Man running around world stops in La Crosse
LA CROSSE, Wis. — There are plenty of runners in our area, but for one man, La Crosse is just a stop on a very long journey.
Australian Tom Denniss is trying to run around the world as his wife follows him in a vehicle.
He started six months ago by running the length of New Zealand.
He then made his way to San Francisco to start his journey across America.
On Sunday, he worked his way through the La Crosse area.
He’s doing it all to raise money for a charity called Oxfam, a group that works to help third world countries become self-sufficient.
Denniss averages about 30 miles a day and said the toughest part is the mental battle.
“Mentally is the difficult part. Physically it’s not easy, but mentally it’s even harder. It’s not easy getting up in the morning and knowing you have another 30 miles in hundred degree heat,” said Denniss.
One couple, George and Diane Melnyk, from our area met a friend of Denniss’ while they were touring the Grand Canyon.
When they heard about what he was doing they started following him on his website and invited him and his wife to visit.
“We’d like to get on the river and get on the steam boat if we get a chance. They’ve never had a Wisconsin brat yet so we’re going to have those for supper, Wisconsin brats and beer,” said Diane Melnyk.
Denniss said he will likely go through 20 pairs of specialized running shoes on his journey.
He expects to finish in about 15 months and is trying to set a world record for fastest time on foot around the world.
If you’d like to track Denniss’ progress visit http://www.tomsnextstep.com/
