In 1972, Reza was born into a family of seven siblings. They lived farming rice by the Caspian Sea in Northern Iran. His mother and father worked very hard to provide for their children.
At the age of eight Reza felt compelled to help his family he began to learn the trade of an automobile mechanic where each day after school he ran nearly fourteen miles to and from work.
The pride Reza saw in his fathers face motivated him to do more. By the age of fourteen he would frequently ride to Mashhad about six-hundred and twenty-one miles each way over the Elburz Mountains. He joined the national cycling team and competed until he attained the age of eighteen when he went to serve for his country in the army.
In search for a new beginning he left for Germany and he joined another professional cycling team. By the age of 24 he began competing in Vela Rome and placed on the podium in both team and individual competitions.
Following his heart he began biking thru other countries. From Europe he headed to Asia then to Japan and then Australia. He continued biking to Africa, Central America to then to Mexico. Reza spent seven years biking across fifty-five countries on six continents and covered over 49,700 miles. He delivered a message of peace every where he went, shared love and began to experience life in a way many people only dream of.
After the events of September 11th Reza felt compelled to show Americans that Iranians are peaceful. He left his life in Los Angeles and headed for New York with an arrival on the anniversary and broke a world record in the process.
In 2007 Reza once again laced up his shoes and decided to run around the perimeter United States. He ran over 11,720 miles in 202 consecutive days and donated the monies raised to The Children’s Hospital of Denver.
Reza Baluchi has traveled our world and shared in the lives of people from every nation. He understands we are all the same and strives for peace in life and hopes to inspire unity.
Reza anticipates to run through 198 recognized countries and paddle a Hydro Pad across the ocean showing the world that anything is possible if only you believe. This epic journey will take nearly 4 years to complete and he will cover more than 85,000 miles. He will be joined by a film crew and he will share his life transparently with the world.
He will meet with our country leaders and have them sign their country flag that will be proudly be hung united as a symbol of peace in New York. A tree as a symbol of peace shall be planted so that he may be remembered.