The journey of Robbie Britton and Dan Lawson, two crazy Brits running the Jordan Trail, is the definition of “winging it”. Six hundred and fifty kilometres of endless mountains and unforgiving heat did not seem to shatter the pair’s excitement and rather laid-back attitude toward the adventure.
Details about the Jordan Trail have been few and far between since its opening in 2015, except for the legends behind it. It is said that Jesus, Moses and Muhammad wandered this very desert, which might have given these runners the confidence to play this journey by air. Or it could have been Jordan’s awesome kebabs that set the tone for their success?
The Jordan Trail. Photo: Jordantrail.org
The pair set off from Umm Qais, jogging past dusty villages, ancient ruins and the modern borders with Israel and Syria. Their “relentless forward motion” to the Dead Sea can be easily summarized in three words: chafing, multitasking and dogs. Yes, as inferred in the film’s title, the runners were accompanied by a new four-legged friend they literally stumbled upon at Petra and named after the iconic destination. Petra, queen of the desert, escorted her companions to the finish line at the Dead Sea, where they took a brief dip in its waters and found Petra her forever home with a family of refugees.
So not only did winging it earn them a world record of completing the trail in 9 days and 10 hours, but it also reinforced the notion that walking, old-fashioned though it may seem, is still the best way to travel.
