Humans evolved to run for their lunch. Features such as achilles tendons, an anatomy that allows breathing independent of motion and the wondrous ability to sweat buckets meant we were able to chase other mammals til they could be chased no more. Such athleticism was followed by agriculture, when there was a chance to sit around for a bit while things grew, swiftly followed by menus, wine lists and 24 hour pizza. Now we run not to get our food but to get rid of it.

Like many in current times, I haven't felt a strong kinship with those ultra running ancestors. I have a memory of a primary school race around a field. Picture if you will a small, round, asthmatic kid lagging ages behind the rest. I was the kid behind that kid.

To counter this uninspiring snapshot of personal history, From the afternoon of the 10th of May to the evening of the 14th, I will be running almost 140 miles. That is the equivalent of five and a bit marathons over four and a bit days. It sounds ludicrous, and crazy, and impossible, which is exactly why it is such an attractive challenge. The destination alliteration and subtle half-rhyme doubled with nominative determinism in the subtitle are welcome bonuses. 

The charity I am putting my legs to work for, Feedback Madagascar, are the charity I volunteered for over the winter. They assist communities on issues from healthcare to sustainable incomes, and they have found that in almost every project, reforestation is something which could help improve the overall situation. This is not surprising when you consider the severity of the deforestation there. Since the first of the monkey family (that's us) arrived 2000 years ago on the island, 90% of the forest that was there has been destroyed, 70% of which was cut down in the 30 years of French rule from 1895 to 1925.

The collective name for the tree-planting endeavour is called Treemad, and it aims to plant millions of trees over the next few years. Fruit trees, charcoal trees, trees for the soil, trees for the air - trees for the peple and for the wildlife.

And now, a bit of philosophy from Forrest Gump:

"I don't know if we each have a destiny, or if we're all just floating around accidental-like on a breeze, but I, I think maybe it's both. Maybe both is happening at the same time."