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The Great Silk Run

From Afganastan to Kyrgyzstan - Cross Tajikistan by Foot

Nick Carter's Wild Weekends

Overview

Salam! Welcome to an expedition like no other. Starting on the far-flung border of Afghanistan, you'll be running, walking, or jogging about a marathon a day across Tajikistan to the border of Kyrgyzstan, through scenery that will make your heart sing.

En route, we'll stay with local people, eat as locals eat, and experience life at the roof of the world. Expect new friendships, stunning views, heart-pumping climbs, and a glimpse into a totally different way of life. Top it off with restful nights looking out at the stars, giant mountains, and winding glaciers.

Leading you through this amazing land will be Danny Bent, world record holder, author, happiness guru, and powerhouse of positivity. This adventure, as with everything Danny does, is as radically inclusive as possible. It’s absolutely not a race; everyone goes at their own pace - 200 miles may seem like a long way, but as a tribe, we really can make it!

Expect new friendships, stunning mountain views, mild blowing vistas, and stays with the locals! Top it off with restful nights looking out at the stars and maybe even a wolf or two if we’re lucky!

Hosts

Danny Bent

Danny's passion in life is to bring people together to show what's possible through teamwork and positivity. He's pogoed across Togo, cycled to India, run across North America and survived the BBC TV show "Ultimate Hell Week".

Nick Carter

Nick has climbed Everest, swum the English Channel and crossed Iceland unsupported. His passion is to organise adventures that stretch people beyond their comfort zones and prove what's possible with a bit of grit and determination.

Schedule

Getting There
Prepare

The schedule doesn't include actually getting there (or back), so you'll need to get yourself to Dushanbe, Tajikistan first. You can arrive whenever you like, but there's a hotel with your name on it waiting for you up to 2 days before the event starts.

Day One
Start

Getting to the Bartang Valley is no small feat. Today we start our long bus journey to the valley entrance. En route we pass stunning scenery and have time to stop and explore.

Day Two
Rushan

Today we'll start running from the Tajik-Afgan border town of Rushan and the start of the Bartang Valley. It's nothing but a tiny turning off a tiny road.

Day Three
Siponj

Staying in local village homestays we'll wend our way along the Bartang river. Expect to see no more than one car per day and always locals. Tourists don't go down this way. We're heading for the tiny village of Siponj. Don't bother Googling it.

Day Four
Basid

Off to the equally small village of Basid today, through spectacular canyons and over beautiful passes. Glad it's all being filmed! Picnic lunch on route.

Day Five
Roshorv

Run/walk to Roshorv village, where we will see Lapnazar Peak (5990m), it's the only mountain in Tajikistan that you can see from top to bottom. Check out the Juniper trees and local way of life. Up till now we've been staying in homestays, now we break out the tents.

Day Six
Ghudara Valley

Today we will enter Ghudara valley where the landscape opens out onto wide breathtaking plains. We'll pass an ancient fortress in the village of Savnob and a cave where beautiful girls used to hide from foreign invaders.

Day Seven
Tanimas Valley

Today we'll run through Tanimas valley and pass by Kok Jar (no sniggering), one of the most stunning and mind-blowing parts of the trail. This will be one Kok of a day as we gain height steadily.

Day Eight
Wild Camping

Very wild camping (but with many home comforts) for a couple of nights as we leave even the smallest villages behind. We might see Marco Polo sheep herds en-route and will pass next to a large meteorite crater.

Day Nine
Karakul

Wild running in the middle of freakin' nowhere leads us to Karakul on the border of Kyrgystan and China. Here we'll leave the Bartang valley behind and join the legendary M41 Pamir Highway, finishing in Karakul.

Day Ten
Celebration

Head home. If the pass has reopened this will be via the capital Bishkek. If the pass has not reopened, we will take a private bus along the Pamir highway and exit back through Dushanbe.

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Gallery

FAQ

Most of the team will jog a bit and walk a bit. It's not about who gets there first (we don't even keep track), it's about the whole team getting across Tajikistan. Last time there was a group of three who walked the whole thing.

Yes! Contact Nick Carter on +447944913245 or nick@runwild.global There is also a very active WhatsApp group that everyone uses to work out logistics and share ideas. Nick can add you to it.

Yes! You only need to put down a 10% deposit initially, then you can pay in any way you like, over a time scale that suits you.

If you put in your details in the "Find Out More" section you can download the full info pack with dates and kit list. We will also email you with full pricing details.

More than one person could sign up, so you can do the event with friends, but most people enter as solo runners (there's normally a 60/40 female/male split) and then make life-long, like-minded friends on the journey.