Oceangoing bubble’s voyage cut short

Philanthropic runner Reza Baluchi has run cross-country across the world’s harshest terrains. Early Friday morning, he attempted to conquer the water by running across the Santa Monica Bay to Catalina Island in an inflatable bubble.

Iranian-born Baluchi originally estimated the over 35-mile trip would take approximately 12 hours, going about two mph, but after three hours in the bubble he called it quits.

“I will try again,” Baluchi said. “I never quit.”

After running about six miles in the bubble, conditions inside the plastic orb became too difficult to continue the journey. Because of the turning motion of the ball, the breathing tube he constructed broke, cutting off airflow and forcing him to use one hand to hold the mask to his face. He also realized that the bubble might need to be reconstructed—with two holes instead of one for more air flow.

“The temperature got up to 120 degrees,” he said. “It’s like a giant sauna.”

To move the 600-pound custom-made bubble, or “Zorb ball,” Baluchi had to use both his hands and his feet to keep it going forward. Turning required him to run more on one side than the other, and air was fed to him through a mask and tube. For stability, the ball was placed inside a metal frame with soccer balls lining the outside. Without the paddle-wheel like frame, the Zorb would be at the whim of the wind and Baluchi could be blown off course.

After his three-hour journey, Baluchi realized that he lost slightly over seven pounds. He plans on attempting the crossing again in two weeks and is confident that by making technical changes to the bubble that he will succeed.

“I’ll try and fix it a little bit and it will be no problem,” said Baluchi.

His ultimate goal is to make a successful 46-day bubble-run to the Hawaiian Islands.