the interview
It all starts with a single step …
Meet Katharine and David Lowrie : a record-breaking couple who sailed the Atlantic to begin an ultra-marathon through South America , all in the name of conservation
By Shaun Hurrell
Photos by Katharine & David Lowrie magine how it would feel to run into the Caribbean Sea ... Now imagine i running into the Caribbean Sea after having run a marathon whilst pulling a trailer weighing up to 140 kg ... Now imagine running into the Caribbean Sea after having run a marathon whilst pulling this trailer almost every day for 15 months …
This is the feeling 35-year-old Katharine and David Lowrie experienced when , in October 2013 , they became the first people in the world to run the entire length of South America , unsupported , to raise money for BirdLife and Asociación Armonía ( BirdLife in Bolivia ) . We spoke to Katharine , who has written a book “ Running South America with my Husband and other animals ” about their experiences .
Katharine , we ’ re blown away by what you and David have achieved , and what the human body can deal with . What motivated you to start this epic adventure ? Was it being confined to a boat for three years including crossing the Atlantic ? Sailing the Atlantic and Pacific is not the ideal preparation for running marathons …! We had to do squats and jumps on the spot like the Masai . Running is such a natural thing , we evolved to
0 Katharine running in the rain in northern Argentinian cloud forest , near Catamarca
Like no other form of passage , running would allow us to permeate the moods of the land and its creatures . With only a couple of millimetres of ‘ barefoot ’ shoe-soles separating us from the earth ’ s heartbeat , often only our unshod skin , we would move silently , stealthily , creeping up on wildlife , a whisper away from discovery , a step from the unknown and unexpected
From the book “ Running South America with my Husband and other animals ”
34 birdlife • apr-jun 2018