World-first running expedition over the length of the Bolivian Andes, completed solo and unsupported by Jenny Tough

Statistics

1

day +

26,028

m

26,646

m

10

max°

Difficulty

FATMAP difficulty grade

Extreme

Description

17 days, solo unsupported world-first running expedition across the Bolivian Andes, completed November 2018 by Jenny Tough.

Excerpt from the story, originally published in Sidetracked Magazine Volume 14: "Fourteen days ago, in a small town near the Peruvian border, I stood at the start line, the base of the Bolivian Andes, sheltering from torrents of freezing rain that curtained the town.

I stared at the washed-out mud roads that led out of the village, searching for a reason to abandon the whole thing entirely.

For the first time I could remember, I was literally paralysed by fear, standing under a tin roof and refusing to take even the first few steps.

I had two options.

The first, a 12-hour, rickety bus ride back to La Paz, which actually seemed just as uncomfortable as running the first segment to my next chance to quit; the second, four passes over 5,000m, a forecast for stormy weather throughout, and no civilisation aside from coca growers and gold mines.

I chose the muddy trail over the bus ride home, but it was pretty close for a moment." - Jenny Tough <a href="https://www.sidetracked.com">Read the full story and more like this in the latest issue of Sidetracked magazine and on Sidetracked.com</a> FATMAP Explore Members get 15% off any single issues or subscription.

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