Great Wall of China

THE JOURNEY

In 2006 Braam completed a world-first when he ran 4200km along the entire length of the Great Wall of China in a single attempt. This translated to running an average of 43km per day (more than a marathon a day), six days a week for over a hundred days. Professionals had said it was physically impossible.

After completing the journey, Braam underwent extensive knee surgery. His doctor’s said he would never run again. He again proved the experts wrong by running 3300km around the foot of Africa from Namibia to Mozambique. As with the China expedition, he averaged over a marathon a day.

THE IMPOSSIBLE

Braam did ‘the impossible’ to prove to people (especially children) that if you have big dreams, plan well and take risks, that NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE. Braam and David, with Round Table SA, raised over R2million for Operation Smile SA.

Operation Smile performs corrective facial surgeries on children who have deformities such as cleft palates and lips. As a result of their efforts, over 420 children receive the gift of a smile for the first time in their lives. Braam is living proof that the power of the mind can triumph over perceived physical limitations.

“What these guys are going to attempt is physically impossible”. – Professor Tim Noakes of the Sports Science Institute of South Africa

THE BOOK

Braam’s book, The Great Run, is an inspiring tale of two journeys – one external, one internal. One details the dream, the planning and the execution of Braam’s run along the entire length of the Great Wall of China. The other details what Braam has learned from hardship and achievement and echoes his belief that nothing is impossible if you have big dreams.

It is a modern-day adventure where the human spirit overcomes seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Driven by passion, Braam draws on his deeper self to fight the physical pain of running a marathon per day over some of the harshest terrain on earth for 98 gruelling days. From the hottest day of 41 degrees in the Gobi desert to minus 22 degrees in the high mountains, he covers 4218km in every type of weather and terrain imaginable.

The beautifully photographed book offers hard-core adventure and life-changing lessons that stay with the reader long after they finish the last page. Professor Tim Noakes wrote the foreword and Sunbird/Jonathan Ball are the publishers. The Great Run is available online at Kalahari.com and Amazon.com, and you can get a personally autographed copy when you order online here.

Trade paperback: 233×152mm
192 Pages, with 50 colour photographs
Price: R150.00 + R35.00 local postage (Including VAT)