MERRELL PASSES ONE OF THE WORLD’S MOST EXTREME PRODUCT TESTS AS KARL BUSHBY COMPLETES THE GOLIATH EXPEDITION

Merrell’s Iconic Moab Hiking Shoe Goes the Distance as Adventurer Karl Bushby Completes His 28- year, 31,000-mile Walk Home

HULL, England, Nov. 02, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Twenty-eight years after setting off from Punta Arenas, Chile, British adventurer Karl Bushby has walked up to his mother’s front door in Hull, completing one of the longest unbroken journeys on foot ever attempted.

His homecoming marks the completion of one of the toughest real-world product tests imaginable, with Merrell’s iconic Moab hiking shoe supporting Bushby across thousands of miles and some of the world’s most demanding terrain.

Bushby, a 57-year-old former paratrooper from Hull, left Punta Arenas on November 1, 1998 with two rules: he could never use transport to make forward progress, and he could not return home until he arrived on foot. Over the following 28 years he covered approximately 31,000 miles across 30 countries, but the journey didn’t always run smoothly. Over the course of nearly three decades, Bushby was arrested as a spy, detained in Russia, held at gunpoint, had close encounters with polar bears, and stuck in Mexico for a number of years.

He walked through the Darién Gap , crossed the frozen Bering Strait from Alaska into Siberia, swam the Caspian Sea and, on October 5, 2026, swam the English Channel to land on Shakespeare Beach near Dover . Today, he arrived in Hull and was welcomed home by his mother, Angela, and his son, Adam.

Bushby first discovered Merrell in 2013 while walking coast to coast across the United States and fighting a Russian Visa ban. The Moab soon became his hiking shoe of choice, selected independently for the comfort, durability and versatility he needed to keep moving.

“For the first 15 years, my footwear was whatever I could find in the Next roadside town. You get what you can find. Then in 2013 while walking across America, I tried a pair of Merrells and took an instant liking to them. From then on I sought them out wherever I could,” said Karl Bushby. "Through Central Asia, Europe and all the way home, the Moab was my go-to for its comfort and durability. I’ve taken both the waterproof and the breathable versions to destruction on the road. The possessions you do carry hold significant sentimental value - the shoes were always so dependable."

For more than a decade since, Bushby has worn the Moab through some of the world’s toughest conditions, from the Mongolian steppe and Central Asia to the mountains of Turkey and the roads of Europe. Along the way, he pushed both the waterproof and breathable versions to their limits, demonstrating the dependable comfort and durability that have made the Moab a trusted choice on the trail for generations. Upon his return to Hull, Bushby took a moment to immortalize a pair of his Moab hiking shoes in his hometown.

“Karl’s journey is the kind of product test no lab could ever recreate. The fact that he independently chose the Moab, then continued to rely on it for more than a decade, is a powerful testament to its comfort and durability,” said Richard McLeod, Chief Marketing Officer at Merrell. “At Merrell, we believe It Starts Outside, and Karl’s extraordinary journey shows just how far a single step can take us. His determination and resilience are what make this homecoming so remarkable.”

The Moab has become an icon of the Merrell brand, trusted by hikers for its out-of-the-box comfort, durability and versatility. The latest generation, the Moab 3, is available at merrell.com.

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ABOUT MERRELL:

Merrell exists to share the simple power of being outside and is committed to building an inclusive and more sustainable environment for future generations to enjoy. As the global leader in outdoor active footwear with the Moab hiking boot and Jungle Moc, Merrell is focused on merging performance, styling, and comfort to empower all people to explore the outdoors confidently. The brand was named Footwear News' 2022 Brand of the Year for promoting a more diverse vision of the outdoors. Visit Merrell.com or follow us on social @Merrell. Merrell is a division of Wolverine World Wide , Inc. (NYSE: WWW), one of the world's leading marketers and licensors of branded casual, active lifestyle, work, outdoor sport, athletic, children's, and uniform footwear and apparel.

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• Karl Bushby

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