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Date: Mon, 2 May 2005 13:34:18 -0400
From: Sibylle Tinsel
Subject: Running Across Canada and the US - Jesper Olsen

Hi there,

A couple of weeks ago some BC ultrarunners got together in my living room to meet a fellow from Denmark who is hoping to become the first person to run around the world. None of us knew Jesper (yes-per) and we really didn't know what to expect. Wow! What a guy. What a story.

Jesper started running from Greenwich, near London, in England in January 2004. Since then, he's run across Europe, Scandinavia, Russia (including Siberia), Japan, Australia and the United States averaging about 50Km each
day. It's all documented, so he's the real deal.www.worldrun.org Make sure to read his daily log entries.

He arrived in Vancouver, Canada from the US on the 15th April and is now steadily running east. His aim is to take the most direct route across our country, cut across to New York City to meet a sponsor, fly to Ireland, run across it, then run back to Greenwich and fly back to Copenhagen in time to spend Christmas with his family.

One of the most touching things Jesper mentioned was that he felt he'd received more help in his 2 days in Canada than he had in his 2 months of running through the United States. That was sad, because we all know that our neighbors to the south are very hospitable. We figured that the right folks in California, Oregon and Washington just didn't know he was coming.
In any case, we agreed that it would be a terrible shame if Jesper were to have lunch bag letdown as it applies to Canada. Before Jesper left, we committed to help rally our running friends across Canada to prove to him that all Canadians are as nice as those he met in Vancouver...and that people in the Eastern US who have a bit of notice are the nicest yet! =:-)

All is going well for Jesper and his current running buddy, Peter. He is on schedule and has been well cared for by the Canucks he's met since leaving Vancouver.

We are hoping he can connect with Ultrarunners in the US for his leg from Buffalo to New York City. His preliminary itinerary through Canada, some photos (you can see he's not an axe murderer!) and ETA at the border near Buffalo is posted at: Clubfatass.com/JesperOlsen

Please let me know if you are interested in helping Jesper (in Canada or the US). He is used to sleeping in his little tent in whatever ditch he can find and eating cold canned pasta. Needless to say, he is very appreciative of any support along the way, be it a home cooked meal, a night in the barn, someone to run with him from time to time, or just a friendly word of encouragement as he passes through your town.

Best regards,

Sibylle Tinsel
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Club Fat Ass - www.ClubFatAss.com

Sibylle M. Tinsel, Chief Executive Fat Ass