Saturday, May 7, 2011

The Valley of the Whales



Jude Ryan got back in touch recently. He is one of my oldest friends from the days when, both nine years old, we met after moving to Paris and confronted learning the French language together in school.

Jude has accumulated an impressive travel record, and amongst those travels, a penchant for endurance events.
He ran an ultra marathon in the Gobi desert, which involved covering roughly 250 kms on foot, in the space of 7 days.

Although far from his level of training, I too have on occasion put my body through some grueling but rewarding adventures. In Tasmania with my partner Kelsi, we carried 30 kg packs for a distance of 34 kilometers in two days, sometimes through mud we would sink mid-thigh deep into AND stopping to film along the way. On a couple of occasions, alone and with Kelsi and others, I carried those same 30 kgs up into a remote region of the Northern Flinders ranges in South Australia, under a relentless sun.

So Jude and I have long been toying with the idea of participating in an endurance event together. I doubt I could keep up with him as he is a runner. I really am not. But I might just make it to the finish line.

The reality is that apart from those anomalous spurts of adventure, I have spent the past 12 years in dark rooms, in front of computers. The only rate I raised was not my heart's, but the speed of renders of computer generated imagery for blockbuster movies.

Jude probably knew he had the perfect hook when he contacted me about the Sahara desert race. Same format as the Gobi desert more or less: 40 kms per day for 6 days, and 10 kms the last day, for a total of 250 kms in 7 days. But the race crosses a place called the Valley of the Whales, and as Jude explained this location to me, I felt the familiar tug of a decision I would many times curse, before ultimately treasuring it for the rest of my life.

In the Valley of the Whales, paleontologists have discovered the fossilized remains, millions of years old, of whales that had only just recently (in evolutionary terms) returned to live in the oceans after an abortive attempt at life on land. The remains had small rear legs which the whale probably trailed behind it as it swam, without much use for them (since they eventually completely disappeared).

The poetry of running an endurance event through such a place to raise awareness and funds for Whale Like Me and the work of the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society was too strong to resist. Somewhere, I would have to find my running legs to make it through the resting place of whale ancestors who had abandoned theirs. A part of the Sahara desert, that once shallow sea is now one of the hottest and driest places on our planet. To run there, and then by night imagine the sound of the sea and the call of whales now dead almost 40 million years...

Training began at the end of March in Bali. I have to work my way up from a pathetic 5 minute run that first day along the Sanur beach front... to being capable of running roughly 2 hours and walking another 5, with a 10 kilo pack, day after day for a week.

Without underestimating the difficulty, I feel I have a chance. Early May, and I am now able to run one hour per day with a 5 kg pack. After a few years of work for the advancement of a new way to relate to whales and dolphins, it feels amazing to be able to do something simple, direct and physical towards that goal along side the usual work with concepts, digital communication and pre-production work on the feature documentary Whale Like Me. The effects of abstract work are long term and during the effort itself, their results are hard to gauge. This requires a sustained act of faith - over the weeks, months and years of hard work - that the vision is worth it all.

Running, in comparison, is pure simplicity. One foot in front of the other. Each step gets you a step further. After so many steps (a quantifiable amount), you reach your goal. Never mind that it hurts like hell. Never mind that this is the type of race seasoned athletes turn to as they seek greater challenges. I have embraced this and I'm grateful to Jude for having opened this door for me, to the Valley of the Whales.

To all my friends, and all those who support Whale Like Me, there is a standing invitation to join us to run through the Valley of the Whales in October 2011. You can also sponsor our run. If you are interested in either, write to

sponsor@whalelikeme.com

If you have a friend who you think might be 'our kind of crazy', connect us please.

You can find out more about the endurance event at:

http://www.4deserts.com/sahararace/rtpsrtp.php?SID=2&SBID=RD3



45 comments:

  1. Awesome! Run like the Wind for the Whales.... Blessings to you...:))

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  2. Malc your heart is as big as a blue whale, I gladly sponser you. I know you will finish <3

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  3. Now that's crazy, but I know you'll make it Malc... go for it!!! llas

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  4. Wow, way to go! I thought I had balls when I decided to run a half marathon with no previous running experience. You've put be shame, in the best possible way!!! Good luck, you're an inspiration!!

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  5. NICE! Malcolm, will share!!! Excited for this! Tricia A.

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  6. Love your tireless work Malcolm and will share this with as many people as I can. Kia kaha! Rachel

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  7. Awesome great idea.. insprational..

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  8. This is wonderful and amazing! I think we can all get behind your amazing creativity, fortitude and dedication to do this kind of good in the world and for our ocean relatives. Kudos and best energies to you and to your cause. Live on Whale Like Me and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society!

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  9. Wow, I love whales, when will it be on TV?

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  10. I was not aware of these "land whales", I would be interested in learning more about this episode of cetacean history. Good luck with your endurance race and fundraising, it is exciting to watch someone really push their limits, thanks for letting us follow your progress!

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  11. This is an incredible project that needs to be shown to the world. Most people don't realize just how connected we are to whales, and to beings we otherwise consider "less" than us, therefore exploitable objects rather than subjects. This would be an important eye-opener for the public.

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  12. You're so amazingly inspirational - ALL of my friends and fam will know about this stat. It's people like you that I want to surround myself with - true of heart, active in intention and overall just brilliant, warm, intelligent and just a lil bit crazy!!! Realise these dreams Malcolm, you deserve to see their fruition and we deserve to see you do it too!!!

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  13. May your legs and your heart help opening the eyes of lots of people on this issue, whales can be proud to have you as their new advocate :) Cha

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  14. Looking forward to seeing the doco :)

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  15. Awesome stuff. this is great and should be shared with everyone. keep on caring...

    Best regards from the entire OMG Team ;-)

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  16. WOW, what an amazing idea mate! A great way to support the often forgotten world of cetaceans. Such a great cause.

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  17. Save the whales so they can communicate with the Europian moon's sea life.

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  18. I thought my upcoming 50k was going to be tough! You have a lot of heart to even attempt this and for such a great cause. Good luck and stay hydrated!

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  19. Super stuff, my friend! So excited about this whole event and project! So wish I could be there, too! :-) Tricia A.

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  20. Malcom - you're an inspiration! I eagerly await the beginning of your adventure and send you all my support and best wishes for such an overlooked but significant cause. Best of luck! x

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  21. Best Wishes for an excellent undertaking and for such a worthwhile cause. I hope the world takes notice.

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  22. Malcolm,
    This a wonderfully crazy project! I greatly admire your determination as you always fully dedicate yourself in your mission. I have no doubt about the successful outcome. I can't wait to follow the race and cheer for you at your every steps. Best of luck.

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  23. Go go go! Hope you aren't too wiped out with exhaustion at the end! We will all be there in spirit. Mia Jewett and Paul Joyce. Xx

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  24. What an epic effort for the whales you love so much. I hope you have a good pair of shoes and wished I could follow your journey. GOOD LUCK!

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  25. Toute mon admiration et mes encouragements pour votre projet. La cause des baleines est vitale. Nous vous sommes reconnaissants de vous y engager.

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  26. Sounds like a wonderful experience and to do this for such a wonderful cause, it would be just awesome to run through The Valley Of The Whales!

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  27. You guys are truly awesome. Your passion for this project is fantastic and I wish you all the luck you can carry in your pack. Looking forward to hearing your progress on the run and the movie. I believe in you. Anna Lovell

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  28. WOW! What an incredible act of dedication to the whales, to the awareness of cetaceans in general, to the challenge of pushing yourself to the limits!! I can't wait to follow your journey...all the way to the Sahara Desert and to the whales!

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  29. I would love to see this , all the best honey !

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  30. this is so inspiring, I hope you find the appropriate fruits toward this adventure.

    Big Ups on your training!! I can run off and on for like.. 30 second bursts over half an hour to make a train.. but otherwise not around the block let alone that far. sometimes big packs though :D

    amazing..people need to feel whales in a dream it's a shame things so big can go so unseen for the average human being =d

    God Speed ♥

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  31. Fantastic commitment!
    I've told a few other long suffering endurance friends about this.

    You're going to get some funny looks from the camels. :)

    All the best,
    God bless you in your endeavors,
    R.

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  32. Malkazoid! You're the man. I truly believe no one could/would do all this except you. Uh, bring plenty of water, I guess? And also, camera batteries.

    Hats off to you sir!

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  33. Wow! What a great story, and what a great way to show your dedication to the whales! I wish you all the best... good luck with your training and with the exciting journey that lies ahead of you!!!

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  34. This sounds really great! I can't wait to hear/see more about this. Thank you for taking such an in depth look at such an important issue.

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  35. Malcom, this is an insane run and very inspiring.
    Bravo!!! I can only imagine what great endurance you have.
    Bon Courage!!!

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  36. Amazing! I wish there were more people aware of those issues like you! Keep it up!

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  37. Malcolm -

    What an amazing thing to do for a wonderful cause! So few people have the drive to motivate themselves to take on such an incredible task. Everything you do is inspiring, and I know that you will see it through to the end! Looking forward to hearing all about your training and finally, the event itself!

    Best wishes,

    Heidi

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  38. cool stuff! Sounds like the adventure of a lifetime.

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  39. Malcolm - your commitment to the rpoject and lengths to which are willing to go for it are truly inspiring.

    Can't wait to see the finished product! :)

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  40. I wish I could be as crazy as you! ;)
    Truly inspiring!!! YOU CAN DO IT!!!

    All the best,
    Alex

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  41. I wish I could be as crazy as you! Truly inspiring!!! YOU CAN DO IT!!!

    All the best,
    Alex

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  42. An awesome and inspiring journey, project, story. Gonna be a good time!

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  43. Unbelievable. Go Malcolm! You constantly amaze me! I love the poetry part - finding your running legs in a place where whales abandoned theirs. That inspiration is so very you! :)

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  44. Epic! Such an amazing thing to do, you're inspirational. All the best to you Malcolm!

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