Alastair Humphreys is an Englishman whose resume boasts the titles cyclist, adventurer, author, and motivational speaker. An adventurer straight out of the womb, Al took on extraordinary challenges at an early age. At 8, he completed the 26 mile Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge; a 37.5-42 Km (23-26 mile) race of three mountain peaks with almost a mile of elevation change in only 12 hours. At 13, he finished the National Three Peaks; a 765 Km (475 miles) race with 26 miles of elevation change that must be completed within 24 hours. At 14, he cycled off-road across England during summer vacation.
After high school, Alastair attended Edinburgh and Oxford Universities occasionally taking breaks to fundraise for charities.
Did you know?- Alastair Humphreys ran the London marathon dressed as a rhino.
Al trying to figure out where he is in the middle of the desert.
Yet Mr. Humphreys didn’t gain world recognition as an adventurer until his famous ‘Round the World by Bike’ expedition. The trip would take 4 years to complete, with him passing through 5 continents, 60 countries, and biking more than 46,000 miles! While a more detailed map of Alastair’s travel route can be seen below, it’s worthwhile pointing out that he got to see places like Turkey, Pakistan, Italy, Panama, the west coast of North America to Alaska, Russia, Japan, China, and much of central Asia.
But again Al showed that he still had a desire to give back to the world. After visiting Africa for a year when he was eighteen to teach children, he felt inspired to officially dedicate his journey to raising funds and awareness for a charity called Hope and Homes for Children (click on the link to see ways in which you can help). Their mission statement from their website is stated below:
To give hope to the poorest children in the world – those who are orphaned, abandoned or vulnerable – by enabling them to grow up within the love of a family and the security of a home, so that they can fulfill their potential.While he managed to assimilate back into normal life for a few years, Humphreys’ urge to escape the mundane grind was biting at his heels. In 2008, he competed in the Marathon des Sables, a 150 mile race through the Sahara Desert. Even though breaking his foot during the race, Al managed to finish as one of the top ten Brits.
In 2009, Mr. Humphreys along with Major Phil Packer (A paralyzed veteran of the Iraq war.) rowed across the English Channel to raise £1 million for Help for Heroes (click on the link to see ways in which you can help); an organization formed to help those who have been wounded in Britain's current conflicts.
You may be asking yourself, “Well…what’s he going to do next? He’s done it all already!” Yet if you were to ask Mr. Humphreys himself that question, he would only smile and shove it aside. For the last seven years, he along with old childhood friend, Ben Saunders, have been training to repeat one of history’s most grueling challenges. The two men are preparing to set out on the ‘first unsupported return journey to the South Pole on foot’. Named SOUTH, its mission is not only to show what is truly possible but to raise awareness of environmental issues. If completed, the expedition will also rank as the longest unsupported journey in history at 1,800 miles.
The red line outlines the proposed expedition route that will take the two
adventurers from the coast of Antartica, to the South Pole, and back.
Alastair makes a living with his motivational speaking as well as income from his book sales. Thus far, Al has written three books entitled Moods of Future Joys, Thunder and Sunshine, and Ten Lessons from the Road. You can click on each one above to read reviews plot descriptions of each piece as well as learn about a special incentive if you order the books through his site.
And of course if you want to know anything else about the man, see some of his pictures and videos from his latest expeditions, read his inspirational blog, and more, visit Humphreys’ official website at alastairhumphreys.com.
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