One (great) wall, 4 200km, 1 seemingly impossible challenge, 3 months, and 6 pairs of running shoes. These are the tidiest stats behind David Grier’s latest challenge. But they don’t reflect even a smidgeon of the pain, sweat, tears, calories nor dogged determination required to achieve a goal that, until now, was deemed physically impossible.

David Grier, adventurer, ultra-runner and all-round wonderful crazy-man with a heart determined to achieve seemingly impossible challenges to make a difference to the lives of others, is in the final 500km or so of his latest feat. Called Back To The Wall, this project sees David and his ultra-challenge partner Andy Stuart – who has been David’s equally crazy and ever-dependable wingman on four of David’s seven massive challenges – running the Great Wall of China in the opposite direction from when David and Braam Malherbe were the first to complete it, in 2006. Starting at the wall’s eastern end in Shanhaiguan, near Beijing, and following it westward to where it finishes near the city of Jiayuguan, this challenge covers 4 200km of the most varied technical terrain, following a manmade ‘path’ of deep historic significance that dates back some 2 200 years, one that has been the backbone of mighty dynasties through the centuries.

Known in the East as ‘the spine of the dragon’, the Great Wall of China is the longest wall in the world, and the largest example of ancient architecture. Not constructed as a continuous line, it’s a series of fortifications made of stone, brick, hard-packed earth, wood and other materials, built in a roughly east-to-west line across the historic northern borders of China to protect the empire against invaders. It’s made up of several walls, built over centuries, with the two most famous sections being that built in 220-206 BC by the first Emperor of China (although little of that remains today) and the majority of the existing structure, which was built during the Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644). [Thank you Wikipedia!]

There’ve been several attempts over the years to run the Great Wall from east to west, but all have failed – moving in a westerly direction, the route has its most impassable sections in the first few hundred kilometres, and facing these sections at the beginning is gruelling on the body at the start of an ultra challenge such as this. On 3 July, when David and Andy become the first to have run the Great Wall from east to west, David will be the only person to have achieved the Wall’s length in both directions.

This enormous accomplishment will be the culmination of 12 years of mega challenges for David. Starting with the Great Wall in 2006, he’s run the entire coastline of South Africa (Namibia to Mozambique, 3 300km), paddled from Africa to Madagascar (500km), run south to north across Madagascar (2 700km), run north to south down the entire length of India (4 008km), run the length of the UK and Ireland (2 400km), run across Cuba (1 800km), and run up Thailand (1 200km).

And why does he do it? Sure, he has a great sense of accomplishment each time a goal is achieved. But this is far more than about recognition. Enormously grateful for his health and endurance abilities, David is driven by a need to make a difference in the lives of others. All these years he’s clocked up the miles to earn smiles for children in South Africa who need corrective cleft palate surgery. Through the Cipla Miles for Smiles Foundation, Operation Smile South Africa provides free surgeries to repair cleft lip, cleft palate and other facial deformities for children in southern Africa. Each surgery costs, of course, and through the work of dedicated, philanthropist medical specialists and the Cipla Foundation, the fee is reduced to just R5 500 – free to the patient but the funds still need to be paid. That’s where the fundraising efforts of Operation Smile count – for those lucky kids who receive the operation, their smiles are first-time smiles, and lifetime smiles.

As well as raising funds for cleft palate operations in South Africa, Back To The Wall is also raising awareness for kidney dialysis in China.

“I have embarked on all these journeys over the past 12 years for two main reasons. I suppose the first is the selfish side – running great distances is something I love to do, to push myself mentally and physically to the limit to test mind and body. But also to be out there, where few have travelled, and to experience the real side of life. I feel that life is so short, and we need to get the most out of it, learning the simple life lessons and just appreciating what we have, especially our health.
“No journey like this would be of much value if I were to come home with only the self-fulfilment of what I have achieved. The real success of any journey is when it is bigger than any individual. Knowing that through our efforts we can touch hearts and change the lives of those around us, and make a difference in a stranger’s life, is what gives journeys like this value.”

The guys have just over 500km to go before they reach their destination. And they have 14 days to achieve it. Plagued by injury during their first few weeks (acute tendonitis because of the extremely technical terrain on and alongside the Wall), they’ve been getting stronger and fitter as they’ve covered the miles.

Donating is really quick and easy!
* SMS ‘smiles’ to 39051 for a R100 donation
or
* hop onto the Back to The Wall’s Givengain page:  http://bit.ly/DG-BTW-Giving