Instagram image shared by Pierre on his page.
Qatar Resident, Pierre Daniel, completed his 475km run around Qatar in seven days, making hopefully a successful world record attempt (awaiting ratification) from North to South.
The solo event, Alone, A Run Around Qatar (#RunAroundQatar) finished today at Katara, with Pierre finishing the last kilometre of his 475km effort met by his family, friends and sponsors.
Pierre who was running the Challenge, which includes an official world record attempt supported by MBM Transport and with key partners Katara and Aspire, out of his combined love for adventure and the State of Qatar was thrilled to finish.
Over the last seven days Pierre has had less than 4.5 hours a sleep at time, with as little as 2 hours most nights. During long stage he was moving for 35 hours without making camp. He ended up burning an estimated 48,000 calories.
Pierre Daniel on day 5 of the #RunAroundQatar
“The last seven days have pushed me to my physical limits and I have endured mild hypothermia, 35-hour efforts, heat, headwinds and more. But throughout, I have experienced the most amazing sights and scenery of Qatar, been supported by thousands of messages on WhatsApp, Facebook and Instragram. All throughout I have been supported in person by the locals I meet, and touched by all the runners who have travelled out to run and support me. It is a true testament to the community in Qatar,” Pierre said.
He had to carry a pack weighing as much as 13kg when loaded with water and all his clothing, necessary supplies including tent, sleeping bag and food. Pierre had to source water and food along the way, without assistance from his filming support team, from locals, farms, towns and stores. And he did his own navigation using solely a compass and maps.
‘I am thrilled to be done and see my family and friends but also can’t wait to tell more and more of the story over coming weeks to inspire others to their own potential and encourage them to go and see what I have seen,’ he added.
This affect was seen throughout already by the engagement in the challenge from the community. French schoolchildren sent Pierre pictures of support and University students at Texas A&M at Qatar have been using the data in statistical analysis.
Messages from the French school children.
Professor Raelene Gibson, of Texas A&M University at Qatar, explained “my calculus classes at Texas A&M University are studying derivatives now. Pierre’s event provided a timely and relevant opportunity for my students to see calculus in action, as we formed calculus questions based on his heart rate and distance time data. We discussed how the data was relevant to planning Pierre’s journey and the safety consideration. Of course, I was happy to present Pierre as a role model to illustrate how perseverance, consistency, and self-reliance are necessary ingredients in achieving any goal, such as succeeding in a university.”
Pierre’s route was as follows:
- Day 1: Katara to Dhakira Port
- Day 2: Dhakira Port to Al Ruwais
- Day 3: Al Ruwais to Zekreet
- Day 4: Zekreet to Um Bab
- Day 5: Um Bab to Salwa
- Day 6: Salwa to Sealine Resort
- Day 7: Sealine Resort to Katara
During the 7 days, supporters could follow Pierre via a unique tracking portal developed by Aspire Zone’s IT team, which provided live tracking of Pierre’s progress including distance covered, speed, heart rate and more at https://alone.aspirezone.qa. Interested people can still visit it to see the final statistics on the challenge.
