110 Miles of Voluntary Running — #VolRun2022

Well, I got this idea. In the shower. That holy generator of ideas. After bonking on my last attempt at a 110-miler over the summer — I think largely for lack of purpose — I've got the notion now to ramble down the road on the same path (a course I never completed and spent hours upon hours researching and planning) from Niigata to Nagano, distributing a Japanese language pamphlet my wife and I wrote about Voluntaryism along the way.

A kind of messenger / "highway herald" / Johnny Appleseed type of journey in the name of self-ownership. Planting seeds. Not asking for any support this time or anything like that. This one is completely my project, and I am setting my sights on May for the big day. Sakura season would be nice, too, with all the cherry blossoms along the way, but there may still be snow then, in the mountainous areas.

I've started training now, and keep vids and updates on my TikTok account here. Feel free to have a look. Anyone else here into running?

Some other ultra runs I've done:

2020 Echigo Ultra (60 miles)
2020 Zen Run (54 miles)
2021 Minato Marathon (100 miles)
2021 Echigo Ultra (26.3 miles)

I'll keep this blog updated regarding how everything is going, and preparations. We've not actually printed out the pamphlets yet, but you can read the source material in English and Japanese, and also watch our video here.

Viva Voluntaryism in beautiful Japan, and wish me luck!

-GWS