He's done It!

“ Suddenly as I came over a rise, I saw the tip of a light house. I could not hold back my emotions. I just sat down staring into the distance, tears welling into my eyes, I now knew I would get there.”

Three and half months after setting out and 11 weeks of running, extreme adventurer David Grier has proven once again that nothing is impossible! This weekend he completed his third Cipla Miles for Smiles Challenge and notched up his fourth world first by completing his difficult and gruelling run of Madagascar, coincidentally the fourth largest island in the world. Friday afternoon the support crew had got the 4x4 firmly embedded in a mangrove swamp. With the tide coming in and no immediate way of getting the vehicle out, David packed his rucksack with a tin of tuna and bread, his cameras and some water and set off alone on a 36 hour journey, leaving the two drivers to call in the tow trucks, in this case 8 cows chained together, to pull the vehicle out.

A daunting night of heavy rain, pumping rivers, poor visibility and bone chilling cold in a large swamp area stretched ahead. (see his posts HERE). Finally just after triumph on his little video camera, the only piece of equipment left after his phone had been damaged in the rain and the stills camera swept away during the river crossing. After an hour resting and contemplating the beautiful sight of the sea and land's end, David turned around and started his journey back to the crew.

Kitesurfing. The journey continues ...

... but not for David. What's a great adventurer without a surprise twist in the tale? Three weeks ago, David received an email from someone who was following his journey with great interest, but also with a sinking heart. This person, an experienced kitesurfer who shall remain nameless from a country that shall not be identified, was busy finalising plans for a similar kiteboarding adventure until he realised that David's plan to kiteboard home would take in much of the same route. as he made arrangements to get his kites up last week and prepared to start the kitesurf home, the thought of dreams unrealised was nagging David. After thinking it over and talking through his decision with the team at Cipla, David sent a message to this person. "Having now achieved two world firsts on this trip, and four in the past four years, I'm privileged to know that very rare sense of achievement and triumph that accompanies each success. I've already paddles across that ocean. If I do the kitesurf back to africa I'll trash your dream and deny you the same opportunity." The response, "Maybe we can do it together?" So who knows what might transpire but for now, David's leaving that dream open for someone else to realise.

Right now, with two huge solo successes under his belt, a wealth of stories and experiences, many fears faced and beaten, he's coming home!

See all the highlights and some fantastic live moments on YouTube links above on this page!!