Parque Nacional da Gorongosa Moçambique

World Run II Project comes to GNP

Nov 24, 2009 - Gorongosa National Park

The well-known Danish athlete, Jesper Olsen, passed by Gorongosa National Park (GNP) days ago in his journey through Mozambique, in the scope of a type of world marathon named "World Run II Project". 

The "World Run II Project" is an initiative of a group of international runners that are going to complete 40 thousand kilometers of distance on foot without stopping in 800 days, for around three years.  If the objective is achieved successfully, this will become the longest final goal in the history of entirely documented long distance running. 

The run, that has already accumulated more than 18 thousand kilometers, began on the 1st of July of 2008, in Nordkapp, Norway and is going to finish in the city of St. John’s, in the Canadian province of Newfoundland. 

The journey includes a total of 30 countries, including Mozambique, going through several continents, namely Europe, Africa, South America and North America, interacting with cultures, customs, eating habits of several nations, climates and different natural environments, as well as distant exotic places, tourist destinations, etc. 

All of the details of the excursion are documented live for each daily journey on the website of the project by GPS with video code, sound and images and short reports by the runner, permitting everyone in the world to permanently follow the paces of the athlete. 

Jesper Olsen, coming from Nampula on the way to Maputo, stayed in Chitengo for two days.  For the athlete to visit GNP was "an interesting experience and a good opportunity for rest my feet". 

He took advantage of the occasion to do a safari in the vast stretches of the Park, where he saw large quantities of many antelopes and wharthogs.  According to what he said, during the fascinating expedition in the landscapes of Great Gorongosa he saw "a spectacular movement of wildlife" in addition "to frequently having been nearby animals and birds at a distance of barely a few meters". 


The previous longest documented world run was concluded in 2005.  Among the runners that did the 26,232 km of the "World Run I", include Jesper Olsen, of Copenhagen, Denmark, and Glen Turner, of the United States of America.  

Carlitos Sunza
Department of Communications/GNP