson will try to match Zoe Romano's 2013 feat
By Rob Sturney
English marathon runner Peter Thompson, who last completed 44 marathons in 44 days across 44 countries, has announced that he will run the entire route of the 2018 Tour de France starting on May 19. A feat of this kind was first accomplished in 2013 by American ultramarathoner Zoe Romano.
Thompson points out that it will be the equivalent of running up Mount Everest three times.
RELATED: Six edited photos of the Tour de France leader showing off his running ability.
Thompson will face a similar itinerary to Romano’s: departing seven weeks before the riders, he’ll trot 48K a day for a total of 3,329-kilometre and 28,000m of climbing, hoping to reach the Champs-Élysées before the riders do on July 29. His goal is completing the course in 70 days.
Thompson is raising funds for mental health charity Mind and Liveability.
The Next Challenge – Running the Tour de France in 70 days ???♂️
30 MILES A DAY
70 DAYS ON THE ROAD
2069 MILES OF RUNNING
27,000 METRES OF CLIMBS
1 RACE TO THE FINISH LINEBEGINS MAY 19TH 2018
Find out more & donate here ⬇️⬇️ https://t.co/n1EpWoT4OY #runthetour pic.twitter.com/IoTQ7TW9YX
— Pete Thompson (@MrPeteThompson) February 16, 2018
On his website Marathons for the Mind, Thompson says, “I have many friends, family and ex partners that suffer and still do suffer with serious mental health issues. Some have tried to take their own lives and others battle through on mixtures of medication and levels of determination and courage that I admire greatly. We all have mental health in the same way we have physical health and there will many levels within that. By talking we help ourselves, we help others, we help educate and we help to end the stigma that still exists.”
⭐️⭐️ PARCOURS OFFICIEL DU #TDF2018⭐️⭐️ / ⭐️⭐️ HERE IS THE #TDF2018 OFFICIAL ROUTE ⭐️⭐️ #TDF2018 pic.twitter.com/JxNsEXuWeI
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) October 17, 2017
In 2013, Romano pounded out the 3,403 kilometres of the 100th edition while pushing her gear in a running stroller. Instead of tackling the route from beginning to end, she started in Nice where Stage 4 began and then headed to Corsica to run the first three stages. It took her 79 days.
This article originally appeared at cyclingmagazine.ca.
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