On August 11, Agis Emmanouil laced up his trainers and set off on a run.
But this was no average morning jog.
Instead, that Wednesday morning was the first day of an epic 1,300-mile journey from Athens, Greece, to Glasgow, with the aim of arriving in time for COP26.
After 87 days of running, the environmentalist completed the challenge on Friday November 5, and fulfilled his task of drawing attention to the climate crisis.
Agis’s adventure is more than a little impressive.
Other than two ferries and a train between Italy and France, the 52-year-old travelled by foot the entire way.
Along the journey, he stayed in hotels and with friends or acquaintances.
For around 50 days, his epic task required running the distance of a marathon each day, without any assistance – although he did get to stop off in Milan, Paris, Brussels, Rotterdam, and Manchester.
He sustained six injuries on his route, and had some tricky moments in France when he struggled to communicate with people.
‘I had to see a physiotherapist in Milan for two days,’ said Agis. ‘I injured my knee and my Achilles tendon.
‘I wanted to yell “Freedom” when I arrived. I was flying. Today [Friday], I ran a marathon in four hours, I was running like a race.
‘The day before yesterday I was exhausted, I couldn’t run.
‘I was totally alone, especially in France. I didn’t have any connections and the French don’t speak English.
‘The weather was amazing, the worst was at the beginning and the heat of 45 degrees.
‘Yesterday was very cold but it never stopped me running.
‘Outside Rugby I was in the station and I spoke with a woman from Liverpool and her daughter.
‘Because I wanted to speak with people in England, I started to share my story.
‘Afterwards, she embraced me, it was very warm. Her daughter gave me a bracelet and every day from then I wear it.’
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