USA 2025 - A to Z (G)

The series of looking back at the run across the USA continues today with the letter 'G'. There were a number of candidates such as generosity, grit, Great Plains, gas stations, grinding (miles), giving back and "geet lang rerds". In the end, this particular entry had to be 'G' for Geordie.

No matter how many miles away I am from home, being a Geordie is always at the heart of my running journey. From the streets of Tyneside to the highways of the USA, that identity travels every step with me. It’s in the way I speak to strangers who quickly ask, “Where’s that accent from?” and in the pride I feel when I explain what I’m running for.

Being a Geordie means carrying a bit of Newcastle spirit across deserts, mountains, and endless plains. It means resilience, humour in the face of hardship and a willingness to graft when the going gets tough. Most importantly, it means never forgetting where I came from and why I’m out here: repaying a debt of gratitude and raising funds for St. Benedict’s Hospice.

The run may have taken place thousands of miles away in America, but make no mistake, every mile was powered by the heart of a Geordie.

No matter where I found myself in the USA. Whether it was a dusty back road in Missouri, a wide Kansas plain or a bustling town centre, one word always seems to find its way into conversation: Geordie. It usually starts with a curious look, followed by the familiar question: “Where’s that accent from?” What begins as a quick roadside chat often turns into a full explanation about Newcastle, about the North East, and about what it means to be a Geordie on a journey like this. 

Being a Geordie isn’t just about geography. It’s about resilience, humour, and graft. Out there on the road, when my legs ache and the blisters scream louder than the traffic, I think of home. I think of the people who taught me to keep going no matter what, who showed me that hardship can be met with humour, and who made generosity and community second nature. 

I might be thousands of miles away, but every step is taken with a bit of Tyneside spirit. It’s there in the determination to finish the day’s miles, in the laughs I share with strangers who become friends and, most importantly, in the pride I feel knowing that every stride is raising funds for St. Benedict’s Hospice back in the North East of England. 

So while this was an 1,843 mile run across America, make no mistake, it was powered by the heart of a Geordie.

If you're enjoying this A to Z look back on the run across the USA then donations to St. Benedict's Hospice can still be made at www.justgiving.com/page/rungeordierun2025.

USA 2025 - A to Z (F)

‘F’ is for feet. Of course, it had to be. As I type this post, some 41 days since the run across the USA finished, there has been some progress in terms of the recovery of my feet. 

To understand what happened in the USA this summer you really have to go back 12 years. 

The damage to my feet began in earnest during the run across Australia in 2013. The endless miles of searing tarmac left them battered and broken. Nails were lost, skin was torn apart, nerves damaged and joints pushed far beyond what they were ever designed to endure. Those scars never truly healed. From that moment on, every run I attempted carried the weight of the punishment my feet had absorbed crossing that vast continent.

When I took on Europe in 2016, those old injuries returned with a vengeance. What should have been a new challenge quickly turned into a battle with the legacy of Australia. Blisters formed on top of scar tissue, tendons ached from strain and infections made even the smallest step painful. By 2018, another European crossing had compounded the damage further. My feet had grown fragile, almost permanently inflamed, with sharp nerve pain and deep bruising never far away.

All of that history came together in the USA this summer. It was there that every mile seemed to call back to the suffering of Australia and Europe, but it was also there that resilience reached its peak. My feet were scarred, swollen, and often unrecognisable (apologies again for the photos that you had to endure on my blog), yet they still carried me forward. Every step across America was not just a physical act, but a statement of defiance against the years of pain and damage that had built up.

The USA run became the ultimate test. Not of how broken my feet were, but of how much strength I could summon from their brokenness. They were no longer the feet I started with in 2013, but they were the feet that had endured deserts, mountains, highways and oceans of pain. To reach Forrest Gump Point, to keep moving in spite of everything, was the true climax of resilience. My feet may always carry the scars, but they also carry the proof of what can be endured when the will to keep going is stronger than the damage done.

As I sit at home writing this, my feet tell the whole story. They’re ugly, scarred, and often painful. But they’ve carried me across continents when common sense said they shouldn’t. I’ll probably never walk without feeling them remind me of what I’ve done. But maybe that’s the point. Every ache is part of the price I paid to keep going when it would’ve been easier to stop.

Despite all that, with the money raised for St. Benedict’s Hospice and the other charities, I have zero regrets. I would do it all again in a heartbeat. The kind people that I’ve met along the way and the donations from people I will never meet, is a genuinely incredible thing. If you are one of those people, thank you again for your amazing kindness and generosity. 

If you’d like to sponsor this years run across the USA then there is still time to do that in aid of St. Benedict’s Hospice at www.justgiving.com/page/rungeordierun2025.

USA 2025 - A to Z (E)

It may come as no surprise to some that today's entry into the A to Z series is ‘E’ is for endless roads. It's now very obvious to me that the USA 2025 route was the most difficult that I’ve attempted so far around the world. Mountains, rough terrain, difficult weather conditions and the extreme daily distance were the usual adversaries. Those long endless roads that tend to disappear into eternity would drive you mad if you let them. 

It’s always a tough physical challenge to run thousands of miles. The mental fortitude required is in the extreme. With nothing but the sound of footsteps and the vast open sky above, these endless roads become a place where determination and tenacity battles distance and monotony. 

The images are in sequence beginning in New Jersey winding their way all through to Utah. 

I hope you get an appreciation of what I was up against. That’s against a backdrop of painfully disintegrating feet too. It’s no wonder that so many kind people bought into what I was doing and made a donation to St. Benedict’s Hospice. If you’d like to do the same then please visit https://www.justgiving.com/page/rungeordierun2025.

USA 2025 - A to Z (D)

Today we are working our way through the USA 2025 journey via the alphabet with ‘D’ for donations. 

When comparing USA 2025 to the other events that I’ve done, there were four stand out statistics. 

• The total value of donations DURING the 74 days of the event was the second highest of any I’ve done. It was only eclipsed by the first USA run in 2011.
• The amount donated by local people during the run was the highest by a considerable margin.
• The average donation was the highest ever by a considerable margin. 
• There were the most amount of anonymous donations. Thank you, whoever you are.

At the time of writing an amazing £30,730 has been raised for St. Benedict’s Hospice. That has attracted Gift Aid of just over £5000. With the current overall total sitting at £376,500.44, my dream of raising at least half a million pounds for good causes is still very much alive and kicking.

Forget the porridge and pasta, donations were and always have been my main fuel source. Donations give me the emotional drive and sense of purpose that keep me pushing forward, mile after mile after mile. 

Knowing that each step helps support the kind of incredible care that my Mam was given turns every mile into something far more meaningful than just a physical challenge. 

Without the kind donations from so many people, I would not be able to repay the debt of gratitude that I feel towards the hospice. For that, I’m eternally grateful. 

My donations page is still open if you’d like to support the USA 2025 run in aid of St. Benedict’s Hospice at www.justgiving.com/page/rungeordierun2025.

USA 2025 - A to Z (C)

Through the alphabet, today we continue the A to Z series of USA2025 recollections with ‘C’ for clouds. They aren’t just for staring at and deciding what objects they resemble. The colour, height and texture of a cloud was invaluable to me when predicting the weather conditions. I’m no expert but I can spot a storm a mile off. Or not. Sometimes a sinister looking cloud can prove to be a false alarm. 

The main point I want to make is the imprint that cloud patterns make on my brain. I first noticed this after the run across the USA in 2011. 

You’re probably wondering what on earth I’m talking about. Let me explain. There are times when I step out of my front door at home and I look at the clouds. Quite often, I’m immediately taken back to Kansas, Colorado, California or any of the other 11 states that I’ve ran across. “These look just like Kansas” is a typical thought to myself. Sometimes I look to the sky and I feel nothing. There’s always a feeling of disappointment when that happens. Does anyone else compare their “home sky” to other places in the world? 

The clouds this summer in the USA didn’t disappoint. There were far more storm clouds this time around compared to 2011. I do love a good storm.

If you're enjoying this A to Z series and have been inspired by the run across the USA then there's always still time to make a donation to St. Benedict's Hospice via www.justgiving.com/page/rungeordierun2025. Thanks in advance for you kindness.

USA 2025 - A to Z (B)

Continuing the A to Z series of USA2025 recollections today ‘B’ is for Brownie. Who can forget that emotional meeting with a friendly dog on day 66. 

My blog recalls “I reached the road and could see a storm approaching. 

There was a rumble of thunder almost immediately. I wasn’t concerned and pushed on. I went past what I think was a farm. I looked around and a dog approached me. It joined me on the road. Its tongue was hanging out and it looked parched. I gave it some of my water. I think it was just after a bit of attention and affection. I started to stroke its head just like I would to Órlaith back home. To have that connection with a dog again felt very special. I half jokingly said “are you coming to California with me?”.

It didn’t return to its home. It was just me and her (as I half guessed) on the road for now. I kept asking her to “go home”. It continued to follow me. 

The thunder was rumbling by now and it started to rain. The dog was on the road with me and I had to gesture to numerous cars to slow down. Being the big softie that I am, I found the situation distressing. At the same time, I was enjoying the company of man’s best friend. That was short lived as we were now on a busy road to Lakin. She simply led the way, almost as if she knew my route. 

The tears were streaming down my face as I kept telling her “you need to go home”. That’s a phrase that I could have been telling myself under the circumstances. 

As luck would have it, I flagged down a passing police car. I told the lovely police officer, Sheila, about my journey and the current predicament with the dog. Officer Sheila was absolutely lovely. She radioed for assistance because the dog could not go in the police car. We talked some more and officer Sheila responded to the dogs request for a belly rub. 

“I wonder what her name is?” I asked. Officer Sheila named her “Brownie” right there and then. When I was happy that Brownie was in good hands, I continued on the road to Lakin. 

I sobbed buckets. Despite the briefest of encounters I will miss Brownie. It’s got a lot to do with the fact I’m missing Órlaith back home. Also, those eyes staring up at me, just wanting some love and affection. That’s an image that will stay in my mind for a long time.”

When I ran across the USA in 2011, I was “chased” by dogs most days. I wasn’t a dog owner back then and not really what we call a “dog person”. If I had have been, I’m sure I would have seen the dogs I encountered back then in a different light. 

Officer Sheila made a kind donation to St. Benedict’s Hospice a few weeks ago via www.justgiving.com/page/rungeordierun2025. She left the following message which revealed Brownie’s real name. 

“Keep up the great work! It was a pleasure meeting you! Oh, the dog’s real name was Ginger.” 

Despite that, I will always refer to my little friend as Brownie.

USA 2025 - A to Z (A)

This is the first in a series of posts which take a casual look back at this summer's run across the USA. As we journey through the alphabet, there'll be a varying length of posts with some using pictures only. Some will take a deeper dive. I hope it brings back some good memories for all readers.

Starting things off is ‘A’ is for animals. The images below are just a small selection of all the creatures, great and small, that I spotted across the USA. There were some most unexpected ones!

Day 74 of the run across the USA 2025 (PINNED POST)

The overnight stop at Mexican Hat, Utah made for a very uncomfortable sleep. The temperature didn’t cool down until around 0230. That was my cue to get some sleep before the 0515 alarm. 

I noticed a single solitary star in the sky. I had also done last week on the Sunflower Road. I didn’t mention the significance of it in my blog. My Mam had left me a letter to read after she died. Part of it read “if you look up to the night sky and see a single solitary star, then you’ll know I’m watching over you”. If you believe in that type of thing or not, I found it very comforting. 

We set off at 0545 on the short journey to a mile away from Forrest Gump Point. The sun was just about rising behind me as I set off on the “final mile”. There was barely a sound to be heard. It felt so peaceful out there on the road. 

 

I spoke to Donna briefly to tell her that I’d started. Then, unplanned, I spoke to camera via a Facebook Live session. That lasted until the signal cut out and I switched to my iPhone camera instead. 

The mile flew by and I could that famous stretch of road being unveiled by the rising sun. It was like the curtain raising at a theatre. 

As you can tell from the video below I was very happy with the ultimate outcome of my running/fundraising exploits. 

In what felt like the blink of an eye, I reached the end of the “final mile” at Forrest Gump point. My feet ached even after that short distance. 

My socials said “I think I’ll go home now. Almost 13,000 miles of running ends here. As it was meant to be.” 

All throughout the final mile I felt at peace. I have the closure to my grief that I’ve spent many years and tens of thousands of miles searching for. As mad as it may sound, I would not have wanted any other outcome to this tour than the one I got today. 

There is no regret or disappointment in me at all. There is simply gratitude and pride at a job well done.  

The response on social media and the amount of donations made soon after I finished was incredible. At the time of writing (21:13 in a hotel in Las Vegas. It’s a long story which I’ll cover later this week) £25,766 has been raised for St. Benedict’s Hospice. I’m aware of some pledges in the pipeline too so it won’t stay at that amount for much longer. 

The mile served as the perfect birthday present. I later chuckled at a card that was sent to me by Donna.  

The coverage on NUFC.com helped massively to boost the funds for St. Benedict’s Hospice. 

The money raised for various charities including St. Benedict’s Hospice via Run Geordie Run is quite something. The generosity and kindness shown is very difficult to comprehend. 

These numbers will continue to grow in the future. I just need to figure out how in due course. 

It’s important not to think of these numbers in terms of pure pounds and pence. It’s the difference that money can make to a charity such as St. Benedict’s Hospice that’s hugely important. 

I’m one of many volunteer fundraisers. Together we are making a significant difference to the lives of terminally ill people and their families. If you’ve supported my fundraising efforts then you should feel very much as proud as I do right now. 

If you haven’t yet got round to making a donation then please visit:

https://www.justgiving.com/page/rungeordierun2025. 

There will be more to write about in the coming days, weeks and months so please tune in to the blog and socials. 

In the meantime, it’s good night from an air-conditioned hotel room in Las Vegas. The RV is parked outside in the middle of an extreme heat warning. The air con is set to 67. I’m blumming freezing! 

TUNE OF THE DAY: Forrest Gump Suite - Alan Silvestri