Rune Monstad: Why He's Biking Around The World

This weekend, I learned about Rune Monstad, a Norwegian that's bicycling around the world.

While trying to make a phone call in Seattle, someone stole Rune's passport & money from his bike. Luckily, word spread about Rune's misfortune and the people of Seattle responded generously.

Whether or not you've been following Rune via his blog or website, here is some information you probably don't know:

Rune was born in Tonsberg, Norway (about an hour's drive South of Oslo) and is 33 years old. His epic bicycling saga began in Bolivia after completing a year there working with homeless children.

Since starting his trip 9 months ago, Rune's bicycled over 16,000 miles. Other than participating once in a triathlon in Norway, this is the first time that Rune's attempted a long distance, multi-day, self supported bike tour. This winter, Rune will be bicycling West to East across Canada. He expects his circumnavigation of the world to last another 3 years and plans to end the tour in Bolivia.

Rune hopes that his trip will increase environmental awareness, inspiring more people to shed their cars and get around by bicycle.

By the way, Rune's most rewarding experience has been discovering how friendly people are regardless where they live or how much money they have. Rune also has this wisdom to offer: if you're thinking about doing something BIG, don't think so much; just do it. You only live once.

Awesome advice, Rune.

In the future, I plan to publish more news from Rune. Meanwhile, if you'd like to learn more about him, the following links are all good.

Links
- A great story about Rune in the Wenatchee World
- Rune's Current Blog
- Rune's Original Website

Larry