To Mordor!!

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Okay, I just found the most awesome geek exercise challenge/experience that I think I’ve ever seen and I HAD to share it with you guys. I found it yesterday while I was perusing the MyFitnessPal community. For those of you who are unaware, MyFitnessPal is a website (and iPhone/Touch/Pad app.) with a nutrition tracker (calories and nutrients) and  a forum where users can contribute recipes, post success stories, discuss fitness and nutrition, and provide support for those looking to lead a healthier lifestyle. I happened to be scanning the Fitness and Exercise boards when I came across a post entitled “To Mordor!” (Obviously you can see how that would intrigue me!)The user stated that she would be “walking to Mordor” (based on accumulated mileage) and upon further research I realized that this was all part of something called the Eowyn Challenge. The Eowyn Challenge was started back in 2003 when a group of Tolkien fans calculated the mileage from different segments of the journey’s undertaken by the famous fantasy characters. They used official maps, milestones, and detailed charts to create the foundation of the challenge. 

Let's just go ahead and get this out of the way.

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I think this would be a SUPER fun thing to keep track of, as you can use mileage from walking, running, biking, hiking and swimming to make it to your Middle Earth destination. Once I get some updates to the blog (including tabs at the top!) I am going to have a section where you can see my progression. Apparently it is 1100 miles all the way to Mordor and 1560 if you go the way Frodo and Sam went. I think I am going to start from the beginning and log my progress to Rivendell, a mere 458 miles from Hobbiton. 

If you want a more detailed explanation and access to the charts, check out the Eowyn Challenge Walk section.

To Mordor!!