Courtesy of the Mumpers
An Indiana man accomplished the unimaginable after setting an audacious goal fourteen years ago: to walk the Earth’s circumference—24,901 miles.
It took dedication and consistency over the course of thousands of days, but Russell Mumper met that goal on June 25.
“He didn’t finish it with anything fancy,” his daughter, Shannon Mumper, told GNN.
“My mom held up a checkered flag and he ‘crossed the finish line’ with our two family dogs on the driveway.”
As the Vice President for Research at Indiana University, Mumper is familiar with the scientific method, so he tracked every statistic throughout his journey that began in 2012 (including pairs of sneakers he’s worn out).
It’s not something he did for fame or recognition.
He fell in love with walking (and hiking) and stayed committed to the goal for over a decade. Shannon says it’s a testament to his nature.
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Russell Mumper with his “fur babies” Lucy and Milly
“My dad is the most hardworking man I know.”
He completed the feat at 60 years-old, while working full-time. The family even moved their residence across state lines three times during this period.
Russell simply gravitated to one of the healthiest ways to escape everyday stress.
“I had no idea how long it would take,” he said.
“Nearly 14 years later, after logging 5,900 separate walks and taking approximately 55 million steps, and wearing-out 49 pairs of trail shoes (thank you New Balance!), I reached my goal.
“Along the way, I averaged about 5 miles per day and accumulated enough total elevation gain and loss to equal climbing and descending Mount Everest 46.5 times.”
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“We are extremely proud of him,” his daughter gushed.
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