December group-letter; Copenhagen, December 2002.

Dear fellow runners and friends of the World Run project,

I am happy to bring you yet another world run group-letter wich will sum up the latest developments in the project as well as outline the next steps to be taken towards the realisation of the World Run !

The last couple of months has been quite busy, both due to training and preparation of the next season for the Danish National 100km team, but also due to he beginning of the press- and media strategy and the more detailed sponsor-negotiations of the World Run.

Still I feel that it's now time to again sum up the developments allready done and the immidiate tasks to be dealt with on the World Run project.
I hope that you can find some of the issues interesting and maybe even lend a helping hand at some of the "things to be done". We can surely use your support and as allways your advice or comments are more than wellcome !

Jesper Kenn Olsen / World Run.

This issue has the following contents:
· News since last letter
· Route
· Press
· Sponsors
· Tests
· Open 'seats'

News:

* In order to get sufficient sponsorship & economy for the first year of the World Run we have decided to move the start date from 2003 to 2004. More details on www.worldrun.org & http://www.ultramarathonworld.com/news_2002/n03no02c.htm .
Also this give us time to do some essential testing (see "Tests" below).
* While also aiming to give a hand to some selected charity-organisations we have decided to begin a contact with the World Wildlife Fund - WWF.
* World Run memeber Alexander Korotkov improved his pb. in the marathon at Velikiy Novgorod, also taking victory in the open race. Time: 2:49 hours.
* World Run member Jesper Kenn Olsen takes yet another season on the national team in ultra-running.

Route:

- Finally we have the full route - both in text as well as in graphics: http://www.worldrun.org/route-overview.shtml.
The honour for this detailed work belongs to Alexander who has worked with the data-sheeds and planning for allmost a year.
Ofcourse there can be adjustments as regional contacts in South American and Africa still is few - and when we begin the actual running surely there will be small changes. But the main profile is expected to remain as it is now.
During the summer 2003 we plan to meet in Russia to have a look at and run through a part of the Russian stages. Also I have sceduled a to visit London around newyear 2002-03 to do some researching as well as to meet with the media contacts if they have time for it (it's a busy time of year, I realise !).
If you have comments to the route-layout you are wellcome to mail Alexander at "alexander@worldrun.org" / "alexkorrun@hotmail.com".

Press/Media:

We have had our first succesfull international media contacts (BBC-Radio, London). In a live interveiw in one of the sunday-shows in October we had the oppotunity to explain about the basic principles of the World Run as well as about the difference between our concept of documentation vs. that of Robert Garside.
Reguarding national media-coverage, the local Danish media has begun to make a more substantial coverage of the preparation. Examples can be found at:
http://www.worldrun.org/ultra-dk/presse_2002.shtml
The text is in danish language, and covers a wide range from 2 main national newspapers, "Jyllandsposten" and "Berlingske", sport & health "Helse", the sportsmagazine "IForm" and "Adventure World", to the youth magazine "Balance" and the leasure/lifestyle magazine "M!". Also the Danish tv has had a coverage of the meeting of the runners in Copenhagen earlier this year.
In the field of internet-media, we have from the beginning had good contacts with mr. Blaikie of the "www.ultramarathonworld.com" - from wich site the whole idea of taking on the challenge of mr. Garside originally came. The main other internet-media who follows the projects are: "www.kondis.no" - the Norvegian run & ultrarunning site, "http://www.ultrarunning.org.uk/100km/ " - the English 100km Association, and "http://www.steppenhahn.de/ultramarathon/" - a main German ultrarunning site.
The press and media coverage are both vital for the attraction of sponsorships but also a key issue when we at the same time whish to promote ultraruning to a broader audience than what is has now!
Interested media are allways wellcome to contact us !

Sponsors:

At the present moment we have gathered sponsors in the most urgent areas
· Shoes & equiptment: Asics
· Shoes & equiptment: Jogging Sport (a Danish sports store - www.joggingsport.dk)
· Energy & nutrition: A local endurence & engergy product.
Also a 'finance sponsor' has recently shown interest and offered us a small amount for the first stage.
But as mentioned in the beginning of the news letter it's clear that this is the area where there remains most to be done before we are ready to depart. One of the most important areas wich remain is transportation. It can't be avoided that there will be long streatches of flight transportation when the World Run moves from one continent to the next.
Also the strength of the project can be raised considerably if we can have a mini-bus or car as 'logistics-support' on the long desertet areas of the run. As it is now, there is a possibility that we can get an offer to buy a truck/minibus at an reasonable amount, but we will still need to be able to pay and support at least one driver.
So obviously we will have to work hard with this area during the next months !
If you have ideas of sponsorship or even contacts that could be interested in knowing more about the sponsoring possibilities on the project, you are wellcome to contact Jesper Olsen (me) at "jesper@worldrun.org".

TESTS

During the upcoming winter tests of equiptment will be made in Scandinavia, where I together w. the equiptment will undergo some "freeze"-tests. Purpose: to find the limits of both.
A summer test-run will be made after the IAU 100km EC Challenge in Moscow, April 19th, wich will be run on parts of the Russian World Run route. It will last approximately 3 weeks with an average of 50km/day, supported by a mini-bus/truck. Purpose: to test logistics while 'on the move' and to promote the World Run in Russia.
There are also some initial plans to stage a 6-day run in Central Copenhagen in August. But here is needed both the participation of other interested runners as well as a big help from my friends in sorting out the practical details. Purpose: curiousity & the fun of racing :-)

Open 'seats':

When we decided to move the start to 2004 it also became possible to have time enough to add one or two additional runners into the group. Therefore runners with the courage and the ability are most wellcome to join us in this challenge. It's vital that interested ultrarunners are ready to meet w. the group at least once during 2003 season.

Well; thats all for this news-letter !

I hope that all in connection with the World Run project have interest in the developments and if you have questions, comments, advice or indeed critique please don't hesitate to e-mail me your oppinion - I'll highly appreciate it.


With the best wishes of good training and enjoyable competetions - as well as a merry christmas & a luck-bringing new year :-)
Jesper Kenn Olsen, Copenhagen, Denmark.

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