Everyone said it couldn’t be done, even internationally renowned sports scientists such as Dr Tim Noakes. Certainly no-one had done it before, though many had tried: to run the Great Wall of China, end to end, non-stop. The journey would start in the Gobi Desert, cross the jagged Taihang Shan range, and end at the Bo Sea. It would involve bloodboiling heat and mummifying sandstorms, soul-numbing mountain nights, incidents with bandits and draconian officials, pig’s-head soup and witnessing large-scale environmental devastation.
But no-one had counted on the tenacity of South African nature-lover Braam Malherbe. In running the main intact section of the Great Wall, 4 500 kilometres end to end, Braam and his running partner David Grier set a world first. But Braam would have to call on reserves far deeper – physically and emotionally – than even he realised he had. China was never going to let him off lightly; then again, it would not leave a worthy traveller unmoved or unchanged.
What began as a running-away, from long-buried childhood trauma, family suffering and loss, as well as hurt felt for the state of the planet, would eventually become a journey towards inner peace and understanding. The book concludes with the writer running into a new vision of healing the planet, step by small step, one person at a time.