A Greek actor is set to undertake the staggering feat of running from his native Athens to Glasgow to help raise the profile of the COP26 summit which takes place here in the city later this year.
The major climate event, being held at the SEC Centre from November 1 to 11, is expected to bring together the largest gathering of heads of state ever hosted in the UK, alongside climate experts and campaigners, to agree a coordinated global action plan to tackle global warming.
Agis Emmanouil, who has starred in a number of TV shows in his native Greece, will run over 2,400 miles across Europe with the help of ultra-marathon runners from the six countries he will pass through on his mammoth 80-day run.
The route from the Greek capital to the Clyde should see the 51-year-old ultra-runner and activist visit Venice, Milan, Lyon, Paris, Antwerp, Brussels, Rotterdam, Leeds and Liverpool before he completes the very last 17km from Hamilton to Glasgow.
Speaking to Greek magazine Bovary, Agis said: “It is a very difficult project, it will last 80 days, which requires concentration and dedication… My diet, hydration, sleep must be under control. It’s like a longboat, which will end when I get to Glasgow.
“It is the first time I will run so many days, but the ultramarathon is 70% soul and 30% training. Experience definitely plays a role, the main thing is that we are talking about a brain game: the brain makes a plan that you have to complete.”
Here’s us thinking even a walk to the SEC Centre is a stretch from where we are, never mind from Athens! Hope he has a decent pair of trainers looked out!
You can donate to Agis’s fundraiser for staging the run here
