He persists… but the authorities do not give in. On August 26, a Florida resident was arrested by the US Coast Guard for attempting to “run to London” inside a…giant hamster wheel, reports the BBC. This is not the first time that the man, a certain Reza Baluchi, has attempted this type of crossing. Since 2014, he has increased these trips, before being stopped each time in his tracks by the police. This time, he was stopped mainly because Hurricane Idalia was dangerously approaching the American coast.
On August 26, it was therefore intercepted just over 110 km from the Georgian coast. But it didn’t stop there, as the man refused to get off his “hamster wheel” for three days. To prevent the police from intervening, he threatened to commit suicide with a knife while explaining that he had a bomb on board. This last threat turned out to be false, according to checks carried out by the authorities.
The 44-year-old marathon runner finally surrendered on September 1. He is now being prosecuted for “obstruction of boarding” and “violation of an order of the harbor master”.
Since 2014, this man has regularly made headlines in the American media. His first attempt at a transatlantic crossing, in 2014, ended in failure and he had to be rescued, the same in 2016 and 2021. In all three cases, he explained that he wanted to make these crossings in order to raise funds to help homeless people, among others.
“My goal is not only to raise money for the homeless, [but also] to raise money for the coast guard, the police department, the fire department,” he told a TV channel local in 2021.
Reza Baluchi is a former high-level cyclist. He has since become an extreme athlete. In 2012, he told CNN that he was originally from Iran and had fled his country to avoid persecution. He also spoke about his strong determination: “One thing I want to show people is that if sometimes you fail, never give up on your dream.” Rarely have we seen a mantra applied so literally.