Project Iceland – The Wrap Up.

“Success consists of going from failure to failure with no loss enthusiasm” – Winston Churchill

One month on after returning from Project Iceland, and it’s time to wrap it up.  In the end, I managed to run 170 miles in 5 days, 8 hours before my body said enough and I had to stop.  Initially all I could think about was how I had failed, but over the last month I have realised that even though I didn’t reach my distance objective, I still learned a lot; about myself, about adventure and about ultra-running!  In the end, the decision came down to whether or not I was willing to permanently damage my body to complete what was in reality an arbitrary goal.  I had set out to have an adventure, to push myself and try to do something that seemed impossible.  Does it matter that I didn’t make it all the way?  Not really.  The biggest take away lesson for me in this was that adventure isn’t about getting from A to B, but about choosing a path where you don’t know what is going to happen, where you know that arriving at B isn’t guaranteed, but choosing that path anyway to see where it takes you.  That is the
true nature of adventure.

So, next time you have to get to B, get off the beaten path and see what you learn along the way.

Special Mention!  Broken and stranded at a hostel in the middle of nowhere these two awesome guys completely saved the day letting me hitch a ride all the way back to Reykjavik. I would have been in serious trouble without them.  Thanks dudes!

For those interested in the Project Iceland adventure, I am busy writing up my experiences and the lessons I learned as a short book.  Look out for twitter posts on this in the future as the project comes to life.  

Thanks to expedition sponsors Ultra Runner Store and Aptare Consulting.

This Expedition was representing The British Exploring Society – Click to find out about exciting expedition opportunities in the Amazon, Iceland and Himalayas.