Santiago Sánchez Cogedor on his way to Qatar from Spain.
A Spaniard, Santiago Sánchez Cogedor, who started his epic walk from Madrid to Doha in January this year, hoping to reach Qatar in time for the opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup 2022 on November 20, has now reached Iraq.
In a video posted on his social media accounts on Wednesday, Cogedor indicated that he is now in a village called Zakho in the Kurdistan region and will soon cross the Iranian border, passing Erbil and other cities as he continued on his quest to complete the over 6,500 kilometers on foot in time for the opening ceremony of the world’s biggest sporting event.
As he makes his way towards Qatar, the adventurer, who regularly posts updates on his journey, has been sleeping in his tent, at hotels, or with new friends he has made along the way.
According to him, he calculated the trip to take about a year, hence the reason for starting early in January.
“In terms of kilometers, I do an average of 14–15 kilometers a day. On some days, I do more, like yesterday when I did twenty-one,” he said yesterday.
Cogedor noted that he has been relying on a translation app on his phone to help him overcome the challenges of communicating with people he encounters on his journey.
“One of the most surprising things is the way people are surprised that I am going by foot. They couldn’t believe it. Oftentimes, I have to take out the map and show where Spain is and what the route is. The route I took to get there and what I have left,” he added.
According to him, the hardest thing on the trip, like in others, is the mental state.
“I often don’t walk with my feet, but I walk with my mind. If your morale is good, your body is good,” Cogedor noted.
The Spaniard left Madrid in January and has since crossed much of Europe and Turkey.
The 42-year-old adventurer, who loves sports, had met with the Ambassador of Qatar to Spain, Abdullah bin Ibrahim Al Hamar, before the start of his journey on January 8.
According to news website Ruptly, Cogedor started his journey from the Matapinonera Stadium in Madrid’s San Sebastian de los Reyes.
“The trip will be a journey that will make me a better person, a better human being. It will be continuous learning, nights of loneliness, and I want to share that with the people I am with,” Cogedor said before the start of the trip.
According to reports, the Spaniard is carrying his suitcase with wheels, which has a gas stove, water purification tablets, and his tent for his 11-month journey.
