Day 58 of the run across the USA 2025

The Walmart car park in Newton has got to be one of the quietest overnight stops of this tour so far. As a bonus, the southerly wind blew into the RV making for a tremendous sleep. Almost 7.5 hours in fact. It doesn’t get much better than that! 

I set off from Newton, Kansas at 06:17 just as the sun was rising. The temperature was a very nice 22 Celsius with a slight breeze from the south. 

There was nothing much of note on Highway 50. I’ve been in this road for some time now. There was the usual generously sized hard shoulder alongside the many vast miles of agricultural land.

I scoured the skies for clues of the up and coming weather. It looked like I was in for an incident free morning. 

At the 3 mile point I spotted 2 golden retrievers to my right. Their tales were wagging and they looked like they wanted to play. Sadly, I had to press on. Shortly afterwards, I received a notification of a donation on JustGiving on my watch. I brought up the site on my phone and was amazed to see a very generous donation to St. Benedict’s Hospice from the owners of my Órlaith’s brother Bruno. There were a number of other donations too. Further amazing generosity which did a lot for reminding me why I’m undertaking this epic journey. 

On my side of the road I spotted what looked like a collection of vintage gas station paraphernalia. 

The road ahead was straight, flat and long. I could see for miles. It’s going to be like this for a long time to come as it had been for a long time prior. 

At mile 8, I felt an explosion on the bottom of my right foot. Absolutely true to form, a day where problems centred on my left foot, was now followed with a day with a right foot issue. I limped for a few yards before using my right heel only. I then bunched the toes in my right foot up and this had a positive effect (perhaps that squeezed the fluid out of the blister). I was able to continue. 

I had a quick call with Donna at mile 11 and told her about my plans for the day. I’ve mentioned many times before that Donna always has a way of making sense of things but in a critical way when it’s needed. She’s the Adrian to my Rocky. 

The impact of this tour (and all the others for that matter) on Donna can’t be underestimated. She’s stepped in and stepped up time after time when things aren’t going to plan. Five weeks in an insect infested RV in Australia during its hottest summer on record. Resolving support team conflicts from the UK while I was running up a mountain in Europe not knowing what was happening. The many hours she’s had to listen to me at my lowest on the phone from Australia, Europe and even in the mountains of Ukraine to name but a few. It goes above and beyond what a wife should have to deal with. I’m grateful and proud in equal measure. 

As Adrian once said to Rocky “All those beatings you took in the ring, I took them with you!”. I’m sure that’s how Donna feels. 

Back to the days running and I got to mile 12.3 and messaged Alan to say that was enough for today. The early finish wasn’t because of injury or fatigue for once. We had an almost 3 hour drive to Dodge City (for the support team changeover) to do as well as RV chores such as refilling propane, fuel, water and emptying the waste tanks. 

Propane was filled at nearby Hutchinson, Kansas. A really nice lady called Connie helped with that at Tractor Supply Co. I told her about my journey and left her with a leaflet. 

The RV was then refuelled and Alan drove us to Dodge City. For the next few hours, I’d be getting a preview of the next 4 days of running. After a while, we started to climb. It was hardly noticeable to the naked eye. The landscape became even flatter and there was far less greenery. We were heading into the High Plains. 

We had a bit of time to kill before Deb’s flight was due to land in Dodge City from Denver. I treated myself to a shower and a shave. 

Knowing that we’d be eating out with Deb later we decided to have a “small snack”. We found a place called The Cowboy Capital Saloon and Grill. 

I just ordered a “prime rib” sandwich. Surely it wouldn’t be too big and just enough to “put me off” (as my Mam would say) until supper time. Oh how wrong I was. 

Today could end up like that Christmas episode of the Vicar of Dibley where she has numerous Christmas dinners! I’m currently writing this in a McDonalds while Alan is dumping the waste and refilling the water. 

Deb landed in Dodge City and we picked her up in the RV. She checked into her hotel and we all went for some food at a really nice Mexican restaurant. 

She’s in the luxury of a hotel for the night and we are in its car park. 

It’s hard to describe just how relieved I am to have her back on the team. She will be the difference between success and failure on this journey. As well as making Donna proud, Deb is the other person who I’ll be going all out to do the same. 

There’ll be no 0515 alarm in the morning. It’ll be a little later and Deb has kindly offered the use of her shower in the hotel. It’s on the basis that I “don’t leave anything in there”. I’ve no idea what she means. We’ll then grab some breakfast. I think pancakes might be on the menu. After that we’ll drop Alan off at the airport and wait for Thomas to arrive soon after. 

Thomas will hardly have time to get settled in because we’ll drive back east 135 miles to today’s end point and get some miles done. Any number of miles in double figures will be a bonus tomorrow. I anticipate arriving at the start point at the hottest part of the day. 

The charity fund now sits at £22,485 for St Benedict's Hospice. Huge appreciation to those who have contributed. The email notifications from JustGiving really do put a spring in my step and help push me forward when times are tough. 

If you would like to donate, please visit my page: https://www.justgiving.com/page/rungeordierun2025 

TUNE OF THE DAY: God Went Crazy - Teddy Swims

Day 57 of the run across the USA 2025

The overnight stop was safe but a little noisy. That was to be expected given the nearby main road and railway line. I was kept awake by thoughts of the mileage left and possible plans to get to the finish line.  

After a short drive to the start line, I was on Highway 50 in cooler temperatures just after 6am. 

The first thing I noticed was potential storm clouds on the distance. They were spectacular at that time of the morning.

The first water refill was 3 miles in. I just took a bottle of water as I’d hardly touched my hydration backpack. At 4.5 miles there was a spectacular ranch sign. 

There was a rare bend in the road at mile 6. It was here that I could see further cloud build up ahead. 

As I approached the town of Peabody, there looked to be a downpour happening up ahead. I thought it may be 5 or so miles away. 

A rainbow appeared dead ahead of me. That was a cue to ask Siri to play a particular song. How appropriate that I’m in Kansas! Siri offered up a number of different versions from numerous artists. I think Eva Cassidy’s was my favourite. 

TUNE OF THE DAY: Over the Rainbow - Eva Cassidy 

A mile after Peabody, there was a little standing water left. I’d been lucky to miss out on getting a soaking.   

At mile 12, it became obvious why there had been such large gaps in the oncoming traffic for the last few days on Highway 50. There were roadworks which were a few miles long. The flow of traffic was controlled by a “pilot car”. 

There wasn’t a lot of room for me at times but the traffic was slow and safe enough. 

The good thing about Highway 50 is that you’re never far away for a railway line. I took a few pictures and video for a pal back home.

I think Alan was expecting me to stop for food at Walton at mile 17.5. I felt good and the favourable conditions (29 Celsius with a headwind) had to be taken advantage of. 

I made it to the 22 mile point just to the east of Newton shortly after 1pm. It was time for some food and a short sleep. The bagel and scrambled eggs were delicious. The tactical snooze was interrupted by flies as per usual. 

When I got back out on the road, it seemed the temperature had increased considerably. I was pleased to have gone as far as I did while it was relatively cooler. 

I passed underneath interstate 135 and made my way into Newton on the Old Trail Road. Thankfully it was tarmac and not a trail!

The mill in Newton was one of the biggest I’d ever seen. Its silhouette from a few miles away made me think it was a cathedral at first. 

A quick search told me that “The Ardent Mills Newton facility is the largest small-pack operation in the Ardent Mills organization. Newton packs over 40% of United States privately-labeled small bags sold on retail shelves. 

Newton makes many different blends of flour that get used for various baking needs including desserts, coatings, snacks and many other tasty items. The Newton mill has a daily capacity of 850,000 lbs. of flour.” 

The main street of Newton was pretty quiet. I did notice a barber and a massage place. I almost called in!  

The train station was modelled after William Shakespeare’s house according to my pal back in the UK. It’s on a line that runs from LA to Chicago. 

There was more trains to look at in Newton which always makes me happy. Ever since I saw them winding their way through the Mojave Desert in 2011, I’ve been fascinated by them. It possibly goes back to our journeys to the caravan at Seahouses as a child. We would often get stopped at the railway crossing at Chathill. My Dad would build the excitement up. “Can you hear it yet?” and “Which direction do you think it’s coming from?”. It was a thrill to pass the time on what seemed like a very long journey. It was long because we’d probably call in to the Mill House in Washington, the Little Chef at Stannington (which is where Donna and I go for a curry from time to time) and the Oak Inn would also get a visit. Many hours later, we’d arrive at the caravan. Anyway, I digress. 

I made it out of the other side of Newton and almost back on to Highway 50. At mile 27.5 I felt the “explosion” in my left foot. It was in a spot that I’d noticed blood on my sock at the 22 mile rest point. It had filled with fluid. I decided to call for the RV and call it a day. I had at least another 2.5 miles planned but it was on the busy dual carriageway. We hadn’t determined a stop point. Stopping was the correct decision. 

I had a look at the problematic area of my left foot when we reached the overnight stop at the Walmart car park in Newton. 

I was correct in that it was connected to the area of my sock where I’d spotted blood. There seems to be three pockets of fluid around that area. After yesterday’s major mistake, I’m going to leave it. If there’s anything I’ve noticed on this tour, it’s that my feet recover quick enough and well enough overnight. Yes, it may not be enough to get me through the full day but getting close to 30 miles is decent. 

On the plus side, one of only three people who have ever nursed my feet back to decent shape (and off painkillers) arrived in Denver this afternoon. It’s the return of Deb who, along with Thomas, takes over from Alan on Saturday. 

I bought her a bag of her favourite Cheetos a few weeks ago to soften the blow of having to look at my feet again. It was the only time I’ve been in a supermarket here. I’m either out there on the road or in the RV 99.9% of the time. It’s a strange existence.  

The charity fund is currently £22,155. Every penny raised is helping St Benedict’s Hospice provide free palliative care in addition to advice, and support to patients and their families that are dealing with a life limiting illness. 

Thank you to everyone that has donated so far, every donation no matter how big or small, counts. 

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

Day 56 of the run across the USA 2025

It was a scorcher of an overnight stop with no breeze. It took quite a while to eat my porridge but I was on the road for 06:29 near Clements, Kansas on highway 50.  

The early miles were the usual slow ones to get the legs moving. It was nice to get out into the 24/25 Celsius temperature.  

I met the RV for a bottle of water at 4 miles and ditched the walking poles. Taking advantage of the lower temperature, (although it was quickly rising) I slowly began to build the pace. I felt as good as I had for a few days.  

I ditched my backpack at the next water stop and just took a bottle with me. It’s not too often that I’ve been able to run without the burden of either the backpack or waist pack. Being just that bit lighter really helped.  

There were the usual birds and trains to tick off my daily eye spy list.  

When I reached the Marion county line, I noticed that the hard shoulder was in poorer condition. Perhaps they didn’t have as big a budget as Chase county. 

As I ran on the outskirts of the town of Florence, I came up to a rare roundabout. I was extremely pleased with the progress so early on. It was only 10am and I’d managed 11.25 miles. It was a solid foundation for a big day of miles. 

I met the RV for a toasted bagel and a good gulp of Powerade. It was then that I was only minutes away from the biggest mistake I’d made on this tour so far.  

My socks and feet were soaking wet. I decided to dry my feet and change my socks. When doing so, I noticed a large blister on my left foot. The plan was to “empty” the fluid out of it. I did that with no problems. The layer of skin was quite thin. Unlike, some of the other blisters that I have.  

Now for the mistake. I dabbed some antiseptic (Isopropyl Alcohol) around the area of my left foot that I’d worked on. It wasn’t painful at first, but it certainly became more so after a few minutes. It felt like I’d poured acid on raw flesh. The pain was as bad as anything I can ever remember. It was even worse than the pain I had following 2 teeth out in March this year.  

I tried hard to control my breathing and endure the pain. It eventually died down from the blister but increasing the area of what I call the ball of my left foot. As the minutes went on the pain increased.  

This was the lowest point of this tour by far. I tried to control my sobbing but it was difficult. All of a sudden I felt very alone and a long way from home.  

I just had to get out of the RV and back on the road. My right sock went on ok. I had to bite down on a towel to get the left sock on.  

My shoes went on ok and I got back out into the now 30 Celsius heat.  

To say progress back on Highway 50 was slow was an understatement. I had to use the walking poles to take the pressure off my left foot. The next 3 miles ticked by at 26 minutes each.  

All of the good work in the early part of the day had been for nothing. If I wasn’t in so much pain, I may have had room left for the frustration. 

After nearly 80 minutes and 3 miles of hobbling down highway 50, enough was enough. 

The options, as I saw them, in that moment were a) drive back 3 miles to Florence and go again tomorrow, b) drive forward to Dodge City and wait and recover until Deb and Thomas arrive on Saturday or c) quit altogether.  

After exchanging messages with Deb back in the UK, I chose option a). I made sure that I sent her a photo of the damage. 

With the pain subsiding slightly, I followed Deb’s advice. I soaked my feet for 20 minutes, had a quick shower and then applied antiseptic cream and a gauze pad with a dressing to my left foot.  

Given my lack of mobility, dressing my foot wasn’t straightforward. I made a decent job of it I think.  

We had parked outside of Town and Country Cafe in Florence. It was roasting hot in the RV and I tried my best to get a little sleep with my foot elevated.  

The pulsating pain on the ball of my left foot had subsided. We decided to go into the cafe for something to eat. 

As well as a cheeseburger and fries, it was a real treat simply to talk to some of the local people. This was as authentic a place and people as you’re likely to find. The food was delicious too.  

I handed out leaflets and told the locals and staff about my journey. It was then time to return to the furnace of an RV. It was 32 Celsius by this point.  

I spent the next few hours looking at the remaining miles and scratching my head. I’m losing the possibility of finishing this run in 100 days. In fact, that was probably lost 4 weeks ago.  

I exchanged numerous messages with the remaining support team to come on duty. The tour is so mis-aligned with the original plan now. This makes getting the team on and off the tour very tricky going forwards. Thankfully, they’ve all shown a high degree of flexibility and we are making things work to a point.  

I’m now faced with being approximately 200 miles short of the finish line on day 100. That would actually need to be day 99 as the RV has to be returned early on day 100. It would be a case of so near, yet so far. That scenario doesn’t take into account the very complicated support team handover logistics.  

A possible scenario is to do what Donna and I did in Australia in 2013. That is to hand back the RV on day 99 and extend the run by a week. We used a car after handing the RV back and stayed in the odd motel here and there. The issue with that is that I have neither a car (we were kindly loaned one by Mitsubishi in Australia) or a support team at that point. This is a plan that would require an average of between 30.5 and 31.25 miles to be ran. There are some enforced low mileage days in there due to support team handovers.   

Another scenario is to finish the run in Monument Valley at Forrest Gump Point. That would be on the 23rd July.  

Ending on day 84, would mean standing down the remaining 2 support team members. The RV could hopefully be handed back in Las Vegas (and not LA) where I would fly back to the UK from.  

There are no decisions to be made just yet. Only miles to be ran.  

TUNE OF THE DAY: Against the wind - Bob Seger

If you are enjoying following my journey and think that my efforts are worth a donation, please consider visiting my just giving page: https://www.justgiving.com/page/rungeordierun2025

Day 55 of the run across the USA 2025

The day started at 2am with a spectacular lightening storm to the west. 

There was a tremendous gale force breeze. At one point I had to shut my window to prevent the torrential rain pouring in. 

The storm eventually drifted north east, taking with it the cool breeze. It had cost me over an hour of sleep. I worried for the safety of the RV at one point. 

The early alarm was disregarded and I didn’t get out onto Highway 50 until 08:38.

It was another scorcher of a day with the relatively cooler part of the day missed. Starting at 28 Celsius is difficult. 

Coincidentally, day 55 of the run across the USA in 2011 had the same issue: “The current problem is that I'm not getting enough sleep over night. This is leading to late starts. This, in turn, means that I'm running the mentally tough miles during the hottest part of the day.”

There was an ornamental metal structure across the road from the start point. 

There was the usual cattle nearby to say good morning too. I was also surprised to see a tortoise next to what looked like a spilled load of onions.

I was pleasantly surprised to get a call from my friend Helen in Perth, Australia. That helped me take my mind of the heat for 10 minutes 

I met the RV for the first time at the five mile point in Strong City. Alan had made a toasted peanut butter bagel which I took with me to eat. It was delicious. 

The traffic was quite busy today. There were times where I wouldn’t see a thing for a few minutes then convoys of trucks and cars would pass me. 

I just about managed to get to the RV at the 8.25 mile point. I felt very unwell again. A lie down for 30 minutes with a towel full of ice cubes helped to get me back on my feet. It was at this point that I made a minimum of 20 miles the target for today. If there were to be cloud cover or a better wind to take advantage of then I’d revise that. For now though, it was one of those days where it was just about survival. 

At the 10 mile point, I ran over Diamond Creek. I noticed a lot of very agile birds swarming overhead.

I ducked into the RV again just before the 15 mile point. I had a plain omelette and watched the trains go by. There was a small breeze which gave some comfort. 

The final 5 miles were done at the hottest part of the day. The 33 Celsius heat made it very difficult to keep moving forward with any pace whatsoever. I had my full head covered with 2 buffs to keep the sun off. It became a case of head down and keep going on the long straight highway 50. 

At the 20 mile point, a police officer stopped to ask if I was ok. He was called Michael and another in a long line of police that I’ve met all over the world while running. I gave him a leaflet and explained that this was the finish point for the day. He recommended a shaded spot for our overnight stop just a few hundred yards down the off road. 

All in all, it was a very difficult day. It’s interesting to see that it was just as tough back in 2011. In Kansas. 

I think we are in for a very uncomfortable overnight sleep tonight. There is no breeze and the luxury of the previous 2 nights isn’t there. 

TUNE OF THE DAY: Harmonia's Dream - The War on Drugs

If you are enjoying following my journey and think that my efforts are worth a donation, please consider visiting my just giving page: https://www.justgiving.com/page/rungeordierun2025