All this running reminded me of a challenge that I came across several years ago: the Walk to Rivendell Challenge.
The original challenge began in March 2003, as a way for Lord of the Rings fans to combine their love of the books/movies with exercise. The idea was that every mile represented a part of the journey that Frodo, Sam, Pippin, Merry, and eventually Aragorn made from Hobbiton to Rivendell. The cumulative journey was 458 miles.
The original journey ended at Rivendell. But as the popularity of the challenge grew, so did the challenge itself. The challenge now covers the journey all the way to Mt. Doom to Aragorn's coronation, back to Bag End, and even to the Grey Havens and back with Sam. Not only that, but the challenge has now incorporated Bilbo's journey from The Hobbit.
If you are looking for an interesting way to add a bit of fun to your fitness routine, I definitely encourage you to check this challenge out. This won't give you pointers on anything, and it isn't designed to be a specific plan to follow. It is simply a way to see where you are with the Fellowship or with Bilbo as you "walk" through Middle-earth. You'll want a way to be able to track your distance, such as a GPS watch (there are also apps that track this), or make sure you are paying attention to the distance on your treadmill if you are staying indoors. That way, you can check out the challenge and see where you are. One thing I want to point out: the challenge might say something like "18 miles" for any given day. That is not what it is telling you to do for that day. It is simply saying how far the characters traveled on that particular day. Go however far you are able.
Sound interesting and fun? Join the Walk to Rivendell (and beyond!) Challenge! I think I will be participating again.
WOW it seems like this challenge is meant for me! (My blog name is called "there and back again....and again). Thanks for posting this! I'm going to check it out now! BTW, The Hobbit was AWESOME! My hubby and I are HUGE LOTR/Hobbit fans (in fact, our wedding rings are based on the "one" ring). :)
ReplyDeleteI hope the challenge works out for you! It has been a long time since I last attempted it. But now that I have taken up running, I think it seems more manageable to me. I'm going to log the miles anyway, so I might as well do it through Middle-earth! LOVE the fact that your rings are based on the One ring, by the way! And yes, The Hobbit was brilliant!
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