South African adventurer David Grier has an impressive adventure resume. Besides being a successful restauranteur and chef, he has climbed Kilimanjaro, raced in a number of ultra-endurance events, and completed a 2500 mile run along the entire length of the Great Wall of China, in just 98 days. Now, he's set off on another long distance run filled with plenty of challenges, as he is currently making his way across the entire length of Madagascar, from south to north, on foot.
David began this current adventure in grand style, choosing to paddle from Mozambique to Madagascar, a distance of more than 300 miles, in a kayak. That portion of his journey took 11 days by itself. During that time, he faced tropical storms, miles of open water, and oppressive heat. After paddling for 7-8 hours each day, he would then sleep in his kayak at night, only to resume his efforts the following morning. After arriving in Madagascar, he was created by friends, who then drove him to the southernmost tip of the island, which reportedly took another eight days.
On December 20th, he began the actual run, which will have him covering a distance of more than 900 miles. You can follow David's progress through his frequently updated blog, through the website Miles for Smiles, which tracks all of his adventures, and from his Twitter feed at @davidgrier. You'll also find video updates on the YouTube Madagascar Challenge channel.
Big thanks to Lisa over at adventure racing, and more, site AR.co.za for the heads up on this story. And as if it didn't sound like a big enough challenge already, Lisa says she believes that David's plan is to kite-surf back to South Africa or Mozambique. Crazy!
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