- Week 51 – Days 353–359 – R’n’R days in the UK, Christmas, Cornwall and reflecting - Day 353 – United Kingdom Christmas Eve. Today was spent on an all-out attack on the admin of life – washing, tidying, sorting, charging, stacking, backing up, writing, and generally sorting my immediate surroundings in order to begin the next cycle of prep for the final half of this expedition. As it’s Christmas it got […]
- Week 49 – Days 339–345 – Empty cycle path in Minsk for Marathon 96, sheet ice for Marathon 97 in Kiev and filling up on fast food after Marathon 98 in Chișinău - Day 339 – Vilnius, Lithuania Cabin in the woods, a frozen lake, icy roads and a crackling fire. I’ve always wanted to build a cabin in the woods, sit by a crackling fire and basically do nothing; just sit, think and write after a long run in the snow. No people, no traffic and no […]
- Week 45 – Days 311–317 – A mountainous Marathon 85 in Zürich, Marathon 86 in Liechtenstein and a full day in Luxembourg, including Marathon 87 - Day 311 –Zürich, Switzerland, Marathon 85 of 196 Marathon 85 is done, and in the company of super-lovely people in glorious sunshine. I couldn’t have asked for more today. The deep reds, oranges and yellows covered the landscape ahead, behind and above us as we twisted through the hills to the summit. Reaching the top […]
- Week 44 – Days 304–310 – A day in Paris, visas in London, a day and a night in Toulouse, back to London, ending in Zürich, ready for Marathon 85 - Day 304 – New York, USA to Paris, France In yesterday’s post I said goodnight after boarding my flight from JFK to Paris. It was a long day – and today has turned out rather similar. After a cramped and pretty cold flight I landed safely at Charles de Gaulle airport at 7am this morning. […]
- Week 43 – Days 297–303 – Cold and wet for Marathon 84 in the Netherlands, Halloween in the Big Apple followed by the New York Marathon, with 50,000+ - Day 297 – Amsterdam, the Netherlands The cold front, uh oh. Most of today I was sat with my hands wrapped around my mug of hot chocolate, sat in a beautiful cafe by the canal, in Cafe de Jaren. A scrummy tomato soup, fresh ciabatta with salted butter, plus ham and eggs, Holland style. I […]
- Week 41 – Days 283–289 – Jet lag, gossip during Marathon 80 in Dublin with the ladies (and Mark), before a quick pit stop in the UK - Day 283 – Las Vegas, USA to Dublin, Ireland So today ended mid-air. Always very confusing for me when I land on a different day to when I began. I eventually managed to pack my bags, shower and head out of the hotel at about 9 this morning. Without the bellboy to help, I would […]
- Week 39 – Days 268-275 – Wintery weather in Iceland and a cold Marathon 79, sight-seeing in the windy city before the Chicago Marathon and a sub-3 - Day 268 – UK to Iceland Travellers, runners, adventurers… don’t you just love that feeling of waking up in your own bed and by the time the day is coming to a close you’re falling asleep in a different bed, in a different country, having filled the day with stuff you love? There’s something about […]
- Week 38 – Days 261–267 – Wet and windy Marathon 77 in Slovakia, all you can eat in Budapest before Marathon 78, and saying goodbye to Dani, back in the UK - Day 261 – Bratislava, Slovakia, Marathon 77 16 bottles of water, 15 pints of beer, the Austrian border, a Twix and a 100th birthday, oh, and a snake. What another weird and wonderful day. It was also the first day for six months that I’ve seen rain; you can go away now, rain. Thanks. Today’s […]
- Week 37 – Days 254–260 – Marathon 74 in Berlin, Marathon 75 in Prague with a pulled Achilles, recovering for Marathon 76 in Vienna, ending up in Bratislava and an Irish pub - Day 254 – Berlin, Germany, Marathon 74 of 196 People say running is an individual sport; I say it’s not. What do you think? Thoughts people, please! Runners compete individually but race together – be it a short run like a city marathon or a big multi-day ultra, everyone gets to the finish line with […]
- Week 36 – Days 247–253 – Bureaucracy in Vatican City for Marathon 72, a pit-stop Marathon 73 in San Marino, and preparing for Marathon 74 in Berlin - Day 247 – Vatican City, Italy, finally, a rest day I couldn’t run in Vatican City today due to the Pope speaking in the square, so my time is tomorrow. Which meant today was a day of admin, emails, interviews and sleep. Every now and then I should do some work, I suppose. For those […]
- Week 35 – Days 240–246 – An uphill Marathon 68 in Andorra, ice cream stop for Marathon 69 in Nice, Marathon 70 in Monte Carlo and enjoying the sights in Rome for Marathon 71 - Day 240 – Andorra, Marathon 68 Up and out… today was FULL, just how I like it – 18km uphill, a bitterly cold morning and a fantastic support crew. 5am alarm, followed by a barrage of ‘hit snoozes’ before squeezing my new and very tight socks over my sore feet and up and over my […]
- Week 34 – Days 233–239 – Happy Birthday me, with apple juice and steam trains, a hilly Marathon 67 in Barcelona, and a kind host driving us to Andorra - Day 233 – Great Dorset Steam Fair, UK, and it’s my birthday! It’s my birthday – presents please! If anyone wants to give my JustGiving page a boost, I’d really appreciate some birthday donations. Just Google ‘Nick Butter JustGiving’ and please donate anything you can. I really want to reach my target of £250,000 for […]
- Week 33 – Days 226–232 – Hiking and paradise in the Seychelles, followed by a very busy few days back in the UK - Day 226 – Mahé, Seychelles, Rest day DONATION PLEA: On November 11th 2019 I am due to finish this expedition and set a new World Record for being the first person to run a marathon in every country in the world. The whole point of this trip is to raise awareness and cash for Prostate […]
- Week 32 – Days 219–225 – Surf in Mauritius, surprises in Madagascar on Marathon 65, and Marathon 66 in the Seychelles - Day 219 – Mauritius, sun’s out, surf’s up, shades are on Q&A day… Today meant catching up on some much-needed blog posts, and answering some emails from you lot. If you’ve not read my blog posts, I’ve been writing a blog about my running life for about six years now, highs and lows etc… If […]
- Week 31 – Days 212–218 – Marathon 63 in Swaziland and running on sand in Mauritius for Marathon 64 - Day 212 – South Africa to eSwatini (aka Swaziland) I’ve been to Johannesburg airport more times this year than I’ve spent nights in my own bed. I still love airports though – I must be weird. A quick flight on a tiny bumpy plane and I was in Swaziland by 10am. It’s safe to say […]
- Week 30 – Days 205–211 – A stopover in Johannesburg en route to Victoria Falls, a fall at the Falls on Marathon 62, conquering fear, and bum bag highlights - Day 205 – Botswana, Looking ahead UPCOMING COUNTRIES! The rest of my year looks like this. Get involved – come and jog some miles with me. I blooming love running! But this is intense. When I get to December 2018, I’ll be halfway through. Here’s what’s coming up: SPAIN Barcelona 30 Aug 2018 ANDORRA Andorra […]
- Week 29 – Days 198–204 – Abundance of wildlife in Kruger National Park, and picking up the running again with Marathon 61 in Botswana - Day 198 – Kruger National Park, Crocodile Bridge, South Africa #JoBerg to #Kruger My 111th flight of the expedition, my second hire car and on to Croc Bridge. Today felt like one of my typical days of the trip. I mean this in the sense that I was back on a plane again. For me, […]
- Week 28 – Days 191–197 –Swapping the legs for a kayak in the Western Cape, Marathon 60 in Knysna and elephant encounters - Day 191 – Wilderness East, Western Cape, South Africa, a power cut I’ve now travelled 1,200 miles in my little hire car along the Garden Route in South Africa. Today I abandoned it for a while and went on foot and by boat to do some exploring without the hum of the Polo’s tiny […]
- Week 27 – Days 184–190 – Seeing contrasts in Africa, spotting wildlife and feeling humbled by the legacy of Nelson Mandela - Day 184 – Meseru, Lesotho to Johannesburg, South Africa, and on to Cape Town, country number 60 Balaclava lady, caves, and hiring my first car of the trip. A new world first – a marathon in every country in the world to raise £250,000 for Prostate Cancer UK #prostatecancerUK The lady in the photo is […]
- Week 26 – Days 177-183 – A run around the island of São Tomé and Príncipe, a solo run in Namibia dreaming of snow, and silence in Lesotho - Day 177 – São Tomé and Príncipe, Marathon 57 of 196 Hand-made skateboards, high-stakes card games, fishing net making and beautiful old hand-carved boats. Oh, and the most adorable kids. A marathon in every country in the world. A WORLD FIRST – all in aid of @prostatecanceruk – a new country every two or three […]
