RUN GEORDIE RUN ACROSS .. UK, USA and AUSTRALIA

Australia 2013 - It will all start here!

2012-02-18T13:10:00.001Z

The start of the run across Australia will be very much like the start of the run across the USA. The setting is a very beautiful beach with an iconic building close by. Regular readers will remember that I started the 3100 mile run across the USA in 2011 at Ruby's Cafe on Huntington Beach. The start of the run across Australia will be at the Pavilion on Cottesloe Beach in Perth, Western Australia (pictured below) on Wednesday 16th October 2013.

I've already had numerous emails and Tweets from ex-pats and residents alike down under. The early indications are that the local support will be on a much larger scale than that which I experienced in the USA. This is very encouraging and will be much needed as the next big run is going to be far more difficult than the last one across the USA.

Now that I have a start point I'll be in a position to publish the entire route very soon. Watch this space!

Run Geordie Run on the menu!

2012-01-18T21:07:00.002Z

I'm always on the lookout for good quality fundraising ideas that sit well with the Run Geordie Run brand and today was one of my better ones (well, PR Girl Kathryn Shenton's mainly).

I had a very productive meeting with those kind folk, Jim and Gavin (pictured below), at Firenze Italian Restaurant in Jesmond this afternoon. Also present was The Children's Foundation's fundraising manager, Libby Nolan (pictured below) and my PR and design partners in crime, Kathryn and Dave Shenton.

I wish all meetings could be as fun as this one was as the main item on the agenda was the design and creation of a special "Run Geordie Run" main course. The pasta dish will go permanently on Firenze's main menu with part of the sale price donated to The Children's Foundation! Brilliant!

Half way through the meeting our discussion took a turn for the better when Jim and Gavin suggested that I should also think of a starter and a pudding to accompany the main course. This took me by complete surprise and while I'd given the main course lots of thought over the last week I didn't really know what to suggest for the other courses.

The main course, which will be revealed all in good time, is a very healthy representation of the Italian flavours and ingredients that I enjoy. It's not one I've ever seen on a menu before and I think it will prove very popular. The starter will also be healthy and I have a few ideas on that which I'll be telling the lads at Firenze about when we next meet. The pudding, however, will be not so healthy! I make no apologies for that!

While I have many good ideas about the 3 courses, it's great to have the expert help and guidance of Gavin and Jim from Firenze. They recognise that it is important that I have input into the design of the dishes and that they are something that I will not only enjoy eating but will also help with the nutritional side of my preparation for the run across Australia. Well the first 2 courses will at least. The pudding course is there purely for indulgence purposes!

I've heard lots of good things about Firenze from many different sources, so the signs are that we are all in for a treat once the creation and fine tuning of these dishes is complete. The menu should be "live" in March. Watch this space for further updates. In the meantime, on behalf of The Children's Foundation, it is a real pleasure to have Firenze Restaurant on board. Here's to the successful sale of Run Geordie Run dishes at my favourite Italian Restaurant in Jesmond.

Please click here to visit the Firenze website.

The final total for USA 2011

2012-01-07T14:20:00.000Z

It is with immense pleasure, pride and gratitude that I'm able to announce that the final fundraising total for St Benedict's Hospice (Charity No. 1019410) and The Children's Foundation (Charity No 1000013) is an incredible £105,233.00! Thanks, once again, to everyone who made a contribution to that total. There are literally thousands of you who have donated. I'll never grow tired of saying that every single donation was appreciated. No matter how large or small, they have all made a huge difference to the 2 charities.

The amount of individual donations of £10 and under has gone to make up a considerable portion of the £105,233.00. This is why people giving whatever they can afford, was so important to the 2 charities. This is why I valued those donations just as much as the huge donations.

As regular readers of this blog will know, the 3100 mile run across the USA in 100 days was an amazing journey. It was a difficult journey but one that was very much worth it. The next challenge, of course, is to run across Australia in just 70 days. The fundraising target for that run is £50,000. It's going to take a superhuman effort and lots of generousity to raise that kind of money again. I really do think that running 41 miles per day from Perth to Sydney will capture people's imagination. Via this blog and through increased media coverage, I will be trying my best to take people along the journey; both in training and the actual run itself. If it's half as exciting as the run across the USA then we are all in for a treat.

I look forward to getting back to updating the blog regularly in the new year. There is so much going on behind the scenes. I've got numerous motivational talks coming up. I now sit on the Regional Small Grants Panel at The Children's Foundation. I'm working on a couple of initiatives with the media and local charities. In a nutshell, life before the run across the USA is no longer recognisable from the one I have now. I have no complaints whatsoever.

Finally, to all the readers of this blog, I wish you all the best for 2012. My hopes for the new year are that with continued courage, integrity and faith giant steps towards the next victory will be achieved.

Happy New Year!

BBC North East Sports Awards

2011-12-15T00:03:00.000Z

Last week I was invited to the BBC North East Sports Awards in Gateshead. I'd been looking forward to this event for a while and I hoped to be inspired by some "proper" sports personalities.

After giving a quick interview to BBC Newcastle's Total Sport show it was time to take my seat. Sitting 2 seats away was the Newcastle United Assistant manager, John Carver and we had a good chat about all things NUFC. The empty seat next to me was for the Newcastle United Captain, Fabricio Coloccini. He turned up just before proceedings got underway.

The hosts for the evening were BBC Newcastle's Charlie Charlton and Jeff Brown. The audience was full of sporting legends such as Bob Moncur, Jack Charlton, Steve Cram, Mike McLeod, Chris Cook and Stephen Miller to name but a few.

Some of the awards categories were the Disability Sport Award, Team of the Year, Unsung Hero and The Jackie Milburn Award.

There was a shift away from the awards with a Judo display and it was good to see Charlie Charlton getting involved. Following the Judo Charlie started talking about the next award; Sporting Inspiration. Without naming names at this stage, Jeff Brown called it "the inspiration not only of this year, but of any year". What followed was quite simply one of the proudest moments of my life as footage was shown of my run across the USA. It was at this point that I realised I had won the award.

I received the award from Fabricio Coloccini himself and talked to Charlie Charlton about the run across the USA, the 2 charities, the amount raised and also gave a mention about the up and coming run across Australia.

Winning the award was brilliant obviously. To be able to talk about the USA and also Australia to such an esteemed audience was another great piece of PR.

Middlesbrough manager Tony Mowbray won the main award of the evening. I had a good chat with him after the ceremony had finished and he was very interested in the USA run; asking plenty of questions.

It was also great to catch up with Stephen Miller and Chris Cook. I had a good long chat with Bob Moncur before I left too.

As I was on my way out, the Head Coach of Gateshead Thunder asked if I'd like to train with them in the build up to Oz 2013. Watch this space for news on that next year.

All in all it was a fantastic evening. Thank you to the BBC for bestowing such a prestigious honour on me.

The Northern Echo Local Heroes Awards

2011-12-13T22:45:00.001Z

I was lucky enough to win the Northern Echo Local Heroes Award for "Remarkable Achievement" a few weeks ago. Quite appropriately, a remarkable runner called Paul Smith nominated me for the award. This guy has ran for over 1800 consecutive days. That is no mean feat believe you me.

The award was presented by former Manchester United centre half Gary Pallister, Northumbria Water's head of communications Alistair Baker and TV presenter Kay Murray. It was nice to talk to Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew afterwards too. We last met, of course, back in Columbus when I tossed the coin before the match. That all seems like such a long time ago now! Also in attendance was boxer, Tony Jeffries and it was great to talk to Steve Cram about the USA run and also the Kielder Marathon.

The best thing about the award was that it came with a £250 cash prize. That went straight to the 2 charities and saw the fund pass over the £104,000 mark.

Thanks again to Paul Smith for the nomination and to The Northern Echo for such a wonderful night and esteemed award.

And the winner is….

2011-11-21T13:29:00.000Z

Recently, I've been lucky enough to win 2 awards; Derwentside Physical Activity Achievement of the Year and the County Durham Sport Physical Activity Achievement of the Year. While I was running across the USA, winning awards never entered my mind. Completing the run and raising double the £50,000 sponsorship target for St Benedict's Hospice and The Children's Foundation is all the personal reward and satisfaction I would ever need.

That said, when these awards do come along, I'm ever so grateful and, moreover, extremely proud to receive them. Imagine, my utter surprise when I won another award last week. Not only another award, but not one directly related to physical activity or, indeed, the IT industry in which I currently work.

I was delighted to be invited to attend the PRide awards hosted by the North East Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) at the Hilton in Gateshead. There were many awards up for grabs and the new PR girl for Run Geordie Run, Katherine Shenton (pictured below), won the Best Freelance Practitioner award.

Despite having a more than succesful UK PR campaign this year, I never quite got the PR right in the US. Having Katherine on board is going to help take the campaign to the next level for the trans Australia run in 2013. I'm a firm believer that to be successful, you have to surround yourself with positive, like minded experts. The list of such people is growing very nicely and Kathryn joins the likes of David Fairlamb Fitness, The Cradlewell Clinic, Real Radio, The Journal and Tyne Bridge Harriers. Work is ongoing, behind the scenes to add to this list and the early indications are that Australia 2013 has the potential to be every bit as successful as USA 2011.

Meanwhile, back to Friday and the PRide awards! I won the COMMUNICATOR OF THE YEAR award. Following the presentation of the trophy I was able to deliver an acceptance speech. My opening line was "Communicator of the year! Wow! I don't know what to say!". My planned funny line was greeted with silence and I could just about make out a tumbleweed at the back of the room.

That duff line aside, I was very pleased with my speech and it gave me the chance to talk about the Run Geordie Run brand, the success of the campaign and to thank those in the media who'd helped make USA 2011 a success; Real Radio, ITV Tyne Tees, nufc.com, BBC and The Journal.

I closed by reflecting on the fact that I thought my parents would have been very proud of my award. It's these profound moments in life that make running 3100 miles for charity so extra special.

I got to meet some very interesting people and I thoroughly enjoyed the PRide 2011 event. I'd like to say thanks to CIPR for their hospitality and for giving me such a prestigous award.

It's Australia!

2011-11-10T23:54:00.001Z

I wish I had a pound for every time that I'd been asked about the next big run due to take place in 2013. I really do apologise for keeping everyone in suspense but it has taken 2 months of research to devise a run that sees a huge step up in difficulty compared to the run across the USA. I was also mindful of getting approval from my family and talking about the risks involved before letting everyone else know.

This morning, I announced, on Gary and Lisa's Breakfast show on Real Radio, that the next big run would be ……….. *drum roll* ………... across Australia in 2013 in aid of St Benedict's Hospice and The Children's Foundation. As per usual, we had great fun on the show and Producer Mac had created an appropriate music package to be played in the background during the announcement.

The 2600 mile route from Perth to Sydney via the Nullarbor Plain and Adelaide will take 70 days. To break that down, that's 41 miles of running for 64 days with 6 full rest days built in. Luxury! I've got no doubt, at this stage, that the timing of those rest days will be on of the key factors in the success of this particular run.

It is a coast to coast route starting on October 16th 2013 in an exact location that is yet to be decided on the coastline of Perth. The final day of the run will be on Christmas Eve 2013, over the Sydney Harbour Bridge, finishing up on Bondi Beach (Hopefully with my family waiting there).

Since news broke on Real Radio, I've spent the day talking about the run to various publications including The Evening Chronicle, The Journal and The Northern Echo. Later in the day, I was thrilled to appear on ITV's North East Tonight show with Ian Payne and Pam Royle. I rounded the media day off with a visit to the BBC to talk to Simon Pryde, John Anderson and Marco Gabbiadini on Total Sport. It was also great to see a piece on the eve supportive and well read website nufc.com.

Aside from the conventional media, "rungeordierun" was trending in the North East on Twitter and there was a lot of support on Facebook too. All in all, a great day's publicity for Run Geordie Run and the 2 charities. The reaction I've received from all quarters has been one of "You're mad!". This tells me that running across Australia during the Summer is the right level of difficulty to warrant another £50,000 fundraising target for the 2 charities.

Unlike the previous runs I've done over the last 17 years, the run across Australia will need commercial backing. It cost me £15,000 to fund the run across the USA. I quite simply can't afford to do that again. Mrs Run Geordie Run would lynch me! It was for that reason alone that I'd always intended to make the run across the USA my final fundraiser. So for the first time in my fundraising career it's time to find a sponsor that will pay for the tour itself.

Given the amount of interest in Run Geordie Run and, more importantly, the funds that have been raised, I owe it to the 2 charities to give it one more shot and try to raise another £50,000. If successful, this would take the total fundraising to over £200,000 since 1994.

The last run attracted thousands of sponsors and was consistently backed and encouraged by Ben Shephard, Tony Jeffries and Mark Beaumont to name but 3 famous folk. It was talked about at length on the Chris Moyles show on Radio 1, on Real Radio, Metro Radio and BBC Newcastle. The run was featured on nufc.com, BBC news, Newsround, ITV news and received a huge amount of national publicity during the Great North Run. The run featured heavily in the local press, including many front pages on The Journal, and has had features in numerous glossy publications.

The point I'm making here is that there is a lot of familiarity of Run Geordie Run and the support that goes with it is first class. At the benefit of the 2 charities, it would be prudent to take this forward into a new running campaign. I simply can't call it quits after the USA. I've got to attempt another run; a far more difficult and dangerous run with logistical issues that are quite simply unfathomable at this point in time.

I'll be working with David Fairlamb Fitness again and also my membership of Tyne Bridge Harriers is going to be of great benefit too.

Australia represents new and more complex challenges on numerous levels. If it's only half as dramatic as the run across the USA then we're all in for a treat. The hard work starts here for Australia 2013.

Run Geordie Run USA 2011 commemorative limited edition t-shirt

2011-11-04T19:43:00.003Z

Run Geordie Run USA 2011 Limited Edition commemorative t-shirts are £12 each with the full £12 going to The Children's Foundation (Charity No. 1000013). Please use the order form below then follow the instructions on how to pay by justgiving.com.

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Great North Run 2011

2011-10-03T23:11:00.000Z

I had hoped that this year's Great North Run would bring some closure to the events of the Summer in the USA. With so many exciting things going on associated with the run there is very little chance of that in the near future, never mind at the Great North Run.

I was so grateful to Nova for giving me number 3100 in recognition of the number of miles I ran across the USA. They labelled it as a “Lap of Honour” and that’s exactly how it felt from start to finish.

On the way to the start line I spoke to Anna Foster live on Metro Radio. Of course, I’d only met her for the first time at the Leisureworks Sports awards. She’s the kind of person that you feel like you’ve known for ages and I really enjoyed talking to her.

I arrived at the start area of the Great North Run at 0745 where another Anna Foster was waiting to talk to me. This Anna from BBC Radio 5 Live was just as lovely as the other one. The interview went out just after 8 am.

I managed to have another good chat with Mark Robson, Sir Bobby Robson’s son. He’d also been talking to 5 live. If there’s one thing I’ve found out about the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation this week it’s the reason why it was set up as it was by Sir Bobby. It is an NHS charity, making use of already existing staff, administrators and facilities. That’s the way Sir Bobby Robson and his family wanted it, meaning that the funds raised go to the exact place that they should; funding the reasearch and treatment of cancer.

The next interview was with Jonathan Edwards. The third Team GB Olympian I've met this year after Chris Cook and Stephen Miller. This was a brief interview that was shown during the live BBC coverage of the run.

Olympians, it seems, are like buses. Soon after I'd met Jonathan Edwards, it was brilliant to meet another team GB member and one of my good supporters of the run a cross the USA; boxer Tony Jeffries. Regular readers will remember that Tony was training in LA at the time when I started running across the USA. He drove to see me off but was too late having gone to a different pier in LA. The support that he subsequently gave me via Twitter and in his column in the Sunday Sun was first class though.

Speaking of good support, it was nice to meet up with another good supporter of Run Geordie Run; George Caulkin. George writes for The Times and is a patron of The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation.

After speaking to George I was asked to meet a group of runners who were raising funds for MacMillan Cancer Support. I passed on some "words of wisdom" which I doubt they needed as they looked like an experienced and fit bunch.

It was a busy old time in the start area of the Great North Run. I'd been on site for over 2 hours but the time flew by with so many people to talk to.

Last but not least to meet and have my photo taken with, was former Miss GB, Sophie Gradon. Sophie, from Newcastle, was running to raise funds for Sara's Hope Foundation which is a charity "…...inspired by the late Sara Hoburn, runs a holiday retreat in Crete offering respite for children and young people with cancer and their families.".

As the start of the 31st Great North Run drew closer I met my "chaperone" for the day; Paddy. It was his repsonsibility to see me round the course safely and to try and get me to finish as close to my target time of 2 hours. Also accompanying me was David Fairlamb who ran last year's run in 01:30:00. I really couldn't fail with these 2 setting the pace. Also joining us at the start was Anna Foster from Metro Radio and Philippa Tomson from ITV.

It was a frantic start to the run with thousands of runners in the zones behind soon overtaking. I saw a nasty collision in the first mile. I do hope that the girl I saw getting injured was ok in the end. The image of her stayed with me throughout the run.

We soon lost Anna but Philippa stayed with us for 4 miles or so. It felt very strange running with thousands of people around me. It was a far cry from the lonely miles in the USA.

I managed to spot Alison from the Cradlewell Clinic for a quick wave on the Tyne Bridge. I was wished "Well done" throughout the race by so many people. This was the most pleasing aspect of the day for me and just added to the "lap of honour" feel to the day.

I stopped at the 6 mile point to talk to yet another Olympian; Denise Lewis. She seemed well briefed about my run and wished me luck for the future event. It was an absolute honour to talk to her.

Another highlight of the day was when I ran through the "Bupa Boost Zone". Justin Lockwood from Real Radio was on hand to "big me up" and it gave me a heck of a spring in my step.

I got to the finish line in 01:59:06. It was easily the most comfortable half marathon I've ever ran. Paddy and Dave had been great company. I didn't have to do much thinking with Paddy setting the required 2 hour pace.

I stopped to talk to Phil Jones from the BBC at the finish line. Phil had recorded a piece that was broadcast during the live Great North Run coverage. It was an excellent 3 minute showcase of the run across the USA. I was very pleased that my trusty Brooks Glycerin shoes were shown during the piece. Millions of people will have seen that.

There were a lot of familiar faces in the hospitality tent and it was nice to share stories of how the run went. I said goodbye to Paddy who'd done a brilliant job of seeing me round the course safely and on time. I could get quite used to having a chaperone!

I chatted to Simon Pryde (below) from BBC Total Sport who had been running, cycling and kayaking across Scotland the day before running the Great North Run. What an effort!

Thanks to the BBC for some excellent coverage; Opening titles, interviews with Jonathan Edwards and Denise Lewis and the 3 minute piece by Phil Jones. All in all, my 10th Great North Run, while not my fastest, had arguably been my most enjoyable. Being congratulated by so many random people all the way round the route was very special. Meeting so many Olympians was very special too.

Finally, thanks to Nova for giving me number 3100 and making the run a true "lap of honour'.

Can't wait to try these….

2011-10-01T21:27:00.001Z

Coming in October to a specialist running shop near you….. The Brooks Pure Connect. They truly are a thing of beauty. When I first saw this model I thought "I've just got to have a pair of those".

The Pure Connect are like a leaner, meaner version of the shoes I finished the run across the USA in; Brooks Glycerin 9. They are a so called "minimalist" shoe with several interesting features. It goes without saying that I'm a high fan of the Brooks DNA technology that is used in my Glycerin 8 and 9 shoes. I'm curious to know how exactly how that feels in these shoes together with the "Ideal Heel", "Toe Flex" and "Nav Band" technologies.

I'll post a full review on these shoes once I've tried them later this month. They will soon be available from Northern Runner in Newcastle whose blog states "The Brooks Pure Project is Brooks designers answer to minimalist footwear. However, it’s not minimalist. It has Brooks revolutionary MoGo mid sole material combined with DNA cushioning to give it that soft but firm responsive feel that you only get from a Brooks shoe.The Pure Flow has an inverted heel to aid the runner in landing just under their centre of gravity. This is further aided by the heel to forefoot differential being only 4mm. A split toe allows the big toe to act independent of the rest of the foot aiding in balance and allowing a much stronger push off. A flexible band goes around the foot to aid in fit and increase the stability. All these features coupled with Brooks anatomicial last makes the Pure Flow a superb shoe.Delivery is expected in October. These shoes will only be sold through our Newcastle store not online or telephone mail order. So, why not pop along and give them a test drive on our concrete corridor.".

For more information on Brooks Pure Connect and the 3 other models in the Pure Project range please click here.

NE Fit Magazine

2011-10-01T08:19:00.000Z

If you pop into WH Smiths this month, in the North East, you may see a familiar face among the ranks of magazines. Look out for an interview with Run Geordie Run in NE Fit magazine.

Priced at only £2.99, NE Fit magazine is the North East's only regional health and fitness magazine.

Run Geordie Run interviewed

2011-09-28T08:39:00.000Z

For those of a black and white persuasion, please look out for a recent interview I gave in issue 261 of The Mag. It's available in many newsagents and supermarkets in the North East and also on match day around St James' Park.

Coming soon…...

2011-09-26T12:29:00.000Z

Coming soon at the bargain price of £12 is this Limited Edition Run Geordie Run t-shirt to commemorate the succesful 3100 mile run across the USA. The front of the t-shirt (left below) shows the run details and the names of the 2 charities. Also present, are 2 stars which will also feature on my new running kit for the next big run in 2013. The stars represent my 2 major runs to date; John O'Groats to Lands End in 2007 and California to New York in 2011.

The back of the t-shirt (above right) has the designer's take on the Manhattan skyline. An image that was a sight for sore eyes for me on the 8th August after 100 days of running. Watch this space for details on how to order coming soon.

Thanks to Dave Shenton of Shenton Creative for doing a brilliant job with the design.

The Leisureworks Sport and Physical Activity Awards

2011-09-17T22:09:00.000Z

I was asked way back in January to give a talk at the Leisureworks Sport and Physical Activity Awards. The challenge was to talk about the run across the USA in just my 20 allotted minutes. I now have an outline for an entertaining speech and I just leave it until the final delivery to ad-lib a bit and slot in various bits of humour. I actually won an award when I was 12 for public speaking. Who knew that one day I'd be doing it in front of so many people.

The awards night was held at The Empire Theatre in Consett. It's a venue that has had investment over recent years and is full of character. Also full of character was the lovely Anna Foster (pictured below) from Metro Radio who was the compere for the evening. She is so down to earth and I really enjoyed listening to her banter on stage.

The evening started with entertainment from the brilliant dancers instructed by Leisureworks' Community Dance Instructor Kristin Abbott. This was followed by an impressive demonstration of Shikkari Karate Kai. It was like a mini variety show right in the middle of Consett. Brilliant stuff!

Those guys were a tough act to follow and when Anna introduced me onto the stage I knew I had to be on my game.

I really enjoyed talking about the run across the USA and all of the challenges that it brought. I even managed to get a few laughs here and there, much to my surprise. The crowd were great and I finished off my set with a 3 minute video which summed up perfectly what I'd been talking about. After a lovely round of applause I introduced a Zumba demonstration, led by Zoe Price. I just about managed to vacate the stage before the act started. This had been my biggest concern of the whole evening. Although, with the adrenalin still pumping after my speech I could have quite fancied a bit of Zumba on stage with the girls!

I spent the interval talking to some lovely people who were very interested in the run and had lots of questions to ask. One such person was Wayne Abbott (pictured below) who had a running background himself.

After the interval, it was down to business. There were 13 awards categories and it was brilliant to see so many worthy winners receiving their trophy. The whole process went very smoothly with Anna Foster pulling the strings on stage and various people presenting the trophies. I bet the Oscars don't run that smoothly!

Imagine my utter shock when, during the Physical Activity Achievement of the Year award sponsored by Northumbria Water, I saw my name on the screen with the other nominees. It is no word of a lie that my first thought was "What a coincidence. There's another Mark Allison here tonight.". When my name was read out as the winner, I even paused for a few seconds just to make sure that the other Mark Allison didn't get up to receive the award.

I was absolutely gobsmacked and delighted when I got up on stage to receive the award; a nice glass trophy. It was just one more unbelievable thing that has happened to me since finishing the run across the USA. My name was actually in the programme as a nominee. I'd read the thing from cover to cover before the event started. I didn't even see my name, so the whole thing was such a surprise. I'm so sorry for pipping the other 5 nominees to the post. I'm sure we were all worthy winners in our own way.

Other than the public speaking trophy that I won 28 years ago, I've never won a thing. The little beauty pictured below is going to take pride of place in Run Geordie Run HQ. It means a massive amount to me as did the actual nomination, as did the reception I received at the end of my speech.

Without taking the award into account, I had a fantastic night at the awards ceremony. There's a lot of talent in Derwentside.

The icing on the cake was the fact that Shotley Bridge and Benfieldside Tennis Club won the Sports Club of the Year. It's not only my local tennis club but the man who should have been there to accept the award, Phil Atess (pictured below), played a huge part in my run across the USA. Unfortunately, Phil was actually playing in a tennis tournament and couldn't be there on the night.

Phil ran from John O'Groats to Lands End in 1992 raising over £10,000 for charity. Phil coached me at Shotley Bridge and Benfieldside Tennis Club. He was responsible for proving to me that a person can run considerable distances with the right amount of training and preparation. His own experiences in running have influenced me greatly. It is for that reason that I dedicate my Physical Activity Achievement of the Year award to Phil Atess.

Thank you to the Cradlewell Clinic

2011-09-17T21:02:00.000Z

I've been visiting the Cradlewell Clinic in Holly Avenue, Jesmond for the past 4 weeks. My recovery is progressing so well as a result and I'm in excellent hands with Alison the podiatrist. She really is worth her weight in gold!

Not only do I receive first class treatment but each session is an education. I ask so many questions during the sessions and I've learned a bit about many aspects of the treatment, recovery and bio-mechanics in general.

Thanks to Alison's expertise, all sections of my legs are now in tip top shape and the integrity of the skin and nails on my feet has improved so much since I finished running across the USA.

I'm continuing to play the waiting game as the nerves in my feet are taking a while to regenerate. My left foot is making excellent progress with a lot of sensation returning to my mid foot and a few toes too. Due to last year's broken right ankle (now called the Paddy Power Bionic Ankle of course), progress with the recovery of my right foot has been much slower. Alison has taken measures to speed up the recovery process but, so far, the benefits have only mainly been seen in my left foot.

The current state of my right foot means that both the midfoot and toes go completely numb after 5 miles at a slow pace (9 - 10 minute miles) or 3 miles at a fast pace (7 - 8 minute miles). This isn't going to stop me running as fast as I can at the Great North Run on Sunday. Hopefully, I can get round in under 2 hours.

I'll be seeing Alison again on Monday to assess any damage and to discuss the ongoing treatment during this period of rehabilitation. It goes without saying that, I wouldn't hesitate in recommending the Cradlewell Clinic to anyone who needs podiatry treatment. They even do sports massage, gait analysis and acupuncture!

Triathlon

2011-09-16T17:13:00.000Z

Last Sunday I had the honour of starting the Newbiggin Sprint Triathlon. It was a serious event with the final chance to record a qualifying time for next year's European Championships at stake.

The first wave of 3 got underway just after lunch. The conditions were very difficult with the swimmers being battered by the waves. The RNLI were on hand to help a few people out who got into difficulty. I was very impressed with the safety aspect of the swimming. Each and every participant deserved a medal in my opinion for braving those unforgiving waves. I talked to a lot of the athletes after the race and most of them said that they had difficulty in seeing the first marker buoy in the sea such were the height of the waves.

Shortly after I sounded the horn for the second wave to get underway I made my way to the main street in Newbiggin to see the cyclists. I thought the swim was dangerous but it had nothing on this section of the race.

Some of the folk in Newbiggin decided to start crossing the road without giving much thought to the speeding cyclists passing by. I witnessed 3 near misses and possibly the most skilful piece of cycling I've ever seen. The competitor in question swerved to avoid, what seemed at the time like being, a fatal collision between cyclist and pedestrian.

It all made for a gripping spectacle! Thankfully things calmed down on the running section and I watched each and every competitor finish, including the very last lady who I saved special applause for. I was thrilled to talk briefly to the spectators and hand out trophies in a number of categories. Pictured below are Joyce Mark (2nd overall woman) and Jane Mooney (1st overall woman).

Pictured below are James Wilson (2nd overall man) and Ben Newman (1st overall man).

All in all, it had been a cracking day's racing from a determined set of athletes. I've never before seen triathlon this close up and it really opened my eyes to how difficult, and often dangerous, a sport it can be. It was brilliant to watch and I have every respect for those taking part.

I was asked many times during the day if I'd ever fancy giving a triathlon a go. My answer was that I'd leave this kind of madness to the experts. I'll stick with my running thank you.

Run Geordie Run joins Tyne Bridge Harriers

2011-09-12T23:10:00.000Z

One of my biggest regrets in life was not joining a running club when I used to run 5 and a half minute miles in my early twenties. I'm sure that I could have become a half decent club runner had I had the right advice and guidance back then.

Imagine my delight, when the opportunity to join one of the region's newest clubs came along last week. On Saturday, I joined Tyne Bridge Harriers and met some of the members down on the Quayside, fittingly, with the Tyne Bridge in full view behind us.

I was made to feel very welcome straight away and it was a real pleasure to talk to such an enthusiastic group of people.

I'm very much looking forward to trying to get back to where I was as a runner when I was in my early twenties. Whether or not that is possible remains to be seen. In the process, I hope to do the club proud. It will be an absolute honour for an everyday runner like me to pull on the club vest and represent Tyne Bridge Harriers.

I can promise hard work, endeavour and a keen willingness to listen and learn from those around me. I haven't ran at my current weight for well over a decade. In many respects, I feel like I'm starting from scratch. I get a strong feeling, though, that my running will improve as a result of being part of Tyne Bridge Harriers.

The Run Geordie Run Ball 2011

2011-09-12T22:23:00.000Z

So much time and effort went into making the Run Geordie Run Ball a success on September 3rd at the Gosforth Park Marriott. Mrs Run Geordie Run hadn’t slept for weeks due to planning and organising the sell out night and I’m pleased to say that the hard work paid off.

The evening got underway at 7 with a champagne reception. My beautiful Dolly Dealers (aka Maddidolls pictured below with a lucky guest) made their way round the guests selling the numbered apples and sweety bracelets. These items, of course, would see the lucky winner bag an Apple iPad 2 and a Pandora Bracelet laden with charms.

The draw was made later in the evening and Kaye Bartlett won the iPad 2 and Ada Bell won the Pandora Bracelet. Thanks to DH Fuels for providing the iPad2 and Pandora Bracelet.

Real Radio's Gary and Lisa got things underway just before 8 with a game of heads and tails. This was a great ice breaker and the winner went home with a nice bottle of bubbly.

Dinner soon followed and I was honoured to have Stephen Miller and his family, George Caulkin from The Times, Liz Luff from The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, my Aunty Joyce and her family accompany Katy, Jack and myself on our table.

The table raffle was drawn soon after dinner and we had 11 top prizes to be won. It was originally 8 but such was the generosity of so many people we had a few extra ones thrown in for good measure. Gary and Lisa worked the audience with some funny banter and the lovely laid back atmosphere of the night continued. Although I agree with that statement wholeheartedly, they aren't my words. I've had a lot of lovely feedback since the ball from so many people who were there on the night.

The evening's excitement was cranked up a notch when Jason Isaacs took to the stage with his big band and glamourous backing singers. It was at this time that the casino tables opened. The prize for winning the most chips was a flat screen TV. Thanks to Chapman Vents for supplying the TV. What with having a top act on stage and people trying to win as many chips on the tables there was a real sense of Vegas in the air.

Jason Isaacs, the band and the backing singers. I'd spoken to Jason during the afternoon's sound check and it was obvious to me that he was well up for this gig. He had been following my run across the USA and he gave everything on the night to entertain the audience. For me, he is the perfect showman. He captivates and charms all who hears his voice. He's got the coolest moves going too.

It wasn't long before the dance floor filled up and Jack (Run Geordie Run Jr) wasted no time in cutting in for a dance with Sports Therapist Kirsty from my USA support team.

After his set, Jason Isaacs did an unexpected bonus number with guest, Daryl Sparey who made a generous contribution to the 2 charities for the honour. The impromptu duet of "That's Life" went down really well with the crowd and both Daryl and Jason received a standing ovation from the audience. Thanks to Jason for being such a good sport and thanks to Daryl of course for his donation.

Once everyone had recovered from the excitement of the show, it was time for me to talk about the run across the USA and get all of the thank you's in that I had the time for. I took to the stage and the standing ovation that followed will stay with me forever. As I said at the time, I'd thought about the moment that I was stood delivering the speech many times while running in the USA. The moment seemed like a dream. Like many other moments since I finished the run across the USA, I've been convinced that this is all a figment of my imagination. I've been convinced that I'm going to wake up back on highway 36 in Kansas at any moment. After some of the low points on the run the moment I stood in front of the crowd was right at the other end of the scale.

I was really pleased with my speech. I took very little notice of what I'd written down and just spoke from the heart. A 3 minute video played at the end. This really helped get the message across as to how tough the run was and what it meant to me personally to finish within 100 days. As the video ended I returned to the stage with a clenched first raised to yet another standing ovation. Without doubt it was one of the proudest moments of my life. All of the pain. All of the tears. All of the sweat. All of the blood. It was all worth it for that one moment. Thank you to everyone for their kind support.

I've received a lot of feedback about the speech since I delivered it. It is clear that people want to hear a lot more about the run across the USA. Sadly there wasn't enough time on the night but I'll be putting this right on November 10th with a talk in with the chance to ask questions too. There are so many incidents of the run that I can't talk about on this blog. Rest assured I'll be answering any question that is asked of me that night. Watch this space for more details on the talk in very soon. Just remember to keep November 10th free if you can.

After I finished talking, Peregrine Solly from The Children's Foundation talked about the work that they do and he heaped a lot of praise on myself and Katy and Jack too. Katy, almost single handedly organised the ball and Jack was a star on the night, helping out here and there as needed. It was really appreciated that he took time out to recognise the hard work that had gone into making the night such a success.

The final event of the evening was the auction. Framed garments from Stephen Miller, David Beckham and myself raised £1600 between us. The training and sparring session with boxer Tony Jeffries made £600 as did the 1 week stay in the Villa in Spain. During the auction we announced that Steven Moore had won the flat screen TV by winning the most chips on the casino tables.

Gary was the auctioneer for the evening and he did a very good job indeed. He squeezed every last pound out of the very generous audience.

The festivities continued right up until 1 am with some cracking tunes delighting the busy dance floor. A notable performance from George Caulkin (pictured below with Helen and Dianne) caught quite a few people's attention. We weren't sure where he'd been taught some of "those" moves. I think the general consensus was that they were the kind of moves that you just can't teach people. Sadly, the images I have of "Disco Pants Caulkin" are not suitable for this family website.

As the clock ticked past 1, the party moved into the hotel bar. Paul and Adam (pictured below) stayed in the function room and made sure that all the wine bottles on their table were completely empty. In their own words they were "doing their good deed for the day".

All in all, it was a fitting celebration of the 3100 mile run across the USA. It was everything, and more, that I hoped and imagined it would be. Thanks to everyone who bought a ticket and helped make the sell out event such a wonderful evening.

The charity ball made a whopping £10,000 profit. It would have been even more had there been time to fit all of the auction items in. Since the ball, the extra items have raised an extra £950 so far and there are still a couple more to go. We also didn't have the staff to run the smaller raffle that we had planned. That raffle will take place at the talk in in November. As a gesture of goodwill, we will be putting all of the guests names into the hat for that particular raffle. There are some brilliant prizes to be won.

Speaking of staff, thanks to the merry band of volunteers and helpers that made the night a success. Namely Kerry McCormack and Sandra Allen from The Children's Foundation and my wife Katy and son Jack. Thanks also to Lisa and the rest of the staff at The Marriott for being so helpful.

Cherry Active - The secret weapon

2011-09-11T20:44:00.000Z

"How on earth did you do it?" is a commonly asked question when people talk to me about the 3100 mile run across the USA. One of the main reasons that I was able to run day in and day out for 100 days was the use of a recovery product called Cherry Active.

Cherry Active was recommended to me by Dr Glyn Howatson at the University of Northumbria. Glyn is the Laboratory Director and Associate Director for Research in the Centre of Sport Exercise and Wellbeing at the university. Readers will remember that, apart from this recommendation, Glyn arranged for me to train in the University's state of the art environmental chamber. I was able to train at a simulated 11,000 ft and at high temperatures. Not only was I was well looked after by the PhD students, Jamie Tallent and Chris Toms, but I also learned a lot from them during the training sessions. Looking back, the time I spent in the chamber, made such a huge difference to my preparations for the USA.

Cherry Active made a monumental difference to the actual run across the USA. It's a fantastic recovery product and using it on a daily basis in the USA meant that the aches and pains in my legs were kept to an absolute minimum. Cherry Active contains a high concentrate of Montmorency cherries. This particular type of cherry is packed with high levels of antioxidants and flavonoids, including Anthocyanin and Melotonin. Incidentally, it also counts towards the 5-a-day target. When I compared Cherry Active with other similar cherry drinks I found that it had a far higher concentrate of cherries than any of the other products. This is confirmed in the literature that I got with the product that claimed the product had "8260 ORAC units – approximately the same antioxidants as you’d find in 23 portions of fruit and veg".

I used the Cherry Active concentrate in the USA, mixing 30 mls of Cherry Active with 500 mls of water. You can also buy capsules. I've never tried them however. It is recommended that you take the drink within 30 minutes of finishing exercise. The effects the next day are unlike anything I've experienced before. In simple terms, if you have a hard session and you know you're going to suffer with muscle soreness the following day then you probably won't suffer anything with Cherry Active. It is that good a product. This is how it works for me and I've heard the same from the other people that I've recommended it to.

I'd like to say a huge thank you to Cherry Active for supplying me with their product during the run across the USA. I will continue to use it going forwards and would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone to use. If you do use it, then I'd appreciate your feedback at sponsorship@rungeordierun.com.

My first use of the product was back in March. You can read all about that here.

Olympic Torch Nominations

2011-09-10T07:11:00.001Z

Thank you to everyone who has taken time to nominate me to carry the Olympic Torch. I've received hundreds of nominations and I'm slowly but surely working my way through them.

It's a time consuming process. Each nomination takes just over a minute for me to review and accept. Multiply that by the number of nominations and you'll appreciate that it's taking quite a while to get them done. I'm doing my best, though, to get through as many as I can before the deadline.

The reasons for nomination, given by so many people, are very touching indeed. The fact that so many folk have nominated me means so much to me personally. Probably more than carrying the torch itself.

Auction 1 complete

2011-09-08T12:23:00.003Z

****LAST UPDATED 10/09/2011 06:45****

The first lot of auction items closed at midnight on Thursday. The winning bids were:

LOT A - A ONE WEEK STAY AT A LUXURY VILLA IN CASARES COSTA ON THE COSTA DEL SOL - £600 - Mr J Simmons
LOT B - ADIDAS RUN GEORDIE RUN WORN TECHNICAL RUNNING TOP - £150 - Reserve not met
LOT C - SIGNED ALAN SHEARER 206 BOOK AND FOOTBALL - £250 - Mr C Middleton
LOT D - ADIDAS CLIMACOOL WORN RUN GEORDIE RUN POLO SHIRT - £100 - Mr M Southwick

For a full description on the items, please click here.

Coming soon - the final 2 items that we just simply ran out of time on the night to auction. So look out for a Trial Lesson in a 2 seater Cessna aircraft and a tour around the Bentley Factory.

Status update

2011-09-07T12:32:00.000Z

I've managed to do a couple of 5 mile runs so far this week with mixed results! Monday's run saw me start with a 7.5 minute mile pace before knocking off a few 8 minute miles. That was the first time that I had been able to get out for a decent run since returning to the UK.

My initial observation was that I never fully felt in control of my pace. I haven't ran, fully rested, at this low weight since the mid 90s. Part of me wanted to run as fast as I could. However, the sensible part was telling me that I'm still recovering from the run across the USA. I'm going to have to be patient to allow a full recovery before really getting stuck in to some good running.

At this stage of my treatment, Alison the Podiatrist from the Cradlewell Clinic would not be best pleased with me running this quick. I've got another session with her tonight where I'll, unfortunately, be reporting that the recovery in my right foot is not as good as my left foot. Between miles 4 and 5 of my runs this week both feet, but especially my right foot, were in discomfort. It's not pain as such but the numb feeling I'm experiencing is not pleasant all the same. I think that all of the dancing at the ball last weekend hasn't helped but that's a very small price to pay!

One thing is for sure, it's a great feeling to be running again. Once the Great North Run is over I'll be able to sit down and have a good think about how I take my running to the next level. Working on building my strength with Mark and Dave in the gym is a big part of my plans. Also, firmly in my plans is joining the Tyne Bridge Harriers. Being surrounded by the quality of runners that they have will benefit my running greatly. I'm looking forward to meeting some of the members for the first time this Saturday during a short run around the Quayside. Their kit is black and white! Which is nice.

If you would like to join me for 5k (3.1 miles) round the Great North Way route on the Quayside then you can find out more here. All participants will receive a free Great Way timing chip. As the Journal article explains "The Great North Way is the first permanent interactive timing system in the UK and provides a training environment for runners, cyclists and walkers alike.".

Auction latest

2011-09-06T20:56:00.000Z

The first lot of auction items close at midnight this Thursday. The latest high bids are:

LOT A - A ONE WEEK STAY AT A LUXURY VILLA IN CASARES COSTA ON THE COSTA DEL SOL - £300
LOT B - ADIDAS RUN GEORDIE RUN WORN TECHNICAL RUNNING TOP - £50
LOT C - SIGNED ALAN SHEARER 206 BOOK AND FOOTBALL - £200
LOT D - ADIDAS CLIMACOOL WORN RUN GEORDIE RUN POLO SHIRT - £20

For a full description on the items and details on how to bid, please click here.

£100,000 raised!

2011-09-06T20:28:00.000Z

Fantastic news readers! The charity fund has now burst through over the £100k barrier and now stands at £100,002.56. I'm so pleased that all of the hard work has paid off and the rewards for St Benedict's Hospice and The Children's Foundation are there for all to be seen. It's a staggering sum of money. Absolutely staggering! Thanks so so much to everyone who has donated and made that possible.

News of the total broke on nufc.com earlier this evening "Another big thanks to everyone who continues to support Mark Allison's charity fundraising efforts - especially all those folks who attended his homecoming celebration at Gosforth Park on Saturday night.

So far that event has generated £10K in funds to benefit Mark's two chosen charities, pushing his running total up to an almighty £98.5K. And just before 8pm on Tuesday night, the £100K total was reached.

That total will continue to grow, with some auction items still available (listed online at Mark's website) and monies due from other events still to be included.

PS: by popular request, details of a further night of celebration at a city centre venue with what Mark calls "dirt cheap" ticket prices will be announced soon.

I'd also like to thank Daryl Sparey who paid £500 to the 2 charities to sing on stage with Jason Isaacs after his set at the ball. This is the man in action.

Thanks Daryl and thanks to everyone else who attended the sell out Run Geordie Run Charity Ball helping to raise £10,000 on the night for the 2 charities.

The latest fundraising total

2011-09-06T08:04:00.000Z

Thanks so much to everyone who gave so generously at the Run Geordie Run Ball. The night raised a fantastic £10,000. The staff at The Children's Foundation and St Benedict's Hospice were staggered when I told them yesterday. It's a fantastic sum of money and puts the current total at an incredible £98,417.56.

£98,417.56

Still to come this year are numerous speaking engagements where I will be donating my fee and any expenses received to the charities.

There has also been a lot of enquiries and feedback from the ball about the possibility of putting a second less formal night on. I am currently looking into holding a talk in and Q&A to be held on October 28th. Venue to be decided. Tickets will be dirt cheap and we will be looking for a city centre venue. Watch this space!

Thanks to the unprecedented generosity of so many businesses, there are auction prizes still to be won (See the blog post below). We just ran out of time on the night of the ball to get everything in. There will also be another raffle due to the sheer volume of prizes we still have.

Thanks to Peter McCowie of McCowie and Co, Accountants and Statutory Auditors there will be a brand new Run Geordie Run t-shirt for purchase. The full amount paid for each t-shirt will go to the 2 charities.

Fundraising for this campaign will be brought to a close during the weekend before Christmas with a fancy dress run from The Children's Foundation in Newcastle to Otterburn. Look out on the A696 for Santa, fairies, elves and a few more surprises that weekend.

So, I'd like to think that the £100,000 mark will be broken for this campaign. Thanks again to everyone who has made a donation to St Benedict's Hospice and The Children's Foundation. Your support is absolutely amazing.

The Run Geordie Run Auction - LOT A, LOT B, LOT C and LOT D

2011-09-05T23:01:00.002Z

There were so many superb quality prizes donated for The Run Geordie Run 2011 Ball that we simply ran out of time on the night during the auction. Hosts for the evening, Gary and Lisa, announced on the night that I'd be putting some auction items up on this blog this week. Here are the first few items for your bidding pleasure.

Bids can be made by email to sponsorship@rungeordierun.com. Please copy in Libby from The Children's Foundation (libby.nolan@nuth.nhs.uk) who will be ensuring that all bids are correct and auction rules are kept to. You can use the link at the bottom of each lot to send the email.

Payment for successful bids is due within 48 hours can be made by debit/credit Card or cheque.

I'll keep all bidders updated via email when they are outbid and will post

LOT A - A ONE WEEK STAY AT A LUXURY VILLA IN CASARES COSTA ON THE COSTA DEL SOL - AUCTION CLOSES MIDNIGHT 8th SEPTEMBER 2011 - RESERVE - £450

This spacious 3 bedroom penthouse is of the highest standard and contains everything to make your stay enjoyable and relaxing. Situated within a quiet urbanization this penthouse will make you feel right at home. Everthing has been finished to the highest standards to give the ultimate feeling of luxury. There are two stunning pool areas to choose from (both with baby pools) surrounded by immaculate well stocked gardens.

The penthouse is only 500m from the nearest blue flag beach, Casares bay. This beach is long and sweeping and is perfect for taking evening strolls into Puerta de la Duquesa. There is a popular beachside fish restaurant which is serves fresh local catch. Even in the height of summer the beach is relatively quiet. Estepona beach (a few minutes' drive away) has fantastic shallow waters which is ideal for those with children or even grown ups who like to 'plodge'.

This penthouse is in a perfect location for families and golfers. Everything you need is only a stone's throw away. With plenty to do for children, and a host of beautiful restaurants, bars and shops, you are sure never to be bored. The area is perfect those who just want to chill out or for the more active holidaymaker the area is perfect for walking, hiking, cycling and climbing (nearby mountain Sierra Bermeja will keep you entertained!).

Situated within a secure gated community this spacious penthouse is finished to an extremely high standard and contains everything you need for your stay. The accommodation is on two levels and has marble flooring and air conditioning throughout.

The lounge has a television, DVD player, SKY digibox (English channels) . There is also an ipod docking station. It has patio doors opening onto the sun terrace which has magnificent spectacular views of the mountains and the Mediterranean.

The master bedroom has an en suite bathroom with a bath, shower, WC, basin and bidet. It also has patio doors onto the sun terrace. There are a further two large bedrooms complimented by en suite facilities

The luxury kitchen is fully equipped with a cooker/hob, dishwasher, microwave, washing machine and a large fridge freezer. There is a large selection of cooking equipment for those who wish to dine al fresco on the balcony.

There are 4 terraces all of which have magnificent views, they also provide the opportunity for catching the sun all day long.

There is also contemporary outdoor dining furniture and a BBQ for those wishing to dine al fresco.

This prize can be taken at any time of year, subject to availability.

PLEASE EMAIL YOUR BID HERE

LOT B - ADIDAS RUN GEORDIE RUN WORN TECHNICAL RUNNING TOP - AUCTION CLOSES MIDNIGHT 8th SEPTEMBER 2011 - RESERVE - £250

This is a worn and laundered Adidas Climacool Run Geordie Run running top. It is framed and ready for hanging. Sponsors logos are all visible with a photograph of me wearing the item. I ran in this shirt all over the USA. It has seen plenty of action!

PLEASE EMAIL YOUR BID HERE

LOT C - SIGNED ALAN SHEARER 206 BOOK AND FOOTBALL - AUCTION CLOSES MIDNIGHT 8th SEPTEMBER 2011 - RESERVE - £60

This Newcastle United football and book detailing all of Alan Shearer's 206 goals have been signed by Alan himself. The signatures were obtained by my support driver, Steve Harrison, during a golf day up at Matfen Hall.

PLEASE EMAIL YOUR BID HERE

LOT D - ADIDAS CLIMACOOL WORN RUN GEORDIE RUN POLO SHIRT - AUCTION CLOSES MIDNIGHT 8th SEPTEMBER 2011 - RESERVE - £100

This is a worn and laundered Adidas Climacool Run Geordie Run polo shirt. It is size large and in excellent condition. When I wasn't running in the USA I sometimes wore this polo shirt.

PLEASE EMAIL YOUR BID HERE

Watch out for more unique items and an update on the latest bids tomorrow night. I'll be updating my Twitter feed with news of the highest bids throughout the next few days.

A date for your diary!

2011-09-05T00:09:00.000Z

I'm giving myself another month to conclude the feasibility study that I'm currently undertaking for the next big run. I'll be making an announcement on October 7th as to exactly where and when the next big run is going to take place. I will also know the approximate distance and start and end locations by then too.

Unlike all of the other runs that I've undertaken over the last 17 years, the next one will not be self funded. I will be seeking commercial sponsorship to pay for all of my expenses. I spent £15,000 to make sure the run across the USA happened. I've got no problem with that at all. The fact that, hopefully, £100,000 will be raised makes it all worthwhile. I just can't afford to do that again. I was always going to make the run across the USA the last big run. Given the amount of money raised for the 2 charities, however, there's no way I can consider retirement just yet.

As I told the guests during my speech at the ball on Saturday, the next big run will be raising the bar in terms of difficulty and risk. If I was, for example, to run back to California from New York, I think the general public would find it difficult to buy into that. The next run has to leave people thinking, "he's never going to be able to do that". In fact, it has to be so difficult that I, myself, go into the training campaign for it with the same doubts. The next run has to be so much more difficult than the 3100 miles across the USA.

The announcement on October 7th is certain to attract a lot of media attention. If you would like further details about how you can get involved in sponsoring the next big run then please do not hesitate to get in touch (via email in the first instance) at sponsorship@rungeordierun.com.

The Run Geordie Run Charity Ball

2011-09-04T23:50:00.000Z

Thank you to everyone who attended the sell out Run Geordie Run Charity Ball on Saturday. It was an amazing night and I've had some tremendous feedback from so many people today.

I'll talk more about how the ball went on my blog later this week. In the meantime, as soon as I get news about how much money was raised on the night I'll announce it on my blog.

We had a lot of prizes donated late last week which we were not able to include in the raffle on the night. Look out for news of a new raffle to include those and a few more. I'll announce details on how you can buy raffle tickets later this week. There are some brilliant prizes up for grabs including signed items by Alan Shearer, various meals in some nice restaurants, Barbour clothing and even pole dancing lessons!

Is this some kind of dream?

2011-09-04T23:38:00.000Z

I attended a press conference at Greens Leisure Club last Friday. Also, in attendance was one Alan Shearer! The occasion was to promote the "Entertainers Reunited" charity match on October 9th. The teams involved are the classic Newcastle United side that played under Kevin Keegan and they will take on a Liverpool side from the same era. Incidentally, the managers are from the same era with Kevin Keegan and Roy Evans taking charge of their respective sides.

I have been asked by the organisers to kick off the match! It goes without saying that this is a huge honour for me personally. The run across the USA hasn't even sunk in yet so this has got no chance!

One of the organisers, Steve Wraith, led the press conference with local BBC, radio and newspapers in attendance. I took the chance to take a sneak peek over his shoulder at Kevin Keegan's Newcastle United squad. Imagine my utter astonishment when I read the following "Pavel Srnicek, Steve Watson, Darren Peacock, Steve Howey, Brian Kilcline, John Beresford, Robert Lee, Lee Clark, Ruel Fox, Paul Bracewell, Keith Gillespie, Liam O'Brien, Faustino Asprilla, Les Ferdinand, Alan Shearer, Mark Allison."!

Not only have I been asked to kick off the match but I will also be on the bench when Keegan's Entertainers come to town! Now that's a sentence I could only have ever dreamed of writing on this blog. It's pure insanity! Let's recap! I'm actually a substitute alongside the legends of Newcastle United managed by Kevin Keegan and Terry McDermott. It's time to use a cliche; you couldn't make it up!

The only rational explanation I have for all of this madness is that I'm actually hallucinating. I'm really still running along highway 36 in the USA thinking of anything to get me through the tough miles. I've actually imagined that I'm going to be in the same squad as Alan Shearer and Les Ferdinand. I'm making up this most brilliant story in a last ditch attempt to ensure that I get my miles in for the day and fall no further behind on the run across the USA. It's the only rational explanation I can think of!

I really enjoyed talking to the media during the press conference. I also enjoyed talking to Alan Shearer about the run across the USA. He made a lot of time to speak to my son, Jack, too at the end of the session.

Other than my kick off duties, I have absolutely no expectations of kicking the ball again. To be involved in the squad and to be in the dugout with Kevin Keegan, Terry Mac and the other lads is going to be something so very special.

Knowing that proceeds from the match are going to benefit NSPCC, CHUF, the Alan Shearer Centre, the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation and Pathways is the icing on the cake.

The match takes place on October 9th at The Newcastle Falcons ground at Kingston Park. Kick off is 1.30 pm which means that I'm, unfortunately, no longer able to participate in the Kielder Marathon!

Tickets are very well priced at £10 for adults and £5 for children. There are also some corporate hospitality packages available, priced at £35 and £50.

The great thing about the Falcons ground is that it still has terraces. There should, therefore, be quite an atmosphere during the game.

Everything you need to know about the match, including how to book tickets, can be found at www.theentertainersreunited.co.uk.

I almost forgot to mention something that Alan Shearer said in the press conference. It's a line that will live with me to my dying day - "I'm no Run Geordie Run". As I said before, you couldn't make it up. I'm not looking forward to snapping out of this particular daydream on Highway 36!

More coverage in The Journal and other stuff

2011-09-01T21:10:00.000Z

Friday's Journal Newspaper is carrying a story about up and coming events that I'm involved in. Please don't forget to grab your copy.

In other news, the treatment I'm receiving from Alison at the Cradlewell Clinic continues to be nothing short of brilliant. I saw her for further treatment this afternoon and she is very pleased with the state of my feet and lower legs. She has now started on my thighs and hamstrings. My treatment with her resumes next Wednesday by which time I hope to have a few 6 mile runs under my belt. I can't recommend her highly enough. If you have a need to see a podiatrist in the Jesmond area then you really need look no further than Alison at the Cradlewell Clinic.

A touching email

2011-08-30T22:05:00.000Z

The run across the USA has had it's obvious benefits not only for the 2 charities but to me personally. The charity fund currently sits at just over £87,200 which is a quite remarkable sign of so many people's generosity. As for me, I lost 77 pounds and 22 % body fat during the run. I also feel that I've got significantly greater mental strength than I had before I started the run. I'm already looking into the feasibility of the next big run. The mental strength that I referred to will be put to the test in what I believe would be a very difficult event if I can ever figure out the logistics.

You might think that the benefits end there. You'd be wrong. What has become apparent during my experience of running across the USA this Summer and also from John O'Groats to Lands End in 2007 is how the run has inspired other people. I received the following email yesterday which I thought I'd share with the readers of this blog. It's very touching and, for me, makes what I do even more worthwhile.

"I am an American who was born in Suffolk at RAF Lakenheath. I attended university in Brighton in 1996/97, the year I became a Newcastle United supporter (Les Ferdinand, David Ginola, Alan Shearer... how could anyone not support that team??). I now have a family and live and work in Seattle, Washington.

On the same day you set out to complete your run across the United States, I left my home in Seattle for Bangkok, Thailand. My father was a retired serviceman who lived in Bangkok for about ten years. He was diagnosed with colon cancer in November 2009 and he stayed in Thailand to receive treatment. He was just about at the end when I left my home to be with him, just about the same time you were running out of New Jersey for Coney Island. He finally died last Saturday (August 20th). My sister was there with us for a while, but she had to return to the states just a few days before he died, so most of the time it was just him and me, and maybe a nurse in the room. I was his only son, the oldest, and was responsible for making some tough medical decisions once he lost the ability to continue fighting.

Obviously, I'd known this was coming. In some ways, I was better prepared for the end than my father was himself. I prepared myself by speaking with friends who'd lost parents or siblings and I was fortunate to become friends with an oncologist who lives in my neighborhood. One other thing supported me during the last and most difficult months of my father's life: I'd been following your run since you set out from Huntington Beach. Sometimes I checked your blog two or three times per day, often feeling like a hanger-on, but nevertheless I enjoyed keeping track of your progress. I finally donated today -- only a modest ten pounds but honestly, given the travel and time away over the last month, it was all I could afford. If I could give more, I would. Because I derived an immeasurable amount of pleasure from following your run and reading your updates. I really needed the positive feelings associated with your success and I thank you wholeheartedly for doing what you did.

Honestly, I know it wasn't the point of the run, but I can't thank you enough for doing it. It was inspirational on a lot of levels, and a demonstration of selflessness and determination that makes me think a lot about what I'm doing with my life and what I'm going to do from here on out, both for me and for my family.

Best of luck to you. I hope the Geordie Ball is as successful as your run across the country here.

William"

The Run Geordie Run Ball

2011-08-27T02:27:00.008Z

It's been a quite fantastic week in terms of organising the Run Geordie Run ball. Mrs Run Geordie Run has played an absolute blinder and is working tirelessly, almost around the clock, to make the event a success. The ball is very close to a sell out and we will be contacting The Marriott at Gosforth Park over the weekend to try and arrange some more tables. In the meantime, let me take you through the itinerary for the evening.

Champagne reception, Run Geordie Run Dolly Dealers' Super Raffle and Run Geordie Run Super Silent Auction

I'll be delighted to see so many folk there and it promises to be an absolutely brilliant evening of entertainment and fund raising. At 7pm, there'll be a champagne reception on arrival with what I like to call the "Run Geordie Run Dolly Dealers' super raffle" for both ladies and gents. While you enjoy your Champers, please watch out for the Run Geordie Run "Dolly Dealers*" selling apples and sweety bracelets. Each one of them will have a number attached and up for grabs is a Pandora Bracelet if you bought a sweety bracelet and an iPad 2 if you bought an apple.

There'll also be a chance to view the items in the "Run Geordie Run Super Silent Auction". There are some amazing items on offer and please feel free to bid on anything that takes your fancy. The silent auction will run throughout the night so it'll be worth returning to the table to make sure you're the highest bidder. You won't want to miss out on these items.

*actual Dolly Dealers may differ slightly from those shown below.

Heads and tail, 3 course meal with an American twist, the Run Geordie Run Super Casino and the Run Geordie Run Super Table Raffle

The evening will really get underway when the Run Geordie Run Dolly Dealers dance for us on stage. This will tell us that "dinner is served". They were cheaper than a dinner gong!

I have worked tirelessly with the Dollys over recent weeks. They are now lucky enough to have some of my "signature dance moves" in their locker. I'm hoping they put everything they've learned in our intensive choreography sessions to good use.

Just before we take our seats for a superb 3 course meal with an American twist, your hosts for the evening, Real Radio's Gary and Lisa, will squeeze in a quick game of "heads and tails" with a nice magnum of bubbly up for grabs. The Breakfast Show duo will be on hand during the night for our entertainment and to remind everyone what the evening has to offer.

On the tables will be envelopes for each person. In exchange for a donation, at your discretion, you'll be entered into the Run Geordie Run Super Table Raffle. So many kind folk have donated so many superb prizes that I wouldn't be surprised if we all went home with a bit of something*.

I have worked closely with the Marriott, Gosforth Park to fine tune this unique one off menu. I'm sure it'll go down a treat. I had to endure many tasting sessions before I was 100% happy with the menu. That is the main reason I started the run across the USA at 18 1/2 stone (see below). Yes ladies and gents, I risked it all to have the perfect menu delivered to you. But that's just the kind of guy I am/was!

A comprehensive choice of wine will be available to you on the table. It's a good idea to pre order this and the relevant forms to help you do this will be sent out with tickets next week.

Located at the rear of the room will be the Run Geordie Run Super Casino. It is here that you will be able to purchase your "Run Geordie Run Super Dollars". The dollars can be used to win your fortune on the Blackjack or Roulette tables. The person cashing in the most dollars at the end of the night will win a 32 inch LCD TV. It's a colour one too! Quit while you're ahead or go for broke? The choice is yours.

You might want to check how your bid is doing on the Run Geordie Run Super Silent Auction. We wouldn't want anyone going home disappointed!

*Please note - Run Geordie Run Dolly Dealers are not on the Run Geordie Run Super Raffle prize list but they will be collecting your envelopes.

Jason Isaacs and The Greg Francis Orchestra (Set 1)

Jason Isaacs backed by his 3 fantastic vocalists and the big band that is The Greg Francis Orchestra will take to the stage after dinner. He'll belt out hit after hit in a style that only Jason or Sinatra before him could deliver. Fans of Jason will know exactly what I mean.

Listen out for a few surprise songs that will deliver a taste of my memories of the USA. And before you ask "What's that coming over the hill, is it a monster?" isn't one of those songs!

I've saved a special pair of the underpants I wore when running across the USA to throw at Jason on stage*. That'll be his cue to bring his first amazing set to a close. But worry not folks as he'll appear later on for his second set (if he hasn't been suffocated by my pants that is! Don't worry I've taken out special insurance!).

*That reminds me! I must get Mrs Run Geordie Run to launder said underpants before next week.

The Run Geordie Run Super Serious Bit

Once we've got our breath back (and more to the point, Jason after that underpant episode!) it's time to get down to business. This will be my chance to take you through the whirlwind journey across the USA. I'll be explaining just how I managed to run 3100 miles across the USA in 100 days and exactly why I did such a foolish thing. More importantly, I'll have the chance to thank everyone who made, not only that possible, but also helped to raise such a fantastic sum of money for St Benedict's Hospice and The Children's Foundation.

I wrote the speech for this section in my mind while running across the USA. To deliver it to such a wonderfully supportive audience is going to be an absolute honour and a privilege. This is going to be a very profound, personal and emotional thing for me to do so please bear with me as I attempt to keep it together on stage*.

I'll also be dropping a massive hint as to what the next big running challenge is going to be. Not even Mrs Run Geordie Run knows what that is!

I've promised not to touch a drop of alcohol until after this part of the evening is over. We don't want a repeat of my post John O'Groats to Lands End speech in 2007 where I became a cross between Bernard Manning and Frankie Howard. There were sharp intakes of breath from the audience that night where I expected laughter. So please, instead of buying me a beer**, pop the money into the table raffle envelope or buy a few extra Run Geordie Run dollars for the Run Geordie Run Super Casino.

*I'm sure that with the help of the Run Geordie Run Dolly Dealers I'll manage!
**up until that point of the evening! It's fine thereafter. In fact, you're playing catchup!

The Run Geordie Run Super Auction

Up for grabs in the Run Geordie Run Super Auction are some absolutely fabulous prizes. Breakfast show funny man, Gary Phillipson will be our auctioneer for the evening and he will be ably assisted by the much funnier Lisa Shaw.

Fancy going 3 sparring rounds with professional Boxer Tony Jeffries? You can bid for that here.

Fancy a champagne lunch followed by a tour round the Bentley Factory? You can bid for that here.

Fancy a swimming master class with Team GB's Double Commonwealth Champion, British Record holder, Commonwealth Record holder, World Medallist, European Medallist and Olympic Finalist Chris Cook? You can bid for that here.

Fancy a pair of my sweaty old trainers used to run across the USA? You can bid for that here. No really you can!

Fancy a framed Run Geordie Run running top that was worn in the USA? You can bid for that here.

Also up for grabs is a fantastic framed Team GB item from Paralympian Stephen Miller who will be present on the night with his family.

There are a few other superb items too and I'll be publishing a full list a few days before the ball. I'll also publish the list of prizes for the Run Geordie Run Super Table Raffle at the same time. Speaking of which, once the auction has finished, Run Geordie Run Junior will draw the numbers out for the table raffle. I'm sure that'll go smoothly and once everyone has got their prizes it'll be time for (the resuscitated) Jason Isaacs to take to the stage for his final set of the evening.

Jason Isaacs and The Greg Francis Orchestra (Set 2)

Jason, The Greg Francis Orchestra and those fabulous backing singers will once again take to the stage and whip the audience into a dancing frenzy. Just remember not to dance to "My Way" as you would "The Lady is a tramp" or one of those other upbeat numbers.

I'm sure to be in demand* so you'll find me swapping partners and cutting in like there's no tomorrow during Jason's final set of the evening.

The names of the winners of the Run Geordie Run Super Silent Auction and the Run Geordie Run Super Casino will be on display by the end of Jason's 2nd set. You might want to book a bigger taxi!

*Once again, the Run Geordie Run Dolly Dealers will be on hand if I'm by myself.

Carriages at 1 am

Well that'll be it for another year or so. Where did the evening go? How did I end up winning so many prizes? And why do I have 2 Run Geordie Run Dolly Dealers in my taxi? Those and many other questions will surely be answered by the end of the Run Geordie Run Charity Ball.

It's going to be a blast. We are hopefully going to raise a significant sum of money for St Benedict's Hospice and The Children's Foundation. It'll hopefully be the kind of money that really makes a difference to the already fantastic services offered by the 2 charities. They are desperate for our hard earned cash. Let's make it a great night for the 2 charities. Let's have a bloody good time too!

Ticket Availability

As I said at the top of this post, the Run Geordie Run ball is almost sold out. If you would like to attend then please don't delay.

Payment for tickets (£65 each or £600 for a table of 10) can be made by Debit/Credit Card to the Marriott or by bank transfer. Please get in touch at sponsorship@rungeordierun.com if you would like to book some tickets. Alternatively, please use the link below.

Please click here to reserve your tickets.

Thanks to ….. Brooks

2011-08-25T23:13:00.001Z

One of the main reasons I made it across the USA without injury was the Brooks running shoes that I wear. They served me well over 874 miles from John O'Groats to Lands End in 2007. This continued this year with a successful 3100 miles across the USA. 2800 of those miles were ran in Brooks Glycerin 8 and when the need for a trail shoe arose, Brooks Cascadia 6 was used. I finished off the last few hundred miles running in Brooks Glycerin 9 (pictured below).

I bought my own Brooks shoes back in 2007 and was delighted when they agreed to become my official shoe supplier for the run across the USA. Without their support I would have been faced with buying 18 pairs of running shoes over the last 3 years! I wouldn't have worn any other shoe so I'm grateful to Brooks for helping to keep my costs down.

As well as Brooks shoes, I also wore Brooks Equilibrium base layers for the majority of the run. I've been a fan of this product for the last 3 years. It's one of the most comfortable base layers I've worn.

I wrote the following for a magazine last year - "During the Summer of 2007 I ran 874 miles from John O’Groats to Lands End in Brooks trainers, raising £34,108 for St Benedict’s Hospice. Since then, I have clocked up almost 2800 miles wearing out 6 pairs of Brooks shoes.

The thing I like most about my Brooks shoes are how comfortable they are. I remember when I first tried a pair on in Northern Runner in Newcastle. “Wow! They feel like slippers!” I remember thinking. I’ve tried a few different brands that, at the time I found very comfortable. In my experience, Brooks have taken comfort to the next level.

Saying that they are comfortable in the shop is one thing, however. I spent the next 2 months testing them out before deciding to use them to run from John O’Groats to Lands End.

The experts tell me that I’m a neutral runner, so Brooks Glycerin are the model of shoe that I use. In fact, I’m currently running in the Brooks Glycerin 8 model which incorporates Brooks own DNA technology for the first time.

Brooks DNA is “an innovative cushioning material that responds to the unique differences that make each of us who we are as runners.”. In laypersons terms, a special fluid is used in key parts of the shoe, which adapts, in the runner’s favour, to the different forces that are applied to it. I find this particularly useful as my training is made up of various speeds (7:30 - 11:00 minute miles), distances (5 - 37 miles) and terrains (Roads, cycle paths and the treadmill). I’ve also been known to lose and gain 2-3 stone between major events so I reckon Brooks DNA works overtime some days!

On Sunday 19th September, miles 2750 - 2763.1 at the Great North Run were the usual comfortable, blister free experience. This was my first comeback race following an ankle break in May 2010. An ankle break which made the front page of the local newspaper incidentally. I was on a cycle ride along the C2C route with friends who call themselves “The Men Of Steel”. Unfortunately, 120 miles into the ride, I had a puncture in my front tyre on a bend and lost control. My inner ankle bone (Medial Malleolus) was the casualty of the resulting fall. I suspected straight away that it was broken. “Thankfully”, it was a nice clean break. Only 24 hours after the accident I had 2 pins inserted in my ankle at Newcastle General Hospital.

The recovery from the ankle break meant 3 months of missed running time. So with only 2 weeks of training under my belt and going against my physio’s orders, I finished the Great North Run in a time of 02:22:48.

The run provided a massive boost in confidence and served as the first stepping stone to the next major run I’ll be undertaking. For 100 days during the Summer of 2011, I will be continuing to put my faith in Brooks Glycerin shoes when I run 3100 miles across the USA from California to New York. That’s an average of 31 miles per day for 100 days and 3.5 times further than my John O’Groats to Lands End run in 2007.

I’ll be counting on the Brooks DNA technology, in my Glycerin shoes, to adapt to terrain of the Mojave Desert as well as the Rocky Mountains and beyond! This article may read like a sales pitch but it is in fact a plea for all readers to, at least, try a pair of Brooks shoes. I’ve had a lot of comfort and success in them over the last 3 years. It’s imperative that that continues and I get to New York in 1 piece in order to raise the target of £50,000 for 2 local charities; St Benedict’s Hospice (Charity No. 1019410) and The Children’s Foundation (Charity No. 1000013). Thanks to my Brooks Glycerin shoes I stand a very good chance of succeeding.".

Thanks to Brooks for their brilliant support over the last 3 years.

Thanks to ….. Sport Newcastle

2011-08-25T21:44:00.003Z

I'm not the usual kind of "athlete" supported by Sport Newcastle. I was therefore very grateful and, indeed, flattered when they became one of my kit sponsors. By having the Sport Newcastle logo on my kit not only did the 2 charities benefit financially from the deal but I had a respected local brand emblazoned on the right hand side of my chest during the run across the USA. It's clearly visible on my favourite image of the entire run below.

In the their words - "Sport Newcastle are a voluntary organisation that have been working in Newcastle for over forty years. Their aim is to encourage the development of sport in the City by offering funding opportunities to men, women and children seeking to realise their sporting dream. Whether backing community projects or local clubs, elite international athletes or individuals of regional repute, we try to promote success through sport.

All of their funding is generated through sponsorship and events, the main fundraiser is the Sport Newcastle Annual Dinner staged at Newcastle’s Civic Centre in March each year. This event is attended by the city’s sporting heroes past, present and future and culminating in the presentation of the prestigious Sports Personality of the Year award. Some of the biggest names in North East sport have received the award over the years including Jonny Wilkinson, Kevin Keegan, Paul Gascoigne, Glen McCrory and most recently Kevin Nolan.

They currently operate a Sports Scholarship scheme in partnership with local companies and individuals which allows eleven talented local athletes receive sponsorship to help them achieve their sporting ambitions. These include Olympic hopeful athletes Ryan McLeod and Lauren Dewdney, Swimmer Jessica Thielman, Gymnast Grace Imeson, Judo Player Louise Little and Basketball Player and Newcastle Eagle Ross Wilson. In addition to the scholarship scheme individual grant applications are considered four times a year by a committee of Trustees.

Sport Newcastle are run by a committee of volunteers working under chairman Alan Younger. If you are able to support Sport Newcastle in any way please contact Malcolm Dix 07718 448057 or (0191) 267 6342 or visit the website www.sportnewcastle.org.uk".

Thanks to Sport Newcastle for their support of Run Geordie Run and then 2 charities.

Status report - 2 weeks after the finish

2011-08-23T22:18:00.008Z

It's just over 2 weeks since I finished the run across the USA. The relief of having successfully finished the run and the utter amazement at the amount raised is still very much the feeling that I have. There is no real sense of achievement or perspective yet. Perhaps that will come after the Run Geordie Run Ball next week when the final fundraising total is known.

Physically, I feel in brilliant condition. My feet are on the mend thanks to the continuing treatment by Alison at the Cradlewell Clinic. I've really had my eyes opened as to how you treat the kind of damage that my feet have. It's not just a case of removing dead skin and clipping misshaped toenails. I've had to endure very deep massage on my legs in order to correct some issues in my feet. It's excrutiating! It really is. I'm also wearing strategically placed padded dressings on both feet in order to encourage blood flow to my metatarsals. I'm hopeful of running again next week but I'll be taking advice from Alison before making my return.

Last weekend's stay at Slaley Hall was just what the Dr ordered. I had a good session in the gym and Mrs Run Geordie Run and I had a nice relaxing time in the pool. The evening meal that we had was some of the best food I've had in years. It was very healthy too! Honest!

I've worked extremely hard at getting my food right since I returned to the UK. I can't remember ever turning down a full English Breakfast before. That was the case at Slaley Hall! I've not had a chocolate bar since I came back to the UK. Off the menu is also fast food and takeaways. I'm an ambassador for The Great Fitness Revolution for goodness sake! How on earth can I ever step inside another chippy again! Out of habit I still make the trip to the shop at work. I now come away with an apple though.

My diet now consists mainly of lean meat, salad and vegetables. I've started to have a bigger breakfast too. Porridge, of course, is always on the menu. I've had a few omelettes here and there too. It takes a little longer to have breakfast before work but making that time in order to get a good start to the day is so important.

As for the fundraising; I continue to be amazed more and more each day as the donations keep being made to St Benedict's Hospice and The Children's Foundation. The fund burst through the 86k barrier this evening and currently sits at £86,028. That's 141,890 US Dollars or 10.8 million Japanese Yen (which sounds very impressive!).

I received a nice Tweet from @HannahTurley tonight - "[you] became a topic of conversation at the dinner table tonight Mark! Mum and Dad said they're so impressed - mum sponsored u!". If I had a pound for every time that I said "People's generosity never ceases to amaze me" the fund would be over 100k by now. Thanks so much to everyone who has made a donation so far. Your money is so important to the 2 charities. I can't say often enough how important each donation is. Whether it be small or large it makes a massive difference.

I've dumped all of the Tweets I received over the last few months to a file. When I get a chance I'm going to have a good read through them. There was so much to take in during the run and I'm really looking forward to reliving the journey through the eyes of my followers on Twitter.

I've got a busy few months ahead with speaking engagements, The Great North Run, The Kielder Marathon, meeting Lady Elsie Robson and her family, kicking off the Entertainers ReUnited match and undertaking a feasibility study for the next big run to do. I'm also hoping to start running with the Tyne Bridge Harriers over the next few weeks. With the next big challenge in mind, I've got to look to take my running to a different level and having the company of some accomplished runners is going to be an important part of that.

One thing that I'm looking forward to immensely is becoming an Ambassador for The Children's Foundation. I felt so honoured to be asked to become more involved in the work that they do. First up is a visit to The Great North Children's Hospital in September. This will be "a celebration of some of the equipment that The Children's Foundation have been able to put into the hospital.". I'm looking forward to meeting and being inspired by some of the other fundraisers who have also made such a difference at that event.

Also in September, I'll be attending the Children's Foundation Star Awards. The awards aim to recognise the achievements of children in the North East with a disability, their friends and families, the challenges they face on a daily basis, reward their accomplishments and raise awareness of important issues to ensure equal opportunities. I'm sure that I won't fail to be inspired by the people that I encounter that night.

Finally this year, I will be sitting on The Children's Foundation's Regional Small Grants Panel. This body of people are responsible for deciding which non profit groups will benefit from a grant of up to £1000. There will also be a chance to visit the groups after the awards to see how and where the money is being spent. As a fundraiser of 17 years, I will have never been so close to see how the money I've raised is being used. I find this to be a great honour and privilege actually.

If I never had a hand in how money is spent or never received a thank you from the charities I raise funds for it would matter not. I raise funds unconditionally. I give my support unconditionally to the charities and expect nothing in return. This is something that I realised during the run across the USA. I have spoken on many an occasion just how I am forever in the debt of St Benedict's Hospice. They cared for my Mam during some very difficult times. As a then 23 year old, they answered my desperate call for help. The cancer from my Mam's lung had spread to her brain and as her days became numbered. Her body started to fail and the Hospice were there to lessen her pain and give her a dignified end to her life. I'm a firm believer that this kind of care should be available to all who need it. I'm an even firmer believer in the Hospice movement. It is with that in mind that, as long as I can run, I will continue to raise funds for the Hospice.

I'm also a firm believer that we must do everything we can to safeguard the happiness, health and safety of our Children. This is something that I've discovered as a parent but more so recently, having been made aware of the many projects that The Children's Foundation fund and are involved in.

With the Run Geordie Run USA 2011 ball just around the corner and so many exciting things to look forward to, the fundraising circle is almost complete. After having endured physical and mental pain on the run across the USA I'm now starting to cast my mind back to what I wrote on Route 36 in Kansas; "Think not about the finish line, nor the glory, nor the accolades. Think only about taking the next step to those ends". The run across the USA may be over and the charity fund at an unprecedented level. I now realise that I'm still nowhere near the finish line. There are still thousands of miles to be run. There are still thousands of pounds to be raised. There are still thousands of people to take along this journey with me. There is still the task of making my parents proud, wherever they are now.

I'm not thinking about the glory or the accolades. My sights are firmly set on taking the next step. I'll be revealing where that next step is in the next few months so please stick around. Please continue to check the blog or send a message on Twitter or Facebook. With your help and support Run Geordie Run will continue to try and make a difference. We are all in this together and I can't do it on my own.

Fund almost at 86k

2011-08-22T22:11:00.000Z

Thanks so so much to everybody who has made a donation so far. I am slowly getting round to thanking you all where an email address has been left on justgiving.com. The charity fund has almost reached £86,000. This is an amazing total so thank you again if you have contributed towards it.

There are still vital funds to be raised right up until the Run Geordie Run ball in September. If you would like to sponsor my run across the USA then donations can be made in a number of ways. www.justgiving.com have introduced a brilliant new free donation method. Did you know that you can now donate to the 2 charities using your mobile phone?

To donate an amount to St Benedict's Hospice, please text your desired amount and the following code RNGR98 to 70070:

To donate an amount to The Children's Foundation, please text your desired amount and the following code RNGR99 to 70070:

Donations can also be made direct to St Benedict's Hospice and The Children's Foundation using the following links to justgiving.com.

www.justgiving.com/rungeordierun1

(St Benedict's Hospice)

www.justgiving.com/rungeordierun2

(The Children's Foundation)

Finally, a donation can be made via cheque payable to 'The Children's Foundation' or 'St Benedict's Hospice' and sent to the following addresses:

FAO Libby Nolan
The Children's Foundation,
PO Box 2YB,
Sir James Spence Institute,
Victoria Wing,
Royal Victoria Infirmary,
Queen Victoria Road,
Newcastle upon Tyne.
NE99 2YB.

FAO Sylvia Stoneham
St Benedict's Hospice.
Monkwearmouth Hospital,
Newcastle Road,
Sunderland,
SR5 1NB.

The Run Geordie Run Ball

2011-08-22T21:32:00.002Z

It's just less than 2 weeks to the Run Geordie Run Ball. I'm getting very excited about this chance to thank everyone for their support and talk about the bits of the run that, for one reason or another, I was never able to talk about on the blog. One example is the drugs bust in California that the Support Team were responsible for. I'm looking forward to telling everyone about how we tipped the police off and the subsequent arrests that were made. Ahhhh, happy days!

Gary and Lisa from the Real Radio Breakfast show will be hosting the ball. They are the perfect choice for hosts for 2 reasons. Firstly, they are obviously very entertaining. I've listened to them for over a year now on Real Radio and have had many a belly laugh on the way to work. Secondly, I spoke to Gary and Lisa on the show many times during the run. They know all about the highs and lows on the run and I'm sure that this will shine through on the night of the ball.

I'm also looking forward to celebrating the run in style with the sensational Jason Isaacs backed by the Greg Francis Orchestra. Now that's a line up and a half ladies and gentlemen! Jason, the big band and the fabulous backing singers will be one of the highlights of the night for me. "Start spreading the news…..". Oh yes! I'll see you on the dance floor.

As well as the usual auctions, games and emotional speeches we will be creating a mini Las Vegas casino for you to win your (virtual) fortune. I've got a good strategy on the Roulette tables so I hope to win big on the night.

Tickets for the Run Geordie Run charity ball, which include a 3 course dinner, are £65 each or £600 for a table of ten. Please hurry if you would like to attend as tickets are selling fast. Please click the link below the poster to reserve tickets or please get in touch at sponsorship@rungeordierun.com if you have any questions.

Please click here to reserve your tickets.

The Great North Fitness Revolution

2011-08-21T10:37:00.001Z

They say the that the worst kind of anti-smoker is an ex smoker. Not that I would know. I've never smoked and both of my parents, despite losing the battle against lung cancer, drummed it into me from an early age that smoking was a really bad thing to do. Having been overweight in the past, I've now been given the chance to get on my soapbox and try to inspire people to have a fitter and healthier lifestyle.

Last week I was asked to become an ambassador for The Great North Fitness Revolution. It's a campaign being led by the Journal newspaper. It has identified the fact that the North East of England is one of the unhealthiest regions in the UK. As a result, the campaign is trying to get the message across that an improved diet and taking regular exercise will change this fact.

Their was a nice piece in The Journal yesterday about my involvement and thoughts on the campaign. As an added bonus, having the photos taken in Tynemouth last week was a nice excuse to go for a short run on the beach.

I'm sure there are far more qualified and experienced folk out there for a role such as this. I'm not a personal fitness trainer. I'm not a nutritionist. I certainly don't have a relevant university degree. However, what I feel that I can bring to the table is that I'm an ordinary man in the street who has learned some very important lessons while undertaking an extraordinarily difficult task.

I, myself, have struggled in the past with making the right food decisions. I've never struggled with being motivated to exercise though. During 100 days of running in the USA I really saw the real benefits of eating the right kinds of foods, in the right quantities, at the right time of day.

One interesting and profound message that the Great North Fitness Revolution preaches is that by making small changes over time, a big difference can be made. One change that I'm making straight away is with my family. We were always big on puddings after a meal. Now when the old question of "What's for pudding?' is asked, the answer is "A walk!". There are plenty of lovely places to walk in and around Shotley Bridge, so we have no excuse as a family to get out in the fresh air.

If you have been inspired by the run across the USA then why not think about how you could make a healthy change to your lifestyle. Why not involve your family too? There are so many small changes that can be made. With a consistent and continued effort, these small changes can really make a big difference to a fitter and healthier lifestyle.

To sign up to The Great North Fitness Revolution and find out more please click the image above.

Thanks to ….. nufc.com

2011-08-21T08:07:00.000Z

The dust is starting to settle a little bit on the run across the USA. I'm now able to begin the process of thanking all of those people who made a difference and gave both me and the 2 charities some great support.

The first people I'd like to thank are the lads at nufc.com. Biffa and Niall have backed my fundraising efforts for the last 10 years. The quality and volume of coverage this time round was absolutely first class. Despite the run finishing 2 weeks ago there is still a piece on there regarding the up and coming charity ball.

Being on nufc.com has enabled my efforts to become well known amongst Geordies the world over. It's absolutely no coincidence that this is where the vast majority of sponsorship comes from.

One of the highlights of my day during the run was getting nufc.com's take on things. More importantly, the clever and sometimes funny headlines that they wrote were brilliant.

Thanks to nufc.com.

New Run Geordie Run t-shirts

2011-08-20T18:00:00.002Z

I'm currently looking into getting some new Run Geordie Run t-shirts printed to commemorate the run across the USA. Sales from the last lot of t-shirts raised over £8000 for St Benedict's Hospice and The Children's Foundation. Regular readers will remember when the Newcastle United first team warmed up in them before a match in 2010.

I have a few designs in mind and McCowie and Co have agreed to pay for their production. This, as has been the case in the past, will allow the full amount paid for a t-shirt to go to the charities. Watch this space for news on the new Run Geordie Run t-shirts and how to order them very soon.

One design that was made into a t-shirt for my use in the gym last week can be seen below.

Front

Back

Thank you Slaley Hall

2011-08-19T15:03:00.000Z

A huge thank you goes to Slaley Hall for looking after Mrs Run Geordie Run and I this weekend. We had the pleasure of being greeted by MD Sean Boyce this afternoon and we've been made to feel very welcome. Sean is a fellow runner and ran in the London Marathon last year. We had plenty to talk about and he showed a very keen interest in my run across the USA.

Our room here at Slayley Hall is absolutely fantastic and our lunch of Caesar salad (for the purposes of the watching Dave Fairlamb) was very nice indeed. We'll be dining in Duke's Grill tonight where the menu looks amazing. I might even treat myself to the Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cheesecake with sour cherries.

Thanks to Catherine Harland, Sean Boyce and De Vere Slaley Hall for helping us wind down after the last few months of hard work in the USA.

As an aside, I hear my personal trainer Mark Fleming is here playing golf today. Coincidence? Or has he heard that I'm fancying trying that Cheesecake?

One week on and the charity fund is still going strong.

2011-08-17T22:41:00.000Z

It is now just over a week since I finished running across the USA. Naturally, the donations for St Benedict's Hospice and The Children's Foundation are coming in at a slower rate compared to previous weeks. Or so you'd think!

The charity fund today burst through the £85,000 barrier and now stands at an absolutely amazing £85,212.56 (That's just over $140,000 USD). So many amazing donations have gone to make up that total and some big ones this week from The Holbrook Family, Gary Megennis, Martin Scott (who I got talking to on the flight back to the UK last week), Michael Gallon, Straightline Construction, Mark Howmans, Cathryn Hunt, the guys at Beach Bootcamp, Neil Porter, Ivor Potter, Keith Riley, Paul Connolly, Mohammad Mansoori, Nick Davison, Alexander Baker and the list goes on and on and on. It will take me some time to get round to thanking everyone who left an email address on justgiving.com personally. Please bear with me. I will get round to it. There are just so many of you! Fantastic!

In other news, I returned to work today to an elaborately decorated desk. There were balloons, a nice banner and hundreds of photos of the run all over the place. It was a nice touch and I felt immediately welcome when I got back to the office. I'm very lucky to have a job after quitting my post to do the run. I had envisaged applying for jobs while I was running across the USA. To be asked to return to work the week before I left for the USA took a lot of pressure off me.

I had my 2nd appointment at the Jesmond Clinic with Alison after work. She was very pleased with the recovery my feet had made to date and continued to do further chiropody work and massage on my feet and ankles. She thinks that I'm only a week away from running. I can't tell you just how much I'm desperate to get my trainers back on and hit the streets again.

I've had some nice emails from a couple of running clubs this week. I'll be pursuing these with a view to getting some quality back in my running. It'll also be nice to have some company during my runs after work.

Thanks also to those folk who have been in touch about after dinner speaking. I'm really flattered that people are keen to listen to what I have to say about the run across the USA. The first engagement that I have is at the Leisureworks Sports & Physical Activity Awards on the 16th September. Taking the audience on the journey across the USA in my allotted 20 minute time slot is going to be a huge challenge. I'm really looking forward to it and the fee that I'll be receiving will be donated to The Children's Foundation.

Finally, thanks to everyone who has bought tickets for the Run Geordie Run Ball on September 3rd. Thanks also to the many companies and individuals who have donated a prize for the raffle and auction. Your help is greatly appreciated.

For those who don't know, the event will be hosted by Real Radio's Gary and Lisa. The Run Geordie Run charity ball promises to be the homecoming of all homecomings. As well as the usual auctions, games and emotional speeches we will be creating a mini Las Vegas casino for you to win your (virtual) fortune.

Not content with stopping at the bright lights of Vegas, there will be a hint of New York thrown in with our entertainment being provided by the North East's very own crooner Jason Isaacs and a full big band (with 3 lovely backing singers too!).

Tickets for the black tie event are £65 each or £600 for a table of ten. Please hurry if you would like to attend. Click the link below the poster to reserve tickets or please get in touch at sponsorship@rungeordierun.com if you have any questions.

Please click here to reserve your tickets.

On the Breakfast Show with Gary and Lisa at Real Radio

2011-08-16T20:42:00.000Z

The Real Radio Breakfast Show with Gary Phillipson and Lisa Shaw have been so very supportive of the run across the USA. I spoke to the show every week during the run. In fact, I was either on the Breakfast show or the 3 Legends show (with Malcolm McDonald, Bernie Slaven and Micky Horswill) every day during the final week of the run.

Like so many other people associated with this run, I’ll never be able to thank them enough for their support. The airtime they gave me and the chance to plug the run and the 2 charities proved to be so important. A huge thank you also goes to the programme controller Jon Kirby who, along with Gary and Lisa, really saw the potential in this run and backed me to the hilt right from the start.

With that said, you may be able to imagine just how excited I was to appear on the Real Radio Breakfast Show yesterday morning. Firstly, the chance to thank Gary and Lisa in person was something that I’d been looking forward to throughout the run.

As an added bonus, Katy and Jack were also invited onto the show yesterday. It was a great experience for Jack who enjoyed our time there from start to finish. To be able to share this time on the show with my family was something very special to me.

We were all very well looked after at the station. Before we started on the show, we had a spot of breakfast which was very nice indeed.

We were live on air just after 0730 all the way through to 0900. It was a privilege to be able to talk about so many aspects of the run, the support I had and the the 2 charities. Katy and Jack were also given a chance to give their point of view. As was the case on ITV last week, Jack was brilliant and charming in his own little way yet again. He even got to press some buttons and play his part on the Summer 0815 Vending Machine piece. Gary and Lisa were brilliant with him. He now wants to work at Real Radio when he grows up! What a brilliant experience for an 8 year old.

For me, the highlight of the show was a "best bits" package that had been put together. I was absolutely gobsmacked and close to tears when I heard it. In my minds eye, I could picture exactly where I was for each audio clip. It was one of the most amazingly beautiful things that I've ever heard. It told the story so well in just 3 minutes. It's something that I will treasure forever. It can be heard here.

Thanks to Real Radio, Gary Philipson, Lisa Shaw, John McInally, Jon Kirby, Chris Sibley, Trina O'Driscoll, Justin Lockwood, Craig Stewart and the 3 Legends for their invaluable help, support and encouragement during the run.

The best bits from Real Radio

2011-08-15T18:13:00.000Z

The Run Geordie Run Charity Ball - September 3rd - Gosforth Park Marriott

2011-08-15T09:46:00.003Z

Please click here to reserve your tickets.

Hosted by Real Radio's Gary and Lisa, the Run Geordie Run charity ball promises to be the homecoming of all homecomings. As well as the usual auctions, games and emotional speeches we will be creating a mini Las Vegas casino for you to win your (virtual) fortune.

Please click here to reserve your tickets.

Gary and Lisa and donation update

2011-08-15T00:47:00.001Z

Please listen out for me on Real Radio this morning as I'll be in the Breakfast Show studio with Gary and Lisa from 0730. It'll be great to be able to thank them in person for all the support they gave me while I was running in the USA.

Also, thanks so so much to everybody who has made a donation so far. I will get round to thanking you all over the coming weeks where an email address has been left on justgiving.com. The charity fund has almost reached £82,000. There are still funds to be raised right up until the charity ball in September. If you would like to sponsor my run across the USA then donations can be made in a number of ways. www.justgiving.com have introduced a brilliant new free donation method. Did you know that you can now donate to the 2 charities using your mobile phone?

To donate an amount to St Benedict's Hospice, please text your desired amount and the following code RNGR98 to 70070:

To donate an amount to The Children's Foundation, please text your desired amount and the following code RNGR99 to 70070:

Donations can also be made direct to St Benedict's Hospice and The Children's Foundation using the following links to justgiving.com.

www.justgiving.com/rungeordierun1

(St Benedict's Hospice)

www.justgiving.com/rungeordierun2

(The Children's Foundation)

Finally, a donation can be made via cheque payable to 'The Children's Foundation' or 'St Benedict's Hospice' and sent to the following addresses:

Thanks to the Cradlewell Clinic

2011-08-15T00:42:00.000Z

I've still got a lot of pain in my feet so I was very pleased when Alison at the Cradlewell Clinic in Jesmond offered to give my feet some much needed attention.

I was there for almost an hour and, during this first session, a lot of dead skin was removed from my feet.

I've got very sensitive feet but Alison and her very sharp scalpal handled them very well. Alison said that my damaged nerves will regenerate in time and that there is no permanent damage to my feet. That was really good news but it's going to take a few visits to get things right.

Alison put dressings on my feet and showed Katy some massage techniques that she can use at home on my feet and ankles. It's a hard life!

The Lap of honour

2011-08-15T00:26:00.002Z

I was the special guest of Northern Rock at the Newcastle match on Saturday. Katy and Jack as well as Mark Fleming, Dave Fairlamb and support drivers Carlton Fletcher and Steve Harrison were also in attendance in a fantastic dining room inside the Milburn Stand. After 25 years of going to the match I have never been there in so much style. I was even allowed to park in the stadium! There was to be no mile long walk to Gateshead and back for me this day!

The day got underway when we all went pitchside for some photos. Graeme Tones, Estelle Vasey and Louise Rourke were present from Northern Rock and really went out of their way to make everyone feel very welcome. As did Dale Aitchison and Olly Stapleton from the club who ensured that everything went well on the day.

Before we sat down to eat in the Northern Rock suite, I dashed off quickly to the Bamburgh Suite to do a quick Q&A session with Ian Payne and John Beresford. Yet again, I really enjoyed talking about the run and there were a few hundred people in attendance.

I had a fantastic meal before the match and we took our seats in plenty of time for the kick off. As I was walking to my seat a lot of people stopped me to shake my hand and congratulate me.

At half time I was presented to the crowd by Justin Lockwood. The reception from the crowd was absolutely tremendous. A quick Q&A followed as well as a plug for further donations and the up and coming Charity Ball. It was nice to speak to Justin and, just like his other colleagues at Real Radio, he has been very supportive over the last few years. He later Tweeted "Honoured to speak to @rungeordierun on the pitch at St James' Park. A fantastic reception for a truly remarkable man.".

I was presented with a signed Newcastle shirt with Allison 3100 on the back. That was a really nice touch. I set off running around the pitch with "Run For Home" by Lindisfarne playing over the PA system.

I was really surprised to see how many people had remained in their seats at half time. I think I may have cost Mike Ashely a few quid in lost beer revenue! I tried to give as many people as I could a high five and I must apologise to any outstretched hands that I missed. There were thousands of them.

As I ran round the pitch I was handed further donations. A grand total of £50 was handed over in total which was fantastic. I was also handed a couple of boxes of chocolates and a nice congratulations card. There was just enough time to sign a few autographs and the lap of honour was complete. Another truly memorable experience. Phillippa Tomson from ITV tweeted the following about my lap of honour "It was the best bit of the afternoon".

Thanks again to Northern Rock and Newcastle United for their hospitality and the kindness shown to my family and support team.

After the match, Mark, Dave and I hit the town for a few "quiet" drinks. This is where it got really surreal as a lot of people came up to me to shake my hand and congratulate me. I remember Gary Phillipson from Real Radio saying that this would happen. I thought he was mad at the time. It happened in every pub we went into and it really made my night.

I hadn't seen him since New York last week but I bumped into Dave McGregor from Real Radio. Also in the pub was Kellyanne Scott and they both had a lot of kind things to say.

I think the evening's events came to a close at about 03:30. To say that I celebrated the run across the USA in style is an understatement.

Beach Bootcamp

2011-08-14T23:31:00.001Z

Beach Bootcamp on Saturday morning was an event that I'd been looking forward to for months. It had often crossed my mind while running across the USA just how much I was looking forward to getting on Tynemouth Beach and getting a good Beach Bootcamp under my belt.

Dave Fairlamb had asked me to turn up 15 minutes into the session and I was very pleasantly surprised to receive a nice round of applause as I made my way down the steps onto the beach.

Dave said a few words and then I gave a brief talk to the 70 or so people on the beach. It was a brilliant turnout! I talked about how Run Geordie Run may have just been 1 man running across the USA but behind that was all of the support, the donations and kind wishes that really made the whole thing possible and worthwhile.

Bootcamp resumed for 10 minutes and then we held a Q&A session with Team GB's Olympic and Commonwealth swimmer Chris Cook leading the questions. This was a lot of fun and I spoke of one of the funny things that happened to support driver Carlton and I on the last day. It's not something that I can write about on this blog and it went down well.

Chris Cook has spoken of just how much in awe he is of my run across the USA. I can't get my head around something like that coming from someone of his standing. This guy has won gold medals and is awe of me! That kind of praise won't often get bettered in my opinion.

The Bootcamp came to a close and it was great to talk some more to the participants and have photos taken. It was great to see Team Run Geordie Run's newest member, Beefy, who was being sponsored to lose weight. The company he works for, DH Fuel Services, has already got the sponsorship off to a great start with a £1000 cheque for St Benedict's Hospice.

It was very nice to meet Diane Pringle who had been consistent throughout my run across the USA with, not only her messages of support, but with numerous donations too. Diane, who is now a Beach Bootcamp regular, is fundraising for a mental health charity and has raised a tidy sum with being sponsored to lose weight.

I've got to say a huge thank you to David Fairlamb for putting on such a unique Beach Bootcamp. It was another event that I will remember and treasure.

Finally, thank you to everyone who made a donation at Beach Bootcamp. A grand total of £403 was raised which is absolutely fantastic. Thanks also to the elderly lady who pulled over in her car and donated £12 saying "Were you on the telly last night?". There was a lovely couple too waiting to speak to me on the promenade and their £20 donation was very gratefully received.

Thanks to Pam and Ian at ITV

2011-08-14T22:53:00.000Z

Jack and I appeared on North East Tonight last Friday and it was brilliant to meet Pam Royle and Ian Payne on the show. They really looked after us and, not for the first time this week, I was upstaged by Jack.

I was very proud to hear a lot of comments from various people as to how he conducts himself. He's only 8 years old and I think he's learned a lot from the experience of talking to both the BBC and ITV this week.

Please click here to see the interview on North East Tonight.

A superb welcome home!

2011-08-14T22:01:00.001Z

It was an emotional return to Newcastle on Friday. It was also a return that completely blew me away in terms of the number of people who were waiting to greet me at the airport. Family, friends, representatives from The Children's Foundation and the local media were all in attendance. It is yet another aspect of the run across the USA that I'll never forget.

The first person I remember greeting was my son Jack who raced through the no entry doors of arrivals. Then it was my niece Rachel who had sent regular messages of support to me during the run. The greetings kept coming and coming and the whole thing was quite overwhelming and humbling.

Dave Fairlamb had special "Genuine Geordie Heroes" t-shirts made for the occasion and it was great to see so many people wearing them.

Katy, Jack and I posed for photos for the local papers and gave the BBC an interview. Jack has really come into his own over the last few week, giving numerous interviews. He always shows composure beyond his years. I really don't know where he gets it from!

I was thrilled to give interviews to the BBC and ITV, The Journal, Evening Chronicle and to Joel Goldman from Metro Radio. Talking to the media is something that I've improved on so much over the last 3 years. It's something that I really enjoy doing.

Finally, it was an honour to meet Peregrine Solly, a Trustee of the Children's Foundation. He was accompanied by Libby Nolan, the fundraising manager.

Just like the end of the run across the USA, I could not have written a better homecoming story. Thank you to everyone who made the effort to welcome me back home.

Thanks to Joel Goldman of Metro Radio for this video.

The Geordie has landed (part 2)

2011-08-12T14:43:00.000Z

I'm happy to report that I landed safe and sound in Newcastle this afternoon. There was a great crowd waiting to greet me including local radio, TV and papers.

I'll be appearing on North East Tonight at 6pm on ITV. I'm very much looking forward to doing that.

The Geordie has landed (part 1)

2011-08-12T06:48:00.000Z

After a fantastic flight with British Airways, I'm now sat one of their lounges in Heathrow trying very hard not to eat this lot. I'd better save some for support man Carlton who was on the flight 50 minutes behind me.

Despite having a flat bed to sleep on in the flight, I chose to write up the review of the final day of the run instead. You can read it below. I got talking to a smashing lad called Marty who is an ultra distance runner. He was full of praise for the run. One of the air stewardesses, a Geordie, recognised me and it was nice to talk to her too.

Thanks to those kind folk who are continuing to sponsor me. I'll be continuing to raise funds right up until the Run Geordie Run charity ball in September. If you would like to sponsor my 3100 mile run across the USA then the following links to justgiving.com can be used. All donations, no matter how large or small are greatly appreciated.

www.justgiving.com/rungeordierun1

(St Benedict's Hospice)

www.justgiving.com/rungeordierun2

(The Children's Foundation)

Day 100 - Job done

2011-08-12T06:31:00.000Z

This was it. This was the big day. Get through today in 1 piece and it was a case of job done. If only it was as simple as all that. I had only managed 4 hours sleep the night before and there were approximately 60 miles to be run to Coney Island.

The RV was parked overnight in a car park in Morristown. It seemed well lit and safe. Unfortunately, a street cleaning vechile swept all around the RV at 2 in the morning and woke me up. You couldn’t make it up!

It just seemed like five minutes from the time I closed my eyes at 1 am until I got up at 04:30 am. I felt so tired. So very very tired. I hadn’t had a shower in 3 days because the RV had ran out of propane gas. Even if we had of had the time to find gas, getting in and out of the shower would have been a very difficult task. My feet were very badly swollen. I had several nasty blisters which had gotten out of control. I just hadn’t had the energy to give them any attention over the previous couple of days. Put simply, my feet were failing on me. I just had to finish this run on day 100. Running an extra day was not an option. I don’t think my feet could have coped. Moreover, I had said right at the outset that this run was to be done in 100 days. I would regard this run as a failure if I had to take an extra day to run it. I wrote on the blog that, for me, taking over 100 days would feel like finishing outside a medal position. I wanted the gold medal. Nothing else would do.

I set with great urgency. Mentally, I felt very very good. The anxiety and worry that I’d been suffering over the previous 4 days had gone. Other than my swollen feet, I was in very good shape physically. That was no consolation, though, as every step that I took was painful. Particularly, those steps on uneven, broken road.

I managed to run 8 miles before meeting Carlton in the RV. He was waiting at McDonalds (with it’s wi-fi) which gave me time to update the blog and inform people about the day ahead. One bowl or porridge later and I was on my way again. I ate toast while running. There wasn’t enough time to stay in the RV and eat it.

The route east of Morristown was very tricky with lots of turns. Carlton did a fantastic job with directions and driving the RV just far enough to make sure I was on the right route. There were lots of climbs to negotiate too. At the top of one particular hill, the subsequent section of road had been ripped up and was in the process of being replaced. It was so painful to run on. I winced with every stride despite taking painkillers. There was only one thing on my mind at this point; keep moving forward, keep making progress, keep ticking the miles off.

I had a massive scare at the 15 mile point. My left foot planted on a bit of uneven, broken path. I winced with pain. I was immediately overcome with the same feeling of terror that I’d experienced when I broke my ankle last year. I felt very afraid. The pain in my knee left me limping very badly. Fortunately, the RV was very nearby and I took a 10 minute break and got some ice on it. I had been going great until this point and was about a mile ahead of schedule for the day.

Once I got underway again, the knee pain had almost gone. That said, I remained very wary of it and I could feel a distant ache in my knee. I was convinced that it was going to cost me a finish within 100 days. How could this happen. It felt so unfair after all of the effort that had been put in. I decided to take the pace right off the run. I’d been pushing forward very hard all morning. It was time to go into self preservation mode for a while.

Carlton’s directions continued to serve me well through the latter stages of New Jersey. I spoke to my old friend Martin on the phone at one point which gave me a boost. Soon after, I was giving an interview to the 3 Legends on Real Radio, the afternoon show followed by Total Sport on BBC Radio Newcastle.

I was taking on lots of fluids during the morning session and into the afternoon. I never felt that my thirst was quenched at any point. At the same time, I was sick and tired of drinking fluids. “Please! No more!” I thought. The same could be said of food. I was eating as many energy bars, bananas and gels as I could. After 100 days it had all become a little to much.

Things started to horribly wrong 8 miles east of the George Washington Bridge. The knee pain and it’s possible crual consequences continued to prey on my mind. Before I knew it, the panic and anxiety had returned. My confidence had completely gone. I was a wreck! I spoke to Dave Fairlamb, Mark Fleming and my wife Katy within the space of an hour. This helped a bit. I knew that the only real cure to the panic would be to get to Manhattan where members of the NYC Toon Army were waiting to run with me for the last 13 miles.

The road to the George Washington Bridge was extremely busy. The hard shoulder disappeared and I had to leave the road and run through some very uneven ground littered with rubbish. This went on for a few miles. I remember thinking that it was like Frodo in Lord of The Rings trying to get to Mount Doom to destroy the ring.

With a lot of help from Carlton, I eventually found my way onto the George Washington Bridge. What a sight for sore eyes. Carlton ran with me to the other side of the bridge and into Manhattan. All of a sudden the anxiety disappeared. What a relief to make it that far. What a relief to have made it out of New Jersey and into The Big Apple.

I said goodbye to Carlton on the bridge at the 38 mile point. The plan was for him to take the RV to Coney Island and I would run the remaining 22 or so miles unsupported.

I entered Manhattan and was immediately overwhelmed by the sights, smells and sounds of Harlem. I hadn’t seen that many people for quite some time. I found the whole thing very exciting. I met the producer from Real Radio, Dave, further into Manhattan. His job was to interview me at various points and report back to the studio with my progress. He did a lot of complaining about how sore his feet were which, strangely enough, took my mind off the considerable pain that I was in.

There was so much to see all the way down Broadway and I met the folk from the Toon Army NYC branch on 33rd Street. They gave me a very warm welcome and it was great to see a few familiar faces. I say “familiar”. I’d met a few of them for the first time at the Columbus match a few weeks earlier. It was nice to see some of them sobre this time! From that point on I felt very safe and secure. There was no way these guys were not going to see me to the finish line safely. They were fully aware of the responsibility they had been given.

As we made our way out of Manhattan and into Brooklyn I started to feel very strange. I had ran 50 miles by this point and was into unchartered territory. I felt that I wasn’t in full control of my legs. I honestly felt that they could give way at any point. In didn’t feel weak, particularly, but it was a feeling that I’d never experienced before.

The miles to the finish line with the NYC Toon Army were something that I’ll never forget. We had such a good laugh. There were even laughs on some of the very long stretches of roads. These last few miles seemed to go on and on and on. Our spirit never waivered though. The guys stopped off at various grocery stores to get me energy drinks. They had even brought gels too.

Thinking back to the last few miles, I now realise that I wouldn’t have preferred to have any other group of people run with me for the final 13 miles. There was a great togetherness and team spirit present. It was obvious that they would do anything they could to help keep me motivated, hydrated and comfortable. Running with them will be something that I will never forget. All of a sudden the run across the USA was producing a perfect finish. I could not have wished for a better finish.

Dave from Real Radio had to duck out with 6 miles to go. His feet were aching really badly. He jumped into a taxi and made his way to the finish line in Coney Island. He now has the nickname “Taxi Dave” amongst this particular group of people.

We eventually reached Coney Island at 02:10 am. With various time differences in the USA taken into account I had reached the finish line in 100 days with just 50 minutes to spare.

The approach to the peir at Coney Island was my cue to start sprinting. I could hear Taxi Dave on the phone to the studio back in the UK. “I can’t catch him” he said down the phone. At this point I felt no pain. I felt to tiredness. I felt that my legs were as fresh as they were on day 1 of the run across the USA. While giving a video interview to my iPhone, I sprinted all the way to the end of the peir to clock up 60 miles for the day. I’d made it. I could run no further. I had started on a peir 100 days earlier in Huntington Beach, California. I was now standing as far as I could get on a pier in Coney Island, New York. At the start, I was surrounded by the Pacific Ocean. I was now surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean. I had managed to run coast to coast across the USA in 100 days.

As I turned back to meet the Toon Army I could hear them shouting “Run Geordie Run”, “Run Geordie Run”, “Run Geordie Run” over and over. What a perfect end to the most physically and mentally challenging run that I had ever undertaken.

I know for a fact that my parents would have been so proud of this achievement. They would have been so pleased with the amount raised for the 2 charities too. By the time I reached the finish line, £6!,000 had been raised. I had not only been successful on the running front but I’d also passed the £50,000 target that I’d set for the run. As I wrote earlier, I could not have scripted the finish to this run any better. Or so I thought. Moments after the end of the run I spoke to Gary and Lisa on the Real Radio Breakfast show. Katy and Jack were on the other end of the line and it was absolutely fantastic to share the moment with them.

I was very keen to get my photo taken with the Toon Army guys I’d ran with and some other members of the group had been waiting for me at the finish line. I can’t thank them enough for taking good care of me during the final stages of the run. Memories of the laughs we had will be something I’ll cherish forever.

After the photos, the Toon Army guys got the tube back to Manhattan. Some of them were due into work within a matter of hours. I immediately updated Twitter and Facebook with news of a succesful end to the run. The number of Tweets that I received was staggering. It became clear that many people in the UK had stayed up or set their alarms to check to see if I’d finished safely. I’ve since heard that quite a few people did this. That in itself is an amazing thing for me personally. Through this blog, I have been able to take people on the journey along with me. It is obvious that this has worked a treat and people have felt very much part of this run. The fact that many people have done a run, joined a gym or just got off their backsides “inspired by Run Geordie Run” is an added bonus too. I’ve heard of that kind of thing happening quite a bit over the course of this run.

What a great day! What a great end to the run across the USA! What unbelievable support! What generousity! What a tired Geordie! But what a happy, proud and very relieved Geordie!

We Geordies are made of very stern stuff you know. We can do anything if we put our minds to it. We can achieve great things that may seem impossible at the time. We can inspire. We can be inovative. We can support and help others. And boy can we run. Run Geordie Run!

Thank you British Airways

2011-08-11T20:13:00.000Z

I had a nice surprise here at JFK airport this afternoon when I found out that British Airways had upgraded both support man Carlton and my flight and gave us access to their lounge. I think they may regret it as Carlton is now attempting to eat them out of house and home.

British Airways have taken excellent care of all members of my Support Team over the last few months. I can't thank them enough for their help.

I'm coming home Newcastle

2011-08-11T16:59:00.000Z

Well, it's that time. It's time to return to Newcastle and be reunited with my family once again. It's been one heck of a tough tour. I'm so pleased that it had the ending that it did. I couldn't have written a better finish to the journey if I tried.

I land in Newcastle with British Airways at 11:05 on Friday. I hear that the BBC, ITV, Real Radio, Metro Radio, The Journal and The Northern Echo will be present. I find that very surreal. I also hear that many of my friends, colleagues and well wishers will also be there. I can't wait to see Katy and Jack. I've dreamt and thought about that moment for many miles across the USA.

Thanks to everybody who has made a donation. I will get round to thanking you all over the coming weeks where an email address has been left on justgiving.com. The charity fund has almost reached 78,000 pounds. There are still funds to be raised right up until the charity ball in September. If you would like to sponsor my run across the USA then donations can be made in a number of ways. www.justgiving.com have introduced a brilliant new free donation method. Did you know that you can now donate to the 2 charities using your mobile phone?

To donate an amount to St Benedict's Hospice, please text your desired amount and the following code RNGR98 to 70070:

To donate an amount to The Children's Foundation, please text your desired amount and the following code RNGR99 to 70070:

Donations can also be made direct to St Benedict's Hospice and The Children's Foundation using the following links to justgiving.com.

www.justgiving.com/rungeordierun1

(St Benedict's Hospice)

www.justgiving.com/rungeordierun2

(The Children's Foundation)

Finally, a donation can be made via cheque payable to 'The Children's Foundation' or 'St Benedict's Hospice' and sent to the following addresses:

Well done from the British Consul General, Danny Lopez

2011-08-11T16:49:00.001Z

The comeback starts here

2011-08-11T13:57:00.002Z

I've now had 2 complete rest days away from running. I'm very pleased to report that my badly swollen feet are improving almost by the hour. I've been experiencing shooting pains on the sides of both feet but this is becoming less frequent now. The rest of me feels in great condition and I feel ready to begin light running again before building up to the Bupa Great North Run in September followed by the Kielder Marathon in October. Where I go after that, both as a fundraiser and a runner, will be given very careful consideration after those races. I'll be talking to my family as well as my mentors Dave Fairlamb and Mark Fleming.

I had the honour and the privilege of running around Central Park this morning with Her Majesty’s Consul General, New York, Danny Lopez and his fiance Susan Grieve. It was a run that was arranged when I had tea at their residence yesterday afternoon. I thoroughly enjoyed that occasion and we chatted about many aspects of my run across the USA. It really was an honour to be able to share my experiences, the numerous stories and lessons learned with them. One of the more interesting topics we discussed was what music we all listen to while running. There were some very surprising choices in there I can tell you.

Danny and Susan will be running in this year's New York Marathon and their training for the event has just got underway. It was so fitting that my comeback run was with these 2 very lovely and friendly people. As I keep saying, I could not have written a better end to my tour here in the USA.

Following the presentation of a Run Geordie Run t-shirt, we set off from the Sheraton Hotel at 0730. We headed in the direction of Central Park. Once we got there, I was very pleasantly surprised to see loads of runners making their way around the park. The atmosphere and all round general good vibe was in keeping with the rest of my stay here in New York. I've ran the marathon here twice and have many fond memories of this place. That hasn't changed over the years. It truly is one of the greatest cities in the world.

We did 2 laps around a inner loop of Central Park. It was a decent pace and I felt very strong indeed. Before this morning's run I had been curious to see how just I would react to having ran 3100 miles. At this stage of recovery I can say that I was very pleased. There is a hint of pace in my legs. I think with a bit of speed work over the coming weeks, I could be setting PBs for the Great North Run and Kiedler Marathon.

I was very interested to learn about the role and responsibility of a Consul General and Danny gave me an interesting insight into what he does here in New York.

I could have spent all day running around Central Park chatting to Danny and Susan. I was so flattered that they had such a genuine interest in my run across the USA. After 3 miles or so, we arrived back at the Sheraton hotel where we said our goodbyes and I wished them the best of luck for the New York Marathon in November.

What a perfect end to my run across the USA. Thanks to Danny and Susan for their kindness, hospitality and interest in my epic run.

Finally, during yesterday's afternoon tea, I shared a critical piece of information with Danny and Susan. I can exclusively reveal that, what I like to call the "Run Geordie Run Circle of Trust", was formed in Her Majesty's Consul General's residence that afternoon.

See you there?

2011-08-10T19:32:00.001Z

Please click here to reserve your tickets.

Status report from NYC

2011-08-10T18:56:00.002Z

It's been 2 days since I finished running across the USA. The massive anxiety that I felt from days 95 - 100 has completely gone and has been replaced with an overwhelming sense of relief, pride and gratitude.

The donations continue to pour in to The Children's Foundation and St Benedict's Hospice. With the Charity Ball still to come on the 3rd September, it would be great if the current total of £75,718.44 could get as high as 80 or even 90 thousand pounds.

Thanks to the wonderful product that is Cherry Active, my body feels like it has had a good recovery and is ready to run again after my first day off in 100 days. Other than my swollen feet, I have no injuries to speak of. My Brooks Glycerin running shoes have had a major part to play there. I've been wearing Brooks shoes for 5 years now and hope to have many more comfortable injury free miles of running in them.

My feet are in a really bad way and I'm in a lot of pain. The heatwave that I ran through a few weeks ago together with the increased daily mileage has really taken it's toll. It's a good job I'm happy and content to enjoy the cafe at the Sheraton hotel and catch up on loads of emails and Tweets. Thanks to the unbelievable support from so many people, I'm sitting here a very happy man, drinking coffee and watching the world go by in one of the finest cities in the world.

Thanks to the Sheraton hotel for putting me and support man Carlton up for free. It's a brilliant hotel and in some ways I'll be sad to leave it on Thursday. Thanks go to Caroline O'Doherty for helping to arrange our stay here.

I had an absolutely brilliant time last night with the NYC Toon Army at Legends Bar. There was a great turnout and it was a fabulous end, in true Geordie spirit, to a tough 100 days. I'll never forget what these guys have done for me. Memories of seeing me safely to Coney Island through Brooklyn, the laughs we had and last night's party are something that I'll treasure for a very long time. Pictured below are a small selection of those present last night. Thanks go to barman Jack too for doing a great job and for the presentation of a nice Legends polo shirt. I hadn't actually had any sleep since since Monday morning so it was a triumph to still be "standing" 40 hours later! It was also brilliant to see Alan and Tim (aka The Exiles). Alan was at the start in California having flown in from Switzerland and Tim had flown from Canada.

I had a really good celebratory drink last night and a solid 7 hours sleep as a result. I woke up this morning in a right panic. I thought I was still in the RV, had slept in and was due to run today. It was a full 10 minutes before I realised that I was in a nice hotel and had actually finished the run across the USA. What a feeling!

Photo of the day

2011-08-10T12:32:00.000Z

This brought a tear of pride to my eye. Brilliant!

At the finish line

2011-08-10T12:22:00.001Z

How the run across the USA ended in Coney Island.

Thank you to everyone who has made a donation. The fund for St Benedict's Hospice and The Children's Foundation is now over an incredible £75,000 and still climbing.

If you would like to sponsor my run across the USA then donations can be made in a number of ways. www.justgiving.com have introduced a brilliant new free donation method. Did you know that you can now donate to the 2 charities using your mobile phone?

To donate an amount to St Benedict's Hospice, please text your desired amount and the following code RNGR98 to 70070:

To donate an amount to The Children's Foundation, please text your desired amount and the following code RNGR99 to 70070:

Donations can also be made direct to St Benedict's Hospice and The Children's Foundation using the following links to justgiving.com.

www.justgiving.com/rungeordierun1

(St Benedict's Hospice)

www.justgiving.com/rungeordierun2

(The Children's Foundation)

Finally, a donation can be made via cheque payable to 'The Children's Foundation' or 'St Benedict's Hospice' and sent to the following addresses:

The day after. What next?

2011-08-09T22:45:00.000Z

I still haven't had any sleep since Monday morning. I'm buzzing with utter, utter relief for a job completed and the amount that has been raised for the 2 charities is way beyond my wildest dreams. There is still plenty to be written on this blog. The final days of the run are still to be talked about. I've had a lot of invitations to do various things including an invitation to meet the Consul General Danny Lopez for a cup of tea at the British Consulate tomorrow and a lap of honour at St James Park this Saturday!!!). I think the aftermath of this run and it's effects on me will be quite interesting over the next few months.

I'm off out tonight to a party with the NYC NUFC supporters group. I'l only be having a "couple" of beers and hope to relive the final 13 miles with the group that saw me safely to the end in Coney Island.

Thank you to everyone who has made a donation. The fund for St Benedict's Hospice and The Children's Foundation is now over an incredible £74,000 and still climbing.

To donate an amount to St Benedict's Hospice, please text your desired amount and the following code RNGR98 to 70070:

To donate an amount to The Children's Foundation, please text your desired amount and the following code RNGR99 to 70070:

Donations can also be made direct to St Benedict's Hospice and The Children's Foundation using the following links to justgiving.com.

www.justgiving.com/rungeordierun1

(St Benedict's Hospice)

www.justgiving.com/rungeordierun2

(The Children's Foundation)

Finally, a donation can be made via cheque payable to 'The Children's Foundation' or 'St Benedict's Hospice' and sent to the following addresses:

Thanks to my kit sponsors

2011-08-09T08:02:00.000Z

Thanks to Digital Spark, Sport Newcastle, McCowie & Co and Cherry Active.

Day 100 - Speaking live on Real Radio

2011-08-09T07:53:00.000Z

Live on Real Radio

Finished!

2011-08-09T07:44:00.000Z

On the pier at Coney Island backed by the NYC Toon Army.

Day 100 - Complete

2011-08-09T07:40:00.000Z

What an amazing day! And a tough one! 60 miles ran and the run across the USA brought to a successful end. Thanks to the NYC Toon Army supporters branch for helping me through the last 13 miles and to Carlton Fletcher for navigating me safely through to Manhattan.

Thanks to nufc.com and Real Radio for their brilliant support.

Thank you so much to everyone who has made a donation to the £61,000 already raised.

More to follow soon…...

Day 100 - Underway

2011-08-08T11:47:00.000Z

Day 100 is underway here in New Jersey. Support man Carlton Fletcher has been and is doing an amazing job keeping me motivated and guiding me through a very complicated route.

Thanks so much to everyone who has made a donation or sent a Tweet. I heard that @rungeordierun briefly trended on Twitter last night. Thanks to everyone for that.

I'll be doing a massive blog update with the recent goings on over the coming days. Once I finish running today there will still be plenty to read.

Today's miles are dedicated to the memory of Sarah "Muddi" Butler. The final mile of the day is dedicated to the memory of Rev John Joughin.

Also in my thoughts today are my parents, my brother and one of the finest runners and men I've ever met; Jimmy Bell.

Day 99 - Not for the faint hearted!

2011-08-07T12:38:00.000Z

I'm writing this one while having my breakfast in Phillipsburg, New Jersey. My feet are in a right state and I'm very tired and anxious. I'm hanging on in there, though, with only 96 miles to go to the finish line. Thank you to everyone who has made a donation. The fund has now passed over £55,000.

Today's miles are in memory of Nora Holland. Her son in law, Jeff Piper, made the following dedication:

Nora was my mother in law and worked all her life, struggling at times but she had a generous nature and, when she could, would always give to others. She supported myself and my wife Linda in so many ways and I will always remember the beautiful person she was.

Day 98 - Done

2011-08-07T03:43:00.000Z

Not sure how I'm still alive after the risks that were taken tonight. I spent the last 6 miles of 44.6 running, nay wading, through flooded roads without a hard shoulder. It was probably the most dangerous running I've ever done.

Come and Join the Celebrations .....

2011-08-06T16:30:00.000Z

Saturday 3rd September at the Newcastle Gosforth Park Marriott , promises to be a huge celebration not only to welcome Mark home , and hear his stories from his epic trip across the USA but also to raise further awareness and funds for the two great charities. (Posted By Katy Allison)

Day 98 - The remaining miles

2011-08-06T12:09:00.000Z

The remaining miles

Day 98 - Underway

2011-08-06T12:03:00.000Z

With my right toe feeling like it's broken and 4 other toes that I can hardly feel, it's time to get the remaining miles left into double figures.

Thanks to everyone who has made a donation. Over 53k has been raised now and the fund stands at £53,237.47. Absolutely amazing!

Today's miles are dedicated to the memory of Catherine Graham and William Graham. Their grandson Stephen made the following dedications:

Catherine Graham - Grandma of Stephen Matthewson and to Paul and Daniel and mam to Val. Know as Kitty to everyone, she was a kind, loving soul who never had a bad word to say about anyone. She used to work in the kitchens of a local school which was great when she used to bring home the spare trays of such delights as chocolate cake and manchester tart.

She loved going to Bingo, watching Coronation Street her favourite tv program and reading books in particular Mills & Boons.

Softly the leaves of memory fall, gently I gather and treasure them all, Unseen, unheard You are always near, so missed, so loved, so very dear.

William Graham - Grandad of Stephen Matthewson and to Paul & Daniel, Dad to Val.

Known to everyone as Bill he used to work as a deputy at Boldon Colliery which saved him having to go to war, his retirement from the pit seen him working part time in the local bookies.

His favourite past times were football, horse racing and dancing. Keen supporter of Newcastle United although in his generation you used to go the Newcastle match one week then Sunderland the next. Loved having a punt and you could always find him in the bookies watching the horse racing.

Fond memories of him taking me to the beach when I was little at Whitley Bay and also on holiday to Blackpool once a place he loved going to especially to watch the acts be that a comedian or a singer.

He was a big gentle giant, who had hands like shovels and when I was first born could fit into his palm. He was a very popular well liked man and shopping trips on a Saturday with him took the whole morning as he was always stopping and chatting to folk.

Your always in my thoughts and I hope gran is not nagging you now that she has joined you and the other angels

Day 97 - 45 miles done

2011-08-06T03:17:00.000Z

It's time for running, sleeping or eating and not much else. I'll be updating the blog as and when I can and will do a big catch up from New York City next week. I managed to run 45.1 miles today. I was in utter agony for 30 of those miles before taking a lot of painkillers. My feet are in a right state now and I just hope that they get no worse.

Thanks to everyone who has made a donation today. The charity fund now stands at £52,867.47.

I'll update you all as to progress as and when I can.

Day 97 - £52,000 barrier smashed

2011-08-05T12:49:00.000Z

Thank you to everyone who has made a donation. The fund for St Benedict's Hospice and The Children's Foundation is now over £52,000 and still climbing.

To donate an amount to St Benedict's Hospice, please text your desired amount and the following code RNGR98 to 70070:

To donate an amount to The Children's Foundation, please text your desired amount and the following code RNGR99 to 70070:

Donations can also be made direct to St Benedict's Hospice and The Children's Foundation using the following links to justgiving.com.

www.justgiving.com/rungeordierun1

(St Benedict's Hospice)

www.justgiving.com/rungeordierun2

(The Children's Foundation)

Finally, a donation can be made via cheque payable to 'The Children's Foundation' or 'St Benedict's Hospice' and sent to the following addresses:

Day 96 - Done, Day 97 - Underway

2011-08-05T12:39:00.004Z

I managed to run 34 miles yesterday before stopping with unbelievable tiredness. I wanted to get at least 40 done but it was not to be.

I've just ran 6 miles before breakfast and I'll be running unsupported for the rest of the day. Quite simply, I need 4 record days of mileage now. 4 days of running further than I've ever ran before. The finish line at Coney Island is 184 miles away. I'm doing everything that is humanly possible to get their on time. I'm almost guaranteed to make it across the USA. That is not enough. Getting there within 100 days is so important to me personally.

Today's miles are dedicated to the memory of De Atherton. Her family made the following dedication:

Please could you include this dedication in your site to our very special mum who fought a long and courageous battle with cancer. She died in 2004 aged 61 years and not a day goes by when we don't miss her. She is always in our thoughts. What a fantastic thing you are doing and for such worthwhile causes. We take our hat off to you and wish you all the best with the rest of your run. It's special people like you we have to thank that hospices are able to keep going to provide us with the truly amazing care that we have experienced first hand .Thank you and ' Run Geordie Run'

Our mum De Atherton devoted her whole life to her family, to us her children and her grandchildren. Mum always put our needs first before her own. She was so selfless.

From the beginning of her illness she always remained in control and was ready to tackle anything that came her way. She was a tremendous support to us all putting our needs before her own and wrapping us up in cotton wool in order to protect us from the reality of the situation. Throughout these difficult times she would give us one of her radiant smiles and tell us everything was going to be alright. Her amazing attitude to her condition meant she was determined something positive would come it,so she organised charitable parties and events raising money for Halton Haven Hospice and Whiston Hospital's Liliac Centre where she received her treatment for 8 years. She wrote poems during long dark nights, putting her feeling into words and several were published and one 'Light up a Life' is used regularly in services when remembering loved ones. We are all so proud of he and what she achieved during her illness.Our mum is true inspiration, she's our hero and role model. She was a fantastic mum,the very best and she has given us the strength to cope with anything life puts in front of us. Her strength,courage and spirit will live in us all forever until we can be together again.

Sue, David, Peter and Lynne Atherton

I've received thousands of messages of support on Twitter during this run. This message from a very good supporter, Richard Colburn, was especially touching.

Mark, my father's family arrived in NYC in 1868 as Russian Jewish immigrants - the thoughts of 7 generations of my family are with you.

I'm actually in tears typing this, amongst so many other things, your run, for me, is a Pilgramage - and you honour me with your follow.

Finally, thanks to the celebrity Jonathan Ross for some publicity this morning via his Twitter feed. The numbers of followers have increased as have the donations. I've also received words of encouragement from long standing supporter Ben Shephard and my own personal hero Mark Beaumont who is currently rowing in the Arctic. That, together with the continued support on Facebook and Twitter almost makes this run across the USA a guaranteed success.

The blog may go a little quiet over the next 3 days. I need to concentrate on running more than ever. I'll be updating my Twitter feed as often as I can though. Just search for "Run Geordie Run".

Day 96 - Video of the day

2011-08-05T12:38:00.000Z

When I found out that £50,000 had been raised.

Day 96 - Photo of the day

2011-08-05T12:35:00.000Z

Some horses near Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

Day 96 - Target hit! Target increased!

2011-08-04T15:22:00.001Z

Thanks so much for every single penny donated to St Benedict's Hospice and The Children's Foundation. The run to New York now continues at an increased pace following this brilliant news. There is still a lot of running to do and further funds to be raised. In the meantime, thanks to everyone who has put their hand in their pocket and donated.

Day 96 - Underway

2011-08-04T13:00:00.000Z

So many people to thank today. The charity fund has now gone through the 47, 48 and £49,000 barriers. Thanks to everyone who has donated to the 2 charities today. All donations are greatly appreciated whether they be pocket money or a huge sum such as the one from Chapman Ventilation.

I felt so honoured today when a donation from Sir Bobby Robson's family was made. The following message was left on the justgiving.com site"`keep going son` as he would say. From Lady Elsie, Mark, Paul, Andrew and all at the Foundation.". And keep going I will over the final 220 or so miles to New York.

I was very sorry to hear about the passing of Ian Young's Mam last night. Ian is a great lad, accomplished runner and has ran many a mile with me in training. My thoughts are with Ian and his family. Today's miles are dedicated to the memory of his Mam.

To donate an amount to St Benedict's Hospice, please text your desired amount and the following code RNGR98 to 70070:

To donate an amount to The Children's Foundation, please text your desired amount and the following code RNGR99 to 70070:

Donations can also be made direct to St Benedict's Hospice and The Children's Foundation using the following links to justgiving.com.

www.justgiving.com/rungeordierun1

(St Benedict's Hospice)

www.justgiving.com/rungeordierun2

(The Children's Foundation)

Finally, a donation can be made via cheque payable to 'The Children's Foundation' or 'St Benedict's Hospice' and sent to the following addresses:

Day 95 - Fight, battle and triumph

2011-08-04T12:51:00.000Z

What a start to the day! There was a brilliant piece on the Chris Moyles show on BBC Radio 1. As a result there was a flurry of donations and the charity fund was soon up well over £46,000.

Day 95 in the Appalachian Mountains, Pennsylvania, saw what I think have been the 2 steepest climbs on the run across the USA so far. The first climb was in between Sidney's Knob and Gobblers Knob! Seriously! Who gives these places names? It was a dangerous section of road and I had to have my wits about me.

The second climb was up and over Kittatinny Mountain. It was only 6 miles but very, very steep. Once again, maximum concentration was needed as their were a lot of passing cars and lorries. I found going down the other side of the mountain very difficult. My toes were badly swollen and the sole of my left foot is now causing me a lot of pain. Carlton did a sterling job keeping me company during this difficult stint. He really is a massive asset to the Support Team.

I had to have a longer than usual rest at the 23 mile point. It was raining heavily outside and I had very little energy left. Getting to 30 miles never mind 40 would be a good achievement I thought.

I decided to employ a strategy that I'd used the previous day. That was to get kitted up with my back pack and waist pack and go unsupported. Not having the distraction of the RV really does help me get my mind in the right place. The finish to this run is all about mental strength. I have the fitness. I just need my brain to tell the rest of me that I can run through this pain. It needs to tell my body that I can run a bit faster.

It was darker much earlier than usual, it seemed. And my head torch lit the way very well. I focussed on each mile only, forgetting all about the couple of hundred left to New York. Each mile was a one off run. I also took great comfort and encouragement from the amount of messages sent to me on Twitter. There were hundreds! Finally, it serves me well to remember exactly why I'm running across the USA. St Benedict's Hospice cared for my Mother and gave her a comfortable and dignified end to her life battling lung cancer. The Children's Foundation support all kinds of research and projects that benefit the happiness, health and safety of children. Have you ever heard of the Limbs Alive or Whoops! Child Safety projects, for example? Inspiration and motivation, all of a sudden, was not a problem.

Once I ran over the 30 mile mark for the day, I seemed to get faster. I saw the RV at 39 miles and quickly told the support team to go another mile as I ran past. I stopped running for the day after 40.25 miles. I reckon I easily had another 5 - 10 miles in me. That distance is being saved for the weekend. I'm determined to get as close as I can to a record breaking 50 miles on Friday.

Today's breakfast was sponsored by Chris Oliver, lunch and the RV waste dump by Martin Chisholm, and dinner by Mark Longbottom.

Day 95 - Done

2011-08-04T04:25:00.000Z

40.25 miles were ran today. I'll get the blog up to date in the morning once I've had some much needed sleep. Just time for a quick thank you for all the donations. The fund is now over the £47,000 mark.

Day 95 - Photo of the day

2011-08-04T04:22:00.001Z

Rush hour near Newburg, Pennsylvania

Day 94 - Photo of the day

2011-08-04T04:17:00.000Z

The remaining 265 miles

Day 94 - The mental torture increases

2011-08-04T03:59:00.001Z

I set off early again this morning and got 4 miles out of the way before breakfast. The amount of miles left to run (305) was really starting to play on my mind. Basically, I just want this run over with now. I really feel like running non stop all the way to New York. That's not going to happen though. Discipline while taking a few calculated risks at the right time is the way forward over the remaining 7 days.

I told the support team that I would run the next 15 miles unsupported. I needed to get away from the security of the support team and get my head in the right place. This was no easy task and almost every step was matched with thoughts about just how close I was to the finish, while not being quite close enough. The conflict in my mind was driving me absolutely potty. I can only liken it to the desperation for Christmas to arrive when I was a kid. I'd choose the toys in the Autumn and spend the next few months hoping that Santa would being them. The waiting was agonising! This is very much the same kind of wait. 4 years of my life have been spent planning, preparing and training for this run. It's all about to come to an end. It's agonising! It could drive you mad if you let it. Or even worse, it could make you quit. I can see why people do give up on these events. They are not for the weak of mind.

As well as the mental torture I was going through, the various pains in my feet made me feel quite sick to my stomach. I've got some very strange blister action going on. They are proving difficult to drain and take up too much time to do so. I need to be out there running!

Speaking to Gary and Lisa on the Real Radio Breakfast followed by The 3 Legends helped take my mind off the pain in my feet. More importantly, the piece I recorded for the breakfast show was the frankest interview I've given to date. I talked about the mental battle and just how much I believe in the 2 charities that I'm raising funds for.

The afternoon session was very hilly with a major climb that went on for miles. Carlton joined me for the final 5 miles of the day and I stopped having ran 39.4 miles. It was dark and the roads were getting very dangerous. I stopped running in the nick of time, actually. A very impressive thunderstorm started right above the RV. I had no trouble getting off to sleep though!

Today's breakfast, lunch and dinner were all sponsored by Andy Duffy.

Day 94 - done, day 95 - underway

2011-08-03T13:13:00.000Z

I managed 39.4 miles yesterday before hitting a dangerous section of road in the dark. It was a well timed finish as a thunder storm soon arrived. I'll get the blog updated as soon as I can. In the meantime, thanks to Gary and Lisa and the 3 Legends at Real Radio for their brilliant continued support. Thanks also to Chris Moyles at BBC Radio 1 for a mention on his show. I've yet to hear it but I've received many messages saying that it was a brilliant piece.

Thanks also to those people who have sent me a message today via Twitter. I've been quite overwhelmed by the support.

And as for the donations today; a huge thank you to everyone who has helped get the fund up to £46,846.10. So close to 47k and a step closer to the target of 50k.

Today's miles in Pennsylvania are dedicated to the memory of Janet Campbell. Her Brother, Colin, made the following dedication:

Janet was my sister who died tragically young aged just 42 from cancer. Not once did she ever complain though and she refused to even talk about the illness. It's now 4 years since she died.

The Run Geordie Run Ball - September 3rd

2011-08-02T12:48:00.001Z

Please click here to reserve your tickets.

Day 93 - A good start and a painful finish

2011-08-02T03:43:00.001Z

After yesterday's short mileage day, today's running got underway quite early. Having had 7 good hours sleep I felt really good and rattled off a quick 3 miles before breakfast which was sponsored by Colin Hillier (as was lunch, dinner and the RV waste dump).

It was another day of hills but my legs and feet coped well with the inclines early on. As an added bonus, the temperature was quite cool all day with a fantastic breeze to make things even more comfortable.

I met the team for some pasta at the 18 mile point just east of Somerset, Pennsylvania. I was really surprised how well my feet were holding up compared to yesterday. There was certainly no need for painkillers, thankfully.

I spoke to Mark Fleming, Dave Fairlamb, Mrs Run Geordie Run and Run Geordie Run junior during the course of the afternoon. Concentrating on speaking instead of on the hills I was running up helped make the miles go quicker.

There was quite a climb late on in the afternoon. The summit was called Bald Knob Summit which made Carlton and I chortle! It was just short of 3000 ft. I thoroughly enjoyed the descent down the other side. It was 6 miles of downhill bliss with a cool breeze and the tail end of a storm to help things along.

By the time I reached Shellsburg at the 37 mile point my feet were aching really badly. I took my socks and shoes off and put them back on again. As if that would make things better! I've got very little feeling in some of my toes and the others are just so sore. Then there are the burning pains in the balls of my feet. It's going to be a tough last 7 days for sure. I'll be back on painkillers tomorrow.

I finished the day after 40.3 miles of running. It was nice to finish in daylight for once!

Thanks to Lindsey (pictured below) at the Friendship Village for letting us stay there. This should mean another thug and rock free night for the support team and I. Thanks also to support man Carlton for a cracking Steak dinner tonight.

Thanks to everyone who has made a donation to the 2 charities over the last few days. The charity fund for St Benedict's Hospice and The Children's Foundation is now over £46,000 and currently stands at £46,091.

To donate an amount to St Benedict's Hospice, please text your desired amount and the following code RNGR98 to 70070:

To donate an amount to The Children's Foundation, please text your desired amount and the following code RNGR99 to 70070:

Donations can also be made direct to St Benedict's Hospice and The Children's Foundation using the following links to justgiving.com.

www.justgiving.com/rungeordierun1

(St Benedict's Hospice)

www.justgiving.com/rungeordierun2

(The Children's Foundation)

Finally, a donation can be made via cheque payable to 'The Children's Foundation' or 'St Benedict's Hospice' and sent to the following addresses:

Day 93 - Photo of the day

2011-08-02T02:13:00.000Z

Tee hee!

Day 92 - Hills, climbs and more hills and climbs

2011-08-01T02:46:00.000Z

Day 92 was delayed while we waited for the police to take a statement about last night's attack on the RV. I didn't start running until after 10 and any hope of running 40 miles and getting some much needed sleep later on had all but vanished. I only managed 2.5 hours sleep last night and woke up very very tired this morning. I was very fed up when I started running. Phone calls from Dave Fairlamb and Mrs Run Geordie Run helped pull me round. Not only am I in constant daily contact with those 2 but Mark Fleming is also helping keep my morale up all the way from the UK.

I've not checked the stats from my GPS watch but I'm sure today saw me do the most climbing to date on this run. The first major climbs were in and out of Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania. I stopped for coffee at Subway which helped keep me awake. Carlton joined me for a climb to 2000 ft. I stopped half way up for 2 of those caffeine based energy drinks. Within minutes of downing them I could feel the tiredness subside and the climb up the hill continued. Gary and Lisa from the Real Radio breakfast show rang to record tomorrow's piece as I ran up the hill. I wonder if you can tell that I had so much caffeine when you listen to the interview!

After a spot of lunch and a 30 minute Tactical Snooze, the big climb of the day was started. I reached a whopping 2728 feet up Laurel Summit. I haven't been this high up since Kansas. It's certainly nowhere near the 11,300 ft that I ran up in Colorado though.

There was a bit of downhill for the remainder of the day and I stopped running at 7 pm at the 23 mile point. Enough was enough. I was absolutely shattered. It was time to catch up on the blog, get some decent food, have an earlyish night and get a much needed 12 hours of recovery.

The state of my feet are now a major cause for concern. I can hardly feel the ends of most of my toes. The sole on my left foot is very sore and since the heatwave last week I also have painful blisters. It's very much like the first 2 weeks on this run. I'll be on painkillers for the remainder of the run I would imagine. I've not had pain like this since I ran from John O'Groats to Lands End with shin splints in 2007.

On a more positive note, thanks to Grace (below) for letting us stay in her lovely safe and quiet RV park. Thanks also to Owen McMahon for sponsoring breakfast, Jeff O'Brien for lunch and Lee Banks for Dinner. There was some bonus sponsorship today and thanks to Stephen Henry for sponsoring the washing of my socks! I ran past the RV at around 13 miles today and saw a load of laundry drying on a fence at the side of the road. It was all my stuff. I don't think it took long to dry in this heat!

Thanks to everyone who has made a donation to the 2 charities over the last few days. The charity fund for St Benedict's Hospice and The Children's Foundation is almost at £46,000 and currently stands at £45,921.

To donate an amount to St Benedict's Hospice, please text your desired amount and the following code RNGR98 to 70070:

To donate an amount to The Children's Foundation, please text your desired amount and the following code RNGR99 to 70070:

Donations can also be made direct to St Benedict's Hospice and The Children's Foundation using the following links to justgiving.com.

www.justgiving.com/rungeordierun1

(St Benedict's Hospice)

www.justgiving.com/rungeordierun2

(The Children's Foundation)

Finally, a donation can be made via cheque payable to 'The Children's Foundation' or 'St Benedict's Hospice' and sent to the following addresses:

Day 92 - Photo of the day

2011-08-01T02:11:00.000Z

Fire! Hidden Valley in Pennsylvania

Day 91 - Like walking on broken glass

2011-08-01T01:48:00.002Z

Day 91 started 4 miles west of Washington, Pennsylvania at a place called "Club 40". I was amused by this after turning 40 a few weeks ago and running 40 miles the previous day. It was the coolest start to a day for a very long time. Probably since I was in the Rockies in Colorado.

Washington seemed to be a nice place with loads of climbs to get the day off to a challenging start. There were some fantastic properties on the east side, high up on the hill. Shelli had been on a run to McDonalds for coffee and some McGriddles and they went down a treat. Carlton had accompanied me through the streets of Washington. He navigated so I didn't have to think of anything other than running.

There were lots of climbs to be tackled and once the day started to heat up things got a little tricky. Throw into the mix the fact that the soles of my feet were so sore and it made for a very tough start to the day all round.

I made it to Monongahela (below) and had to go to McDonalds for a large coffee to keep me awake. The recent late finishes had really started to take their toll.

The route out of Monongahela was very pretty and I crossed over a bridge taking time to enjoy the view up the river.

Once over the bridge things took a turn for the worse. The road was no longer made of tarmac but small, sharp stones. It was absolute agony. The pain in my left foot was almost unbearable. Each step felt like I was walking on broken glass.

I met the team 5 miles later and changed into my trail shoes (Brooks Cascadia 6). There was a slight improvement. My feet are now starting to fail on me big time. It started with the recent heatwave making my feet swell. The terrain over the last few days has been very poor. Very poor for someone who has ran 2600 miles over the last 91 days! The final nail (literally) in the coffin was the nail that had been stuck in my shoe for goodness knows how long. Despite all of the pain, I'm not even close to giving up on this run so please don't worry folks.

I made it to West Newton after several more climbs. The climb out of there was very steep and after 35 miles of pain, tiredness took over. I fell straight asleep in the RV.

I woke up just after midnight in a very busy and noisy truck stop. Nightmare! Even my ear plugs didn't drown out the noise. I was wide awake so the decision was made to drop me back off at the end point and I would run a further 6 miles to get the planned 41 in for the day.

I finished running just after 2 am with a further 7 miles in the bag. That was 42 miles for the day and a new record. Although, the pain in my feet really overshadowed that.

Our RV resting place in Ruffs Dale was much quieter than the truck stop. Or at least it was for 5 minutes! A car full of youths pulled up alongside the RV and started pelting it with rocks. I opened my window and screamed threats of death and damnation their way. I was well up for taking them all on and they fled straight away. You don't mess with a man who is only 9 days away from finishing a run across the USA. You really don't. Especially when, upon successful completion of that run, he gets to go home to his wife and son.

We moved the RV to a safer place and I got to sleep at about 4 am with a knife under my pillow. What a tough day!

Today's breakfast was sponsored by Owen McMahon, lunch and dinner by Mandy Baker and the much needed and well timed RV waste dump by Sandra Nelson.

Day 91 - Photo of the day

2011-08-01T00:45:00.000Z

A speedboat on the river near Monongahela

Day 90 - 3 states in 1 day

2011-08-01T00:42:00.000Z

Day 90 started off in sunny Ohio and it was only 10 miles before I reached West Virginia. After a quick stop for photos I was soon on my way again.

Carlton joined me through the streets of Wheeling, West Virginia. The streets were very quiet and there were a lot of derelict and run down properties throughout the city. This has been commonplace during this run in many places I have ran through.

"Excitement" of the day cam in the form of a passing train which I managed to stand very close to. The driver even waved at me. Does it get any better!

We eventually found ourselves running on a cycle path out of Wheeling. This is another rare sight on my route across the USA. A tunnel presented no problems other than being very spooky!

In Triadelphia, thunder and lightning held up the day's running and I used this as an opportunity to get some icy towels on my sore legs. I intended to change into pair 7 of my running shoes at this point. I noticed a nail in the sole of the shoe. It had pierced the outer sole and had made marks on the insole. This was in a place where I had been getting foot pain over the last few days! I removed the nail and put the shoes back on.

Once the storm had passed I made it to the Pennsylvania state line just before dark. The remaining 10 miles were done in complete darkness with just my trusty head torch lighting the way. The shoes with the hole in had to be changed. Small stones got trapped in the hole and caused me further pain.

I stopped running after 40 miles. Carlton had kept me company for 16 of those miles and his witty banter really helped pass the time.

Today's breakfast was sponsored by Owen McMahon and lunch and dinner by Val Doughty.

Day 91 done, day 92 - Underway

2011-07-31T13:07:00.000Z

It's all kicking off here in Pennsylvania. I managed 35 miles yesterday before stopping due to tiredness. Strangely, I couldn't sleep so I ran another 7 miles giving a total of 42.

Just after I stopped for the day, the RV got pelted with rocks by some teenagers in a passing car! I knocked one of my blisters as I screamed at them out of the window. I now have a huge section of exposed skin on my left foot.

Despite this latest knock, I'm now determined to get to New York more than ever. I'll catch up with the blog as best as I can over the coming days. Time is tight. There are 368 miles left to run over the remaining 9 days.

I'm dedicating today's miles to the memory of Sir Bobby Robson who I had the pleasure of meeting in 2003.

Day 89 - A horrible day

2011-07-31T12:24:00.002Z

Day 89 was, quite frankly, one to forget. The day started overcast but that didn't last long as the hot weather made an unwelcome return. I was gutted when I saw that the previous night's road closure was actually for a road other than the one I wanted. It was dark when I finished last night so it was an easy mistake to make.

All of today's route was either up or down hill. I felt like I was doing more climbing than in Utah and Colarado put together.

Part of the route took two twists today. One due north for a few miles, then another similar route due south. The road north deteriorated into sharp stones eventually. This played havoc with my feet and ankles. It reminded me of that horrible unmaintained section of route 66 that I'd ran on some 84 days ago! I exchanged a friendly wave with some Amish folk on the road riding horses. Route 66 was never that friendly!

Alongside the route south, there was the possibility of a shortcut. It looked reasonable on Google Maps and would save about 4 miles if successful. Unfortunately, the route had changed somewhat since the satellite image was taken. This cost me about 1.5 miles with a lot of energy wasted climbing up and down a huge hill.

The planned route was, once again, proving tough to run on with large sharp stones digging into my feet. This was starting to show in my running style. How apt that I ran through the birthplace of Hopalong Cassidy!

After some pasta at the final stopping point of the day, I started to feel quite good. The roads were now paved, the sun had gone down and I was able to pick the pace up. I made it to St Clairsville, Ohio having ran 37 miles. That was not a bad haul of miles considering what a tough day it had been.

Today's Breakfast was sponsored by Owen McMahon, lunch was Kate Russell, dinner was Graham Thornton. Had the team managed to find anywhere to dump the RV waste it would have been sponsored by Dan Sleeth. Hopefully, that will be addressed soon!

Day 91 - Underway

2011-07-30T11:31:00.000Z

There are "only" 410 miles left to run over the next 10 days. It's a simple sum that tells me that 41 miles per day are required over the next 10 days. They are big miles and the risk of injury increases greatly with that kind of daily distance. I'm simply looking at it as 10 one off runs.

Today's miles in Pennsylvania are dedicated to the memory of Sarah "Muddi" Butler. The following dedication was made by Billy Butler and Barbara Johnson - "Everyone's Mam should be special to someone and our's was to us.".

Day 90 - Photo of the day

2011-07-30T11:25:00.000Z

A pain in the foot!