Day 292 – EU – Belgium [Charleroi to Namur]

21/01/21

37km

  From Charleroi (France) to Namur (France)

Europe

Celebrating 10,000kms of the world run in front of the cathedral of Namur!

I am always happy to start running in the morning, but today I was particularly overjoyed. I haven’t met any specific landmark yet, thanks to being stranded on the 1st continent of the world run due to Covid19. Today I was due to hit a big round number, that of 10,000kms since the beginning of the journey and I knew I would be awaited in Namur. I ran for a while on the N90 road, but it turned out the road was more like a motorway and specifically was forbidden to bikes and pedestrians.

I exited the highway after a few kilometers and ended up on country roads. Last night there had been a violent storm and there were marks of it everywhere: fallen pieces of trees, overflooded roads. Navigation on country paths was a bit challenging at times and I had water up to my ankles more than once.

My Belgian friends Yves & Laurence had informed their families and friends ahead of my arrival in their hometown of Namur. Journalists from the national and regional channels were waiting for me in Jemeppe. That brightened up the day. And as I arrived in Namur, coming towards the cathedral, a whole group of people were waiting for me to cheer me on. Laurence’s mum had prepared a banner for the arrival and I was very pleased to see them all.

It does feel good to hit a target, a big round number, even though it is a purely symbolic one. I had imagined the first big landmark on the journey would be the completion of the first continent crossing. Well things turn out differently than planned on this journey of mine!

Check my daily run GPS data on or

Here is the map of today’s run: