3150 miles across the USA - April Progress Update

The 3150 mile coast to coast run across the USA from Coney Island, New York to Huntington Beach California is scheduled to take place starting on May 1st 2025 and finish 100 days later on August 8th 2025. Planning and preparation for the run is gaining more and more momentum as the weeks go by. Other than work, watching football and taking the dog for a walk, my days are stuffed to the brim with all things associated with the run. 

With the planning of this campaign, there is a familiar sense of anticipation and the organisation that accompanies it. I suppose that's only natural given that USA 2025 is the sixth major initiative I have undertaken. Despite the uniqueness of each of my running projects, I have a comforting familiarity when navigating the logistics, assembling the support team, planning the route, searching for sponsors and so on. In turn, this familiarity breeds confidence and gives me the reassurance that I'm doing things bigger and better than ever before. 

The run across the USA is hugely ambitious in itself. My plans to engage people and take them virtually "on the journey" must match that effort if I'm to maximise this opportunity for St. Benedict's Hospice. 

There is so much progress to report and it's hard to do it justice in a blog post on this site. That said, the following is a short summary of where I'm currently at with seven of the most important aspects. 

FUNDRAISING

At the time of writing, despite the run being quite some time away, £6125 has been donated direct to St. Benedict's Hospice via Justgiving. There is also a further £3000 in the pipeline for the Hospice. 

I have set a target of £60,000 for this run. With 388 days to go and 15% of that achieved already, it's safe to say that this is an encouraging start from a fundraising point of view. A huge thank you to everyone who has already made a donation via Justgiving. 

COMMERCIAL BACKING

I was so grateful that long term supporter Chapman Ventilation offered to become my main sponsor. You can trace their kind support back to 2011. Without their help, the current overall charity total of £351,894.67 would not have been achievable.

Another long term sponsor, D-Line, were also kind enough to continue their backing. Again, without their help, the charity fund would not be what it currently is.

The search is now on for the remaining kit sponsors to fill the slots on my USA 2025 running kit. The full sponsorship prospectus is available here.

SUPPORT TEAM

The task of recruiting the support team has gone very well indeed. Of the 100 days that require cover, 65 days have at least one person on the team with 45 of those days having the desired two people on the team. For many reasons, it's important that there are at least two people on the team at any one time. 

To accommodate the team and I for 100 days, a modestly sized motorhome has been acquired on a rental basis. Chapman Ventilation were instrumental in making this possible.

There is the small matter of having a "team within a team" for the 4 day, 153 mile Death Valley section of the run. The rental agreement states that we can't take the motorhome into the national park. Given the scorching temperatures when I'll be running there (July 28th - 31st 2025) it wouldn't be wise to contemplate doing that. Instead, we'll have a more nimble vehicle at our disposal. The motorhome will provide a base camp in Shoshone in the east of the park and subsequently in Olancha in the west. 

There have been some excellent conversations with the Death Valley team around the exact logistics of support. I anticipate that these will continue for the next few weeks before we have a firm plan A, B and C.

Efforts will continue to recruit the final support team members over the coming months.

RUNNING SHOE SPONSORSHIP

 

The biggest kit related expense is for specialist running shoes. With 10 pairs of shoes required for the USA 2025 campaign, I was very grateful to receive the support of Hylo Athletics. They are a brand new British company whose shoes offer a huge amount of support and comfort. With my "battle damaged" feet, that's exactly what is needed. You can read my full depth review on their Impact shoes here.

TIME OFF WORK

I agreed a period of "unpaid special leave" recently with my current employer to enable me to run across the USA. In the past, I've essentially quit my job to do these major runs in the hope that I'd find work when I returned. It gives me a huge peace of mind to have a job to return to.

TRAINING

There has been an increase in training load recently. Whether that's at the gym twice a week with David Fairlamb or running around the local roads. I estimate that I'm probably 15% of where I need to be in order to start the run across the USA.

Getting the balance of training and organisation of the run right has always been a challenge. The USA 2025 campaign promises to be no different. It's safe to say that the next few months are of huge importance. I anticipate this year's summer holiday will be spent running. I've started looking for cheap, uncomfortably warm destinations to accommodate this. 

LEAFLET

Once the all important final sponsors have been found then they can be added to the tri-fold leaflet that I recently completed the design of. This contains all of the relevant information about the run across the USA including my background, reasons for running, how to donate and a detailed map of the route.

This type of leaflet has served me very well in the past. Particularly, when I don't have a huge amount of time to explain to someone what I'm doing in great detail. I'm currently searching for a kind printing company who can produce a few for me. 

SUMMARY

As you can no doubt tell, these is plenty of work going on to make the run across the USA a huge success.I'll talk more about progress in a similar post next month. No doubt, social media, online content, merchandising, the USA 2025 companion guide to name but a few things, will get a mention. Hopefully, finding the remaining commercial sponsors and support team will have made good progress too.

As ever, if you feel that you can help with any aspect then please do get in touch at sponsorship@rungeordierun.com.  

Your kind donations to St. Benedict's Hospice (Charity No. 1019410) can always be made and gratefully received at https://www.justgiving.com/page/rungeordierun2025.

Hello Hylo Athletics

The run across the USA is a little over 407 days away from starting. There is so much going on behind the scenes to make the run a huge success for St. Benedict's Hospice. The latest bit of progress to report is concerned with the running shoes I'll be wearing for 3150 miles from Coney Island to Huntington Beach. 

  

I'm no running shoe afficianado so what you will read below is just my lay person's take based on running over 10,000 miles around the world so far (plus all of the training miles on top of that). What I do have is a very good idea of what works best for me when tackling big miles, in extreme hot, cold and wet conditions on a multitude of various challenging surfaces. 

I also must take into account the irreversible damage that my feet took during the run across Australia. The condition of my feet have definitely improved since that 2384 mile epic back in 2013. I've been told, however, that I will never see the return of the lost fatty padding on the sole of both feet. One of the conservative treatment options for "fat pad atrophy" is to wear proper footwear with adequate cushioning and support. I'm sure you can appreciate that I can't just wear any old shoe on a daily basis never mind to run across an entire continent. I have zero regrets about the state of my feet. The generosity that each step has been able to attract for St. Benedict's Hospice and other local charitable causes is worth it tens time over.

Without further ado, I'm very pleased and proud to announce that I'll be running the 3150 miles across the USA in 2025 wearing Hylo Athletics Impact running shoes. After a very successful test run last weekend, I had no hesitation in taking them up on their very kind offer of support. A huge heartfelt thank you goes to them for responding to my story and the plans I have for next year's run with such kindness. 

Hylo Athletics are a relatively young British company and only launched their running shoes earlier this month. If this is their initial version of a running shoe then the future is very bright for them in my opinion. They came recommended by my friends at specialist running shop Northern Runner in Newcastle. I should mention that Charlie, at the shop, has been responsible for recommending some game changing kit over the years. 

I was sent a black and white pair of Impact to try. That is just one of four different colour ways available incidentally. They felt extremely comfortable straight out of the box and the size eleven felt very true to size. As you should know by now, that word "comfort" is always something that I look for in a running shoe. If I'm going to be running for 100 consecutive days then I need them to pass what I like to call my "slipper test". In other words, at the very least, they should feel like a comfortable pair of slippers that you'd put on after a hard day's work. 

The next and most important step was to run a few miles in them. My initial observation was around the support they gave. Again, forgive the layperson's terminology. Every step felt like the impact was being absorbed by the shoes' very generous amount of cushioning. The shoes felt like they were breaking the fall of each step that I took. That sounds ludicrous as I write it but those are really the only words I can use to describe the protection that I felt my feet were being given. I must say that they didn't feel over spongy though. The balance in that cushioning felt just right leaving me with a feel of control as I ran.

With over five million steps to be taken during the run across the USA year, a decent amount of support underfoot is going to be hugely important. I've worn some excellent shoes in the past but these felt different in terms of cushioning and support. When I looked up the amount of cushioning, it was no surprise to find that the Hylo Athletics Impact had considerably more than I'd had before. Over 3 cm to be precise. Oh and only 2g heavier than mat previous shoes.

Hylo Athletic's description of the technology that underpins that comfort and support goes as follows:  "HYPERBOLT™ Hyperintelligent foam Class-leading innovation and performance - gas-injected, super critical foam, bio-based midsole. Reduces density, reduces weight and increases rebound.".

It would be remiss of me not to mention the core value of Hylo Athletics; Sustainability. 

As they say on their website and social media "We are a community of runners. On a mission to protect the thing we love most. And the planet we do it on. And we RUN LIKE THE WORLD DEPENDS ON IT, always.".

There is a clever bit of technology built into the shoe which they call "Hyloop". "NFC-activated technology tracks the footprint of every stitch. Once you hang up your hylos, send them back. We’ll grind them into something new.". This is an attempt to reduce the awful statistic that says 90% of old running shoes end up in landfill.

I was intrigued when I saw the design of the sole of the Hylo Impact. I read on the Northern Runner website that is "inspired by Formula One technology. Its specially designed outsole is made to efficiently displace water and boost traction, offering unwavering stability, even on wet surfaces.".

The Northern Runner review continued "Echoing the qualities of the acclaimed Hoka Bondi, the Hylo Impact differentiates itself with exceptional responsiveness and even cushioning. It provides the necessary comfort and support for everyday running, making it an ideal pick for both leisurely runners and competitive athletes. 

The defining characteristic of the Hylo Impact is its dedication to sustainability. Utilizing biobased materials such as castor bean and Tencel™ Lyocell, this shoe presents a green alternative without sacrificing on performance. 

The Hylo Impact encourages recycling via Hyloop by a simple scan of the tongue, reinforcing its commitment to the circular economy. With a carbon footprint substantially below that of traditional running shoes, the Hylo Impact embodies forward-thinking environmental design. It features a 33mm heel stack, 25mm forefoot, and an 8mm drop for a stride that is both comfortable and effective. Its DWR (Durable Water Repellent) coating further ensures your feet stay dry, enhancing the shoe's adaptability to various conditions. At a mere 280g, the Hylo Impact combines lightness with durability, ready to take on the daily demands of training while promoting a reduced environmental footprint. 

Choose the Hylo Impact running shoe for a perfect mix of advanced technology, peak performance, and eco-consciousness, and contribute to a greener planet with every step."

Once again, a huge thank you goes to Hylo Athletics for their amazing support with the supply of such a brilliantly innovative product. 

Whether it's the Appalachians, the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains or Death Valley and the Mojave Desert, my Hylos and me are going to be together on a quite remarkable adventure next year. They'll then get returned, recycled and made into shoes for somebody else's adventure. There's a very poetic quality to that.

Run Geordie Run needs you (for the run across the USA)

The 3100 mile run across the USA between May 1st and August 8th 2025 will require a support team of volunteers to help make it a success. Duties will range from driving a motorhome, cooking, cleaning, shopping for supplies and ensuring that the runner gets his daily miles run! 

Your experience on the team will be against a backdrop of some of the most beautifully challenging and fascinating landscape from New York to California and the other 12 states in between. Not only is this a chance of a lifetime but it's a chance to play a key part in the success of a run that aims to raise tens of thousands of pounds for St. Benedict's Hospice (Charity No. 1019410).

If you are fit and healthy, hold a driving license, have a positive attitude, have good problem solving skills and can commit at least 14 days to the tour then this could be for you. If you're interested in applying then please complete the form below. Even if you're not 100% sure about joining the team at this stage please apply anyway and we can have an informal discussion where there will be an opportunity to ask any questions that you may have. Like myself, support team members are unpaid volunteers. The cost of travel to the USA to join up with the team is at the volunteer's own expense. The motorhome is already paid for and there is no cost to support team for that.