Running around London with Sam

There are some runs that are so memorable that words cannot do them justice.  This afternoon was one of them.  When you can combine amazing sites, a fantastic running partner and spirited conversation – you have a winning combination …

In between meetings and flights, I had a few hours open up and was able to run the streets of London this afternoon in the very cold but clear UK fall.  I was able to run with Sam (of the Sam and Alex pair on the Denali expedition).  So, Sam is just one of the most worldly and adventurous guys I have met and just a nice bloke to boot.  He’s only 21 I think, but has the intelligence and experience of someone much older – but with the youthful wink-in-the-eye look that is so engaging.  Sam is tall and lanky and is in University here in London and the next two years he is doing studies in Madrid and Paris.  He (and Alex) speak French fluently and he is learning Spanish.

He is the one guy from Denali who never complained, always carried extra weight and was calm and collected during difficult times.  (Oh – and he’s the one who played these “would you rather?” stories in the tent.  Like “would you rather be stung by a thousand bees or ravaged by a thousand men?” – but said in a very British accent and a laughing voice!).  Him and Alex have been together like 7 years with a couple of years on “break” and they have been to some of the world’s most interesting and outlying areas with true adventures to tell about …

Back to the story … we met up at Speakers Corner near Marble Arch at Hyde Park.  I had a bunch of clothes on (it’s cold) and he was carrying a backpack with his stuff.  As on Denali, he let me put my jacket and mobile in his pack, just adding some more weight.  We set out from Hyde Park and my goal was to get to the Thames to reach another “great river of Europe run”.

We ran through the Park and then were quickly running by Buckingham Palace, and then Big Ben, Parliament and just running through the streets and tourists.  We got to the Thames and ran alongside that for awhile and then crossed over at the Tate Modern (Museum) bridge.  I told him, as we were talking, telling stories and laughing that this was like a moment from a movie where two guys are running and there just needed to be some music in the background (“soundtracks from our lives moment”).  We could not agree on what song it could be – Phil Collins too old and stodgy, maybe Maroon 5, but there just was not a good one that came to mind.

We saw the London Eye, Saint Pauls, and finally got into a pretty fast pace.  Too which, I’m breathing heavily and trying to talk – and he’s not … Sam has these long running legs while men are – well – not

He talked about these incredible stories of losing passports (and my similar ones), going to Mongolia without a plan (get in a cab and ask for a hostel) and getting kicked out of Russia.  We compared notes and stories from Denali and laughed a lot about things that happened there.  We talked about the economy, US politics (SP e.g.), relationships, his school projects (pitching to VC’s), and plans for Everest and Antarctica (and financial worries on both).

We ended up with a well-earned Asian meal and I promised to send him some stuff on Web 2.0 and the New New New Economy and what that means for early stage companies.

We talked about how hard it is to describe experiences to somebody else who has not been there and what he (or I) say to people when they ask about Denali. This afternoon was like that, you can write about running through London, but not so much about how it really was – just a memorable run (not jog ) with someone interesting who brings youth and wisdom into a conversation – and – you get great cardio at the same time!  Thanks again Sam and see you on the next mountain or run!!!