The Great Run: Conquering the Sleeping Dragon Within: Life's Lessons on the Run

Everyone said it couldn't be done; even internationally renowned sports scientists such as Dr. Tim Noakes. Certainly no one had done it before, though many had tried: to run the Great Wall of China, end-to-end, non-stop.

It would mean running a full marathon for every one of 100 days, with time off only for sickness and injury. The journey would start in the Gobi Desert, cross the jagged Tiahang Shan range, and end at the Bo Sea. It would involve blood-boiling heat and mummifying sandstorms, soul numbing mountain nights, incidents with bandits and draconian officials, pig's-head soup and large-scale environmental devastation. But no one had counted on the tenacity of South African nature lover Braam Malherbe.

In running the main intact section of the Great Wall, 4,200 kilometers end to end, Braam and his running partner David Grier set a new world record. But he would have to call on reserves far deeper – physically and emotionally – than even he realized he had. China was never going to let him off lightly; then again, it would not leave a worthy traveler unmoved or unchanged.

What began as a running away, from long-buried childhood trauma, family suffering and loss, as well as hurt felt for the state of the planet, would eventually become a journey towards inner peace and understanding. It concludes with the writer running into a new vision of healing the planet, step by small step, one person at a time. This is his story of running wild.