In many of our travels around the world, we have been able to include Argy’s running/training in our itineraries. In doing so, I have had the opportunity to capture him in action at some of the most unbelievably astounding places in the world. Here are some of those images:

I became Argy’s “personal photographer” at races only by chance. It all began when I saw him take-off from the start line and waited for him at checkpoints/finish line. I started clicking photographs of him during those moments.

In the beginning, I was too shy to photograph other runners, as I was not sure whether I would be invading their privacy, and whether they would get offended at being photographed. But over time, my confidence grew, and I was captivated by the raw emotions on the runners’ faces – their moments of playfulness, joy, pain and despair. And I also realised that most, if not all runners, do not mind being photographed!!

Since first accompanying Argy to the Eco-Trail 80km in Paris back in 2011, I have been his photographer-cum-supporter at all his other races. Although logistics difficulties sometimes prevented me from getting to some of the most scenic spots he had run through, I always tried my best to meet him at as many checkpoints as I possibly could, just to give him my moral support. Here are some of the images I have captured during his races:

The most emotional moment, for me, has always been those time when I photographed Argy at the finish line, where he proclaimed to the world that he is Greek. I must admit that during those moments, I always had to control my emotions to hold back my tears and stabilise my trembling hands. Here are some of those precious moments:-

Of course, it is not all about running and racing when we go travelling. Our most memorable moments are those when we were able to include the locals in our adventures/activities. Most of the time, children would shout in joy and join Argy when they see him running through their villages. Here are some of the images of those beautiful people who had run with Argy during our travels:

After all these years, you can say that Argy and I have reached a point where we can combine our very different passion (Running and Photography) within the bubble of our same passion (Travelling). Through Argy, I have learned that discipline and persistence always pay, and no matter how challenging some things may seem to be, all things are actually possible if we put our hearts and minds to it.

And this is the image which will always remind me of this fact. I captured this at the Namib Desert All Things Are Possible…back in 2013 when Argy was running the Namib Desert Challenge 230Km race. You can see a tiny Argy running through the vast desert – facing all his challenges with determination and perseverance. When I look at this image and reflected on all his achievements at all his races, I am often reminded of his motto - “All Things Are Possible…”

All Photos ©: Hannisze Xuanyi Yong