Day 12 started as a very emotional day. Saying goodbye to Melanie and John was incredibly tough for Mark. He was up to Now 13 on his iPod at the time and 'He Aint Heavy, He's my Brother' came on. This reduced Mark to tears as he looked back and waved at them as they set off on their journey back home to Perth. This was Mark's lowest point of the whole run so far.
Mark tweeted: "I wouldn't have made it this far and in such good spirits without Melanie and John."
"Back safe n sound. Missing the sherpa duties. Not sharing a toilet with flies a bonus tho! x" (Melanie)
Here are some of the best bits from days 2 and 3:
The support team through to day 15 will be Jason and Graham.
With Melanie and John on their way home Mark continued on for day 12, a day which should have been a rest day.
"Feet are so sore. Internal pockets of fluid are forming as they did in the last few weeks of the run across the USA."
"Painkillers are starting to work meaning I've got 7 miles of pain free running ahead approx. #rgrdownunder"
Conscious of the mileage deficit Mark was eager to reach 41 miles for the day. As a support team we had discussions around the best way for Mark to approach day 12. The harsh realisation was that without adequate rest and treatment to his feet, this could jeopardise future days. Thankfully Mark made the decision at 9.5 miles to have a long tactical snooze and to receive further treatment from Jason.
"2.5 hours sleep on my rest day. Off out now to add to the 9.5 miles I ran this morning. The mileage deficit is currently 31.5."
15:55 "The mileage deficit is down from 41 to 25. Think I'll get it down to 20 then go rest up in Norseman.
16:25 Finished on 17 miles on my "rest day". The mileage deficit has been cut from 41 to 24 after 12 tough days in Australia."
So after day 12, a previously planned rest day, the mileage now stands at 428. Mark has continued to receive the much needed treatment to his feet from Jason. They have been carefully treated and bandaged up. As a result, the swelling has started to go down.
Tonight's stay is in a caravan park in Norseman. Hopefully this will give the team some comfort and security. It has also allowed Mark to have his first shave in 2 weeks!
"I've lost just over a stone I'm guessing in the first 12 days of the run. Lots of fat gone but muscle wastage too by the looks of it."
"Lights out! Up early in the morning to drive to the start. The RV will stay in Norseman for 2 nights while the Mitsubishi will cover me."
Here's a closing picture in place of #rgrart created by Carlton who will join the support team in a few weeks time: Run Geordie Run in Lego!
