Runningman Robert Garside comes full circle

At noon on June 13, in 115° heat, one very beleaguered Englishman
dragged his dogs through the midday sun into New Delhi,
completing an epic--and controversial--five-and-a-half-year run
around the world. Robert Garside, known as Runningman, threw up
his arms and said, "I am overwhelmed with relief. I am finally
free of my long-distance running chains."

Maybe so, but Garside, 36, is not yet clear of the cloud of
skepticism that swirled around his 30,000-mile marathon (SI, July
1, 2002). Critics have charged him with faking Web diaries that
recounted his trek through Afghanistan and encounters with
Pakistani bandits. Back home the Daily Mail announced Garside's
arrival in New Delhi with the headline THE LONG DISTANCE LIAR.

Garside, who insists there's more truth than fiction, isn't
deterred. He says he's ready to begin planning his next mission:
to become the first person to run across Antarctica.

COLOR PHOTO: AP