BY SCOTT
HADDOW
When Mark Burgess starts something, he finishes it.
The president and governor of the Sudbury Wolves OHL franchise
is set to depart for Nairobi, Kenya to compete in a 26-mile
marathon.
Marathons have become a common sport, but what makes
Burgess' Kenya marathon so important is the fact once he
completes it, he will join a very exclusive club of marathon
runners.
Upon crossing the finish line, Burgess will become one of
only a few Canadians to have ever completed a marathon in every
continent.
"It will be a 26-mile run through a game preserve with lions and armed game wardens," said Burgess. "I will finish off my seventh continent. There's only about 100 people in the world that have done this. It's something I set out to do a few years ago, and hopefully, I will return on June 25 successful."
In the last three years, Burgess has picked off marathons in
Europe (where it all started), Asia, South and North America,
Australia and the Antarctic.
"I think this one will be memorable because of the significance of accomplishing the feat," said the Wolves owner.
"Kenya is almost home to the marathon...so it's going to be
special."
Out of all his marathons, the Antarctic stands out in
Burgess' mind clearly and vividly.
He flew to Buenos Aires and then took a five-hour flight to the tip of South America. And that was just the beginning of his wild trip to the frozen land. "I took a Russian ice breaker across one of the roughest seas," said Burgess.
"There were 40 to 50 foot waves. I saw a lot of whales,
seals and penguins...more than I could have ever imagined on
the Antarctic Peninsula. Someone asked me if I had seen the
March of the Penguins documentary and I said 'No, I have lived
it.' It was really interesting to run down there. I ran up a
mile high glacier and around Peruvian and Chinese research
stations. It was a lot of fun."
The whole dream started when Burgess was on a business trip
in Europe and took part in a marathon in Berlin, Germany.
"That got me really interested," said Burgess. "Then I went
on business to Istanbul and ran one in Asia. It really took a
life of its own afterwards."
Chasing down this goal has been nothing but good times.
"Doing this, combines my love of travel - my wife and kids
also love to travel- and we get to see the world," said
Burgess. "We live on a beautiful planet with a lot of
interesting people."
Burgess ran his first marathon in Ottawa in 2000.
He has left his options wide open once he completes this
challenge.
"I don't know what's next," said Burgess. "Maybe I'll start mountain climbing. I think no one has ever run marathons and climbed the highest peaks on every continent. Maybe I'll do it."
