Madonna was a big supporter of Sport Aid ’88 and the Race Against Time and helped launch the USA races by attending a press conference with Mike Tyson. The only thing … Mike didn’t turn up!

Extract from page 218 of ‘I Ran the World’.

Madonna and Mike Tyson agreed to be at the press conference and CARE USA was very happy indeed. On the day of the press conference Tyson was late showing up.
Madonna called him on her mobile phone and told him to ****** hurry up!
Not bad for a little lady.
Tyson was about to take on Michael Spinks to become the undisputed world heavyweight boxing champion!

Read about this and the incredible Sport Aid story in ‘I Ran the World’ out now.

A new challenge from Harlington man who founded Sport Aid

On the surface Harlington entrepreneur Chris Long is a regular guy. But scratch a little deeper and you’ll discover an astonishing secret: this dynamic director of Earthdive, a company devoted to protecting our oceans, was the founder and force behind Sport Aid and Run the World, the biggest mass participation demonstration our planet has ever seen.

Inspired by Bob Geldof and Band Aid, Chris organised this game-changing event 34 years ago. It involved almost 20 million people in 89 countries, running simultaneously to demand action for the famine victims of Ethiopia and Sudan.

He has now written a riveting book on how it all happened...

. . . including the great town of Gateshead. If I remember correctly, the great Steve Cram and Brendan Foster helped a huge turnout in the North East of England – supporting the starving in Africa in Sport Aid and Run the World.

Roberto Perrone interviewed Chris Long about his new book – ‘I Ran the World’ on BBC Three Counties Radio on Friday 29th May, 2020.

Chris is a regular panelist on Roberto’s Family Panel show and takes this opportunity to talk about his book, Sport Aid and more . . .

Click here to listen

To celebrate 34 years ago on May 25th we are giving away a free kindle version of ‘I Ran the World’.

19.8 million runners in 89 countries delivered a petition of blistered feet to the United Nations in New York on this day and we want to celebrate that amazing event.

Just click here to get your free copy (only on the day – May 25th 2020).

Thanks to everyone who has bought/downloaded the book so far and left such great reviews. Humbled and delighted that it is a current No. 1 Best Seller – albeit in a narrow category!! LOL. Spread the word . . .

5.0 out of 5 stars.
“Is it really nearly 34 years since I took part in the ‘I Ran the World’ Sport Aid Event? In common with millions of others around the world, I took part in a 10k ‘charity run’ to help raise funds for the starving in Africa. I am sure that I can still feel it in my legs! I ran with a group of fellow squash players from my local club who were determined to make it competitive. At the end of it I was “exhausted…knackered….f*****d”
And those are exactly the words that author Chris Long uses in the prelude of ‘I Ran the World’, to describe how he felt as he landed ...

Published on Amazon books here

The book ‘I Ran the World’ is being previewed on Sunday 10th November at 1:00 pm and on Tuesday 12th November at 7:00 pm on the Tara Dolby show on BBC Three Counties Radio.

“Michael Burke’s famine report changed me forever” Bedfordshire’s Chris Long founded Sport Aid & Run The World raising millions

Tara Dolby

Tara Dolby brings you the People’s Playlist – Life stories through music. Release date: 10 November 2019. 1 hour

Broadcasts

• Sunday13:00 BBC THREE COUNTIES RADIO
• Tuesday19:00 BBC THREE COUNTIES RADIO

Extract from Chapter 21

“As I write this, [I Ran the World] Greta Thunberg who started a school strike for climate change outside the Swedish Parliament building, is now regarded across the world as a model of determination, inspiration and positive action.

National presidents and corporate executives are lining up to be criticised by her, face-to-face. Her skolstrejk för klimatet (school strike for climate) banner has now been translated into dozens of languages.

I like this girl.

The teenager’s lone protest has developed via social media into a powerful global movement challenging politicians to act.

She wants to change the world.

In 1992 at the UN Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Severn Cullis-Suzuki, who was only 12 at the time, demanded the same of policymakers: