Former UWE student leads ground-breaking expedition

UWE alumnus Andrew Strachan will be setting off for Istanbul on Friday to prepare for one of the most significant running events this year. This April, Andrew’s team will attempt an ambitious exploration trip to run the length of the Silk Route - a network of trade routes across the Asian continent that gets its name from the lucrative silk trade - and become the first runners to cover the entire span on foot.

For 150 days, Andrew and his team will cover an average distance of 70km a day, travelling through Turkey, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and China, finishing in Xi'an. Andrew will be leading the expedition, supporting the runners as they attempt the most extreme and gruelling challenge to date along the Silk Road.

‘Running the Silk Road’ is the first in a series of unprecedented expeditions organised by The Home Expedition(THE). THE is an institute devoted to promoting a sustainable earth, long term solutions for deprived peoples/ regions and a sense of responsibility among privileged groups by means of expeditions throughout the world.

Andrew comments on the experience saying “this is the first major sporting project ever to be jointly undertaken by China and Taiwan. It's big news in the East. If people would like to follow our progress, the journey will be documented and daily photo, film, and blog updates will be posted on the website and facebook”.