Two years ago, photographer Lars Crommelinck was invited by Maximilien Monteyne and Charles Van Haverbeke to join their insane project: Follow the Coast.
It is an adventure where every day, one or more individuals run 100km along the European coastline. Lars and the team document this adventure, culminating in a series of photobooks: a true encyclopaedia of visual travel guides of the European coastline.
This year, for over 30 days, they will run and portray almost the entire Portuguese coastline, into Andalusia, and conclude in Gibraltar, aiming to capture the extraordinary effort and beauty of the European coastline.
“This is by far the heaviest and most challenging schedule. I’ve been in Portugal for over 15 days now, and I’m already exhausted (we shoot over 16 hours per day on average), I am yearning for a warm shower and my bed,” Lars explained when we caught up with him. “Yet, this project is truly exceptional—individuals running 100 kilometres (2.5 times the Barcelona Marathon) daily in challenging conditions for 30 days.”
Follow the Coast is the longest relay run ever, covering all European shores accumulating to 90.000 kilometres of coastlines. It’s a journey of co-creation: a team covers 100km each and by finishing a stage they become the proud owner of this part in the entire run. A unique adventure and a memory that will last a lifetime.
For anybody who takes part, the journey starts at 7 a.m. at the startlocation of your stage. Each team gets provided with a start and finish-location and have to follow these two rules: keep the sea to your right and stay as close to the shores as possible. Teams are supported by a crew who will guide, support and document their stage and effort.
It is clear how passionate Lars is about this project, and for him it’s not just about the running, it is about everything which Follow the Coast encompasses, and the team who bring it all together.
“Every 24hrs, one team will run a Stage of 100km. Stage by stage, Team by team, Day by day, together we will bridge the entire coastline of Europe. It is a monumental effort to bring this all together, and without the help, and support of people, it could never happen. Without an incredibly dedicated team, and amazing partners, bringing this to life would just not be possible.
“Another major reason for this movement and project is that Follow the Coast want to co-inspire and support three charitable pillars.
“The first pillar is helping physically disabled people. They want to show limits can be pushed.
“The second pillar is fighting mental challenges and prevention of suicide, providing a source of inspiration and creating collective energy to fight hopelessness.
“The third pillar is stopping plastic littering in the sea and oceans, with the aim of showing the endless treasure nature has given us and cleaning up beaches.
“The entire project is such a big undertaking, but what it stands for is so important and it can help to do so much good for so many people and causes.”
Throughout this incredible adventure, hundreds of unknown harbours, cliffs, lighthouses, villages, romantic bays or idyllic fjords will be captured, to create a unique and visually stunning coffee table book. holding inside it, memories that will last a lifetime.
“Emotions run high here every day,” Lars tells us. “There was even someone who proposed at the finish line. Every day, people push themselves to the absolute limit, and capturing that is – for me – incredibly beautiful! What happens here every day becomes the new normal after a while, but in fact, it is truly extraordinary.”
Follow the Coast needs your support. Follow the project or Instagram or visit their website to purchase the Follow the Coast book. Any euro beyond break-even will be donated to NGOs helping to preserve coastal beauty and the delicate oceanic equilibrium.
Follow the Coast Team:
Charles Van Haverbeke and Max(imilien) Monteyne
Project lead: Camille Liebaert
Photographer: Lars Crommelinck
Co-photographer: Gert-Jan D’haene
Partners: On (Laura van der Heiden) – Thrive (Stan-Louis Bufkens and Laurens D’Hoore), Vanomobil Motorhomes (Ignace Coudron & Lotte Derudder) & Uitgeverij Lannoo.