Advance speculation shows that this will be the most spectacular Olympic Torch Relay ever, intended to be four times longer than the Turin relay, covering all 83 Russian entities, allowing 90% of the population to enjoy the spectacle.
It has also been confirmed that the torch will be taken to Lake Baikal, the world’s deepest lake with a depth of 1,600 metres, in the south of Russia near Irkutsk, and also travel to Mount Elbrus, the tallest mountain in Europe at a height of 5,642m.
“We promise a spectacular event,” [Sochi 2014 President Dmitry] Chernyshenko told insidethegames.
From the bottom of Lake Baikal to the top of Elbrus, highest mountain of Europe, one of the Seven Summits, and one of my favorite mountains. That alone is a feat of amazing proportions.
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According to Chernyshenko, this relay will be the longest in history, both in terms of time – 123 days – and in distance – covering more than 40,000 kilometers which is the length of the Earth’s equator.
“I don’t think anyone will be able to replicate this record – Sochi 2014 will be in a league of their own” Chernyshenko said.
Sochi2014.com
Even more amazingly, they’re going to send it to space, something that only Russia can do.
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“Russia was the first country to send a man into space some 50 years ago. So, we are proud that now we have the opportunity to be the first nation to send the Olympic torch into space.”
Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov – Washington Post
Why I bring this all up now, is that this could be a great time to plan your trip to the Elbrus region for one of your Seven Summits, assuming of course they don’t close the entire area, like an infamous Olympics mountain top torch run in a previous year.