Sleeping in the car for a second night
was never going to be easy. Sleeping in the car with shooting pains
in his feet was going to be even more difficult for Mark. The
slightest flinch was difficult in a confined space and he was clearly
in agony. Another dose of strong painkillers seemed to help ease
this a little and meant that Mark woke with very little pain. As I
reported on day 79, there are no surface wounds on Mark's feet. The
issues are deep internal pockets of fluid and numbness, something
that only rest will help to cure.
Without the RV we have no cooking
facilities either. We have basic snacks (very unhealthy ones at
that) and only cold water to make the porridge. There are no other
options until we leave the highway and head towards bigger towns
nearer to the finish line.
Aside from the pain in his feet, Mark
started the day feeling very
positive. Finding a sneaky sachet of Cherry Active had helped to
relieve some of the aches experienced on the previous day. The
meeting points were now planned to be further apart at 10 miles (or
wherever I could safely park) which would push Mark that little more
to make it to the car. As ever, the messages of support continued.
Many were concerned about sleeping in the car overnight rather than
being checked into a hotel/motel. This isn't something that we have
avoided, trust me if there was a more comfortable option then we
would be jumping right in. The only thing not supporting us was the
logistics. As mentioned earlier, until we head closer towards bigger
towns then there are no other options. One of Mark's sponsors,
Chapman Ventilation (you might recognise the name from the daily
weather updates) kindly offered to pay for us to stay overnight in a
hotel wherever possible. Initially Mark declined, any potential
monies must always go directly to the two charities. They then
clarified that they would equal match the cost of the hotel meaning
that The Children's Foundation and the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation
would still receive a donation. An incredibly generous offer. A good
nights sleep makes such a huge difference to Mark's running day, and
at this stage of the run we really need him on top form to reach the
finish line in Shellharbour. If we could find a hotel for the
evening then we would very gratefully accept the offer.
The Hume Highway was much quieter at
the start of day 80, potentially less people heading out of Sydney
post New Year's Eve. A great start to the day, it was cooler and
cloudy meaning that the conditions were favourable, a good running
surface on the hard shoulder was also a great help too:
“The road surface on the
#humehighway is nice and flat concrete. It's like running on carpet.
Pure luxury.”
"#humehighway getting busier. Will
update later. Please tune in to @garyandlisareal on Friday morning UK
time for full update."
"83 miles to the finish line. Running
very strong this morning. Attacking all the climbs. #ifeeltheneed
#theneedforspeed"
In the meantime I
had managed to find a rest area around the 10 mile meeting point. I
drove ahead knowing that Mark would be a few hours until he reached
me. I used this time to work my way through a full inbox of media
queries and requests for interviews with Mark. Two hours later I was
just finishing a call with the BBC and Mark emailed to say that he
had already passed. 10 miles before 9am and he was still going
strong, incredible!
At midday Mark
reached the services at a town called Goulburn. Here they had a
beautiful bakery with some amazing (and naughty) food on offer.
Naturally Mark chose the pie option, but to be fair there wasn't a
huge selection that would help to quickly replenish the calorie
deficit – needs must on this one I'm afraid!
“20 miles done. Time for a pie in
#goulburn. That was one of the quickest morning sessions of the
entire tour.”
Shortly after the
lunch break Mark complained of feeling sick and dizzy. He was
adamant that he was going to get back out on the road. I was very
firm on this one and wouldn't let him back out of the car until he
drank some ice cold water (hurrah for services) and had a little more
time to rest. The lunch break ended up almost 2 hours, time that
Mark can't afford to lose but rather that than lose concentration or
consciousness. This extra time also allowed me to do a quick search
on the internet to see if there would be any accommodation close to
the finish point for the day. I'm pleased to confirm that there was.
This would mean a comfortable bed and shower allowing Mark to relax
a little and rest for more big miles ahead on day 81.
Although the day
started cool, the temperature had really started to creep up by
midday. It was worryingly starting to feel more like the
temperatures that we experienced during the heatwave. The car was
reading 39 Celsius – we hoped that it didn't get any higher.
Stopping at the
services in Goulburn meant that Mark was able to take a break from
running on the highway and found a route to run through the town.
This presented a lot less traffic, if only for a few miles. I drove
ahead to find a suitable meeting point after rejoining the highway
only to find more problems. The traffic had started to increase and
the highway had split into a higher and lower road. As Mark was
running on the opposite carriage way to me this formed an instant
barrier between us. As chance would have it a trusty truck stop
appeared meaning that I could safely pull over and wait patiently for
Mark to arrive.
Later in the
afternoon Mark spoke once again with Gary and Lisa on the Real Radio
breakfast show. If you have missed any of the interviews then you
can listen again here. Gary and Lisa (and their loyal listeners)
have been incredibly supportive throughout and the, now daily, calls and really do help to keep Mark's spirits high. Mark was also able to
speak to ITV which, for those of you in NE England, you may have seen at
some point during the evening.
Mark finished the day on 34 miles. A good strong day of running and most certainly time for a proper sleep in a bed. This would be vital to the big miles of day 81. Huge thanks again to
Chapman Ventilation, we were treated to a bed AND a shower – luxury!
After a quick bite
to eat and treatment to Mark's feet we hit the hay ready to start a
new day. 61 miles to the finish line – so very very close!
“34 miles done. 61 to the finish
line. Tomorrow has got to be a massive day.”
“My right foot is in all kinds of
pain. More treatment required. Oh and painkillers too!”
“Realistic outcome is now 45 miles
tomorrow and 16 early on Sunday morning.”
“Or I could always repeat the last
day in the USA and do 61 miles. Hmm…”
