DUBAI // Tristan Miller probably does not need the "run" and "like" parts in the title of his Run Like Crazy page on Twitter. He even admits as much. When he arrived in Mumbai last week, ahead of his third marathon already this year, he tweeted: "In Mumbai... It's as crazy as they say. Should be perfect for us ..." This weekend's Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon is the fourth leg of an extraordinary voyage around the world for the Melbourne-based amateur runner.
The runner is hoping to complete 52 marathons in 52 weeks - across more than 40 countries - and in so doing raise in excess of Aus$100,000 (Dh340,000) for Unicef. Add on the 45 kilometres per week he does in additional training runs, plus the requisite trips to the physio and massage rooms, and it is a surprise he has any time left to tweet. Yet on Sunday, he was as regular as clockwork: "Got through the Mumbai Marathon on a wing and a prayer.
"Managed to find another gear in the final 6kms and post 3:58 by my watch. Tough day." Miller, an IT specialist, decided on his marathon adventure after becoming a victim of the global financial slowdown when Google closed its Melbourne office last year. He will be in the same field as his idol, Haile Gebrselassie this weekend. And he said: "I've found a few examples of this being done in the past few years, not to mention the famous Dean Karnazes who did 50 in 50 days.
"But all of these have been done within the USA and Canada. As far as I can tell, I'll be the first to do this on a global scale. "My hat goes off to those guys and girls who have come before me, but apart from some of those crazy ultra-marathoners, I'd like to think this is a grander adventure than has been previously attempted." @Email:pradley@thenational.ae