The end of the road

 Email this story

Print

1 Comment

Richard Bowles, the Australian-English ultra-marathon runner, has completed the 1009-kilometre Israel Trail, described by National Geographic as one of the world’s most epic adventures.

Richard Bowles

“I feel great actually,” The Jerusalem Post quoted Bowles as saying on Thursday from Kibbutz Dan, at the end of his 22-day odyssey, which included a week in hospital with a foot infection.

“It’s nice to be here,” he said. “I’m almost a little bit disappointed that it’s come to an end.”

Bowles started in Eilat on April 17, aiming to complete the trail in 12 days. But on April 26 he succumbed to an infection, forcing him into hospital until he returned to the trail on May 5.

Partnered by the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, he averaged almost 70 kilometres a day, singling out the north of the country as his favourite, in particular Lake Kinneret.

Last year, Bowles became the first person to run the world’s longest marked trail, Australia’s 5330km National Trail from Healesville to Cooktown, which took him five-and-a-half months. He has also completed the 3,054-kilometer The Long Pathway in New Zealand, which took him 84 days.