Welcome to 1000 Miles South America, which I started on May 22, 2026 as part of my greater project of running 1000 miles on every continent. On June 11, I finished running from volcano to volcano in Ecuador, climbing and skiing each one. Then, I set two new FKTs, on one the Cordillera Blanca Traverse, invented by Cam Honan in 2014, and the other on the world-famous Huayuash Circuit. Now I am running with the wind through the Peruvian Altiplano for my final stretch of 169 miles. Follow this blog or my Instagram for updates.
Summary: Run from Hatun Machay to Corpanqui along the Peru Great Divide backpacking route.
I wake up in Hatun Machay, Peru’s largest rock climbing center, at the usual 5 am. It’s freezing, but I’m ready to resume running after almost a week off for a(nother) stomach bug and rock climbing.
The day begins cutting across cow fields as I make my way towards the Peru Great Divide, one of the world’s most famous bikepacking routes. Cordillera Blanca in the distance to the east.
within a couple hours I arrive in the town of Conococha, and officially join the Peru Great Divide bikepacking route. I sit down for a breakfast of quinoa (drink) and two cheese sandwiches. The cheese sandwiches are a slice of cheese sandwiched by bread.
A Laguna below
Last month, Keiko Fujimori became the 10th president of Peru in the past 10 years. I have yet to meet a single person here who voted for her. The criticisms against her were most succinctly captured by 13 year old boy I met in a rural village, “Se vende Peru.” She’s putting up Peru for sale.
In the middle of my run, a bikepacker appears in the distance! Ronan hitchhiked from his home in Bayonne, France to Spain, then hitched a ride as crew on a sailboat to the Carribean, and then biked across South America for four months.
We were so excited to run into each other that we stopped and shared a coffee.
Ronan and I discover that we’re both at the tail ends of our journey and fly out of Lima in about a week. We exchange contact info and set an intention to meet in Lima.
Begin descending from the 4000 meter altiplano down. You may recognize the mountains in the distance from the Huayhuash range
I spy a car at the bottom of the gorge 🙄
Nice trail
Shortly after 5 pm, I arrive in the cute town of Corpanqui. In the plaza, I meet a lady who owns a hospedaje (in reality she has a guest room).
The bed is covered in what looks like saw dust, so I sleep on the ground in my sleeping bag. The woman cooks spaghetti and tomato sauce with tuna for dinner 😋
Sunset in Corpanqui
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