Thursday 30 May 2024

USA 2025 Kit Sponsorship Available

The 3150 mile coast to coast run across the USA from Coney Island, New York to Huntington Beach, California is just 11 months from getting underway. It will take an unprecedented level of effort (and good luck) to get across the continent in just 100 days. 

With a fundraising target of at least £60,000 for St. Benedict's Hospice (Charity No. 1019410) an event of this magnitude requires a huge amount of kind support.

The long term partnership with Chapman Ventilation saw them confirmed as main kit sponsors last year. I'm also very grateful to cable management firm D-Line for their backing as sleeve sponsor.

There are still prime spots up for grabs on my USA 2025 running kit. 

What parts of USA 2025 running kit are available for sponsorship? 

There are two spaces available for sponsor's logos on the front of my shirt and a one on the back. 

To accommodate different budgets, kit sponsorship is available in blocks of 10 days. The run across the USA will take 100 days to complete, therefore there are 10 blocks available in total. It is entirely possible for any individual company to take as many blocks as required. If a company wanted their logo on the back of my running kit for 20 days, for example, that would cost £2000. 


Can you tell me more about where the Run Geordie Run shirt and sponsors logos will be seen?

Run Geordie Run has a presence on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, Threads, TikTok and YouTube. The real jewel in the crown, is arguably this award winning blog at www.rungeordierun.com. All channels will be used to very good effect, providing the audience with many accessible ways to follow the run across the USA on a daily basis.



Cutting edge technology such as an autonomous drone and 360 degree camera will be used to capture and produce daily content while running across the USA. The event will see a far greater use of the Run Geordie Run YouTube channel than ever before.  The daily update on Youtube is expected to bring the run to life and aims to become “essential viewing” for the 100 days and 3150 miles that the run spans. There will be a shorter "bite size" daily update across the other channels.

The media's insatiable appetite for extraordinary achievements has always helped to bring Run Geordie Run to the attention of a worldwide audience. This next transcontinental effort provides an exciting opportunity to raise the profile even further through online channels as well as mainstream TV and radio home and abroad.


Where else will sponsors be able to integrate their brand?
 
 
In addition to the social media channels mentioned previously, sponsors will have their logo included in the thousands of tri-fold leaflets that will be handed out before, during and after the USA run. These have always served as an important part of the fundraising toolkit. 

Sponsors logos will be included in the weekly "insider" email that gets sent to sponsors, support team and key supporters. There will also be numerous opportunities to incorporate sponsor's logos in engaging content right across the Run Geordie Run social media "estate".  


What is the next step to becoming a Run Geordie Run USA 2025 kit sponsor? 

Running 3150 miles across the USA in just 100 days will be a relentlessly demanding endeavour. Endless stretches of open road, varying terrains, unpredictable weather conditions, and the sheer magnitude of the distance will all conspire to test the limits of physical and mental endurance. 

While this may seem like a solo journey, it will require the kind support of so many to succeed. It’s really just as important as a pair of running shoes in ensuring running 3150 miles across the USA is a success.

If you are interested in becoming a Run Geordie Run kit sponsor then please get in touch via email at sponsorship@rungeordierun.com in the first instance.

USA 2025 - Final support team vacancies available?

The 3150 mile/100 day run across the USA between May 1st and August 8th 2025 requires a support team of volunteers to help make it a success. Duties range from driving a motorhome, cooking, cleaning, shopping for supplies and ensuring that the runner gets his daily miles run! 

The recruitment campaign has been a huge success so far. Thank you to everyone who has applied over the last 11 months and to those who made it through on to the team. The interest shown has been brilliant. There is at least one person on the team for the entire 100 days.

There now remains just a few gaps in the support team rota:
  • 14th May 2025 to 27th June 2025 - Wheeling, West Virginia to Walsenburg, Colorado.
  • 25th July 2025 to 1st August 2025 - Las Vegas, Nevada to Olancha, California via Death Valley. Only people who will be able to fulfil support team duties in extreme temperatures will be suitable for this section.
Duties on the team will be carried out against a backdrop of some of the most beautifully challenging and fascinating landscape in the USA. 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 at least £60,000 for St. Benedict's Hospice (Charity No. 1019410) in memory of my Mam and Dad.

Here are some highlights to give you an idea of what is involved with being part of the support team: 
  • The aim is to have 2 people on the support team at any one time. 
  • Daily duties include driving a motor home, cooking (mainly porridge and omelettes), motorhome admin (such as emptying waste, filling water and fuel) and that's pretty much the basic requirement.
  • All support team crew are unpaid volunteers like myself. We have retired police officers, a software developer, a retired banker, a B&B owner and a business owner among our ranks already. The ages range from 40 - 67 currently. 
  • Support team crew are responsible for getting to the point of the run when needed and meeting up with the motorhome. For some this is straight forward (for example one lady is leaving at Indianapolis very close to the airport. One man is taking a 2 hour bus journey to Pittsburgh to fly out of there. The not so straight forward examples are where one man flies into Las Vegas, hires a car, drives 200 miles to join the tour (due to poor transport links) and gives the hire car to the outgoing support team to return to Las Vegas and fly out of there. 
  • Overnight parking spots vary from RV parks (for which there is very limited budget) to Walmart parking lots to spaces at the side of the road. 
  • The first gap in the rota is through the American Mid West. There are many minor roads. We are expecting low volumes of traffic and the driving should be quite straightforward. 
  • Once the team are in the motorhome the only expenses you'll incur are your own food requirements. There is no charge for staying in the motorhome. That's obvious to me but not to everyone and is worth stating. 
  • A typical day starts at 0600 - 0630 for porridge. Once I set off running then the motorhome will drive to a meeting point ahead on the route. The number of stops will vary. The running day is usually split into two sections with lunch in the middle (and usually a sleep for me). The aim is to finish running, update the blog, edit and upload video and be asleep by 2200 ready to do it all over again. 
  • We don't allow the consumption of alcohol while on the tour. 
  • A detailed route plan is available now. I'm adding various data to it constantly such as suggested overnight stops, RV waste dump locations, supermarkets etc. 
  • The only age restriction is to be 21 to 72 for motorhome insurance purposes. 
  • The current team are committing between 2 and 4 weeks on the tour. 
  • We have a support team Whatsapp channel for questions and knowledge sharing. We will be holding an online support team meeting in June for the first time with plans for at least 2 more before the run starts to talk through plans, answer questions etc. 
  • There are opportunities to join me running if you so wish.

If you are fit and healthy, hold a driving license, have a positive attitude, have good problem solving skills and can commit at least 14/8 days to the tour in the Midwest/Death Valley respectively 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. 

Wednesday 29 May 2024

3150 miles across the USA - May 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 challenge has seen some excellent progress made so far this year. There is still a lot to organise and plan and also plenty of support to find if the £60,000 fundraising target is hit for St. Benedict's Hospice. 

The debt of gratitude that I feel towards the Hospice is as strong now as it was back in 1995 when my Mam spent her final weeks in their care. It should come as no surprise to any followers of Run Geordie Run that I'm as determined as ever to make the next big run a huge success. 

The 3150 mile route will arguably be the toughest run I've ever done. It is extreme in every way imaginable. 100 consecutive days of running ultra marathons will make for quite a spectacle. 


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 some of the most important aspects. 

FUNDRAISING

At the time of writing, despite the run being quite some time away, £6215 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 337 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

Prior to the main event in 2025, I have a few other fundraising irons in the fire such as a 40,000ft climb using at David Fairlamb Fitness at the end of June. Using one of my favourite and challenging machines, the VersaClimber, I will climb the equivalent of sea level up to the summit of Mount Everest. That's a distance of 29,029 ft (8848m). It doesn't stop there, however. Since it's St. Benedict's Hospice's 40th birthday, it seems "sensible" to push on and climb tp 40,000ft. I expect this to take between 10 and 13 hours.


In terms of other fundraising ideas, I'm hoping that a surplus of commercial funds can be found. They will be used to produce some Run Geordie Run USA 2025 t-shirts which will be made available to buy. Over £30,000 has been raised following Run Geordie Run t-shirt sales over the years. Newcastle United even warmed up in then once.


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 £351,984.67 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 continues for the remaining kit sponsors to fill the slots on my USA 2025 running kit. As you can see below, there is still room on the prime positions. Please get in touch at sponsorship@rungeordierun.com if you're interested in having your logo on my USA 2025 running kit.


SUPPORT TEAM

The task of recruiting the support team is going very well. There is now at least one person on the team on each of the 100 days that I'll be running. Of those, there are two people on the team for 56 days. For many reasons, it's important that there are at least two people on the team at any one time. 


Efforts will continue, over the coming months, to recruit the final support team members to fill the gap of 44 days. This is the part of the route from Wheeling, West Virginia to Walsenburg, Colorado. There is also a requirement for 4 days in Death Valley. There are two people on the team but one will remain outside of the national park in the motorhome. The other support person will be with me in Death Valley. Ideally, I need one other person for this very difficult section.


Contact has been made with a  Geordie exile in New York who I'm hoping can assist with picking up the motorhome and getting to the start line.
 
RUNNING SHOE SPONSORSHIP
 
I was very grateful to receive the support of Hylo Athletics who are supply running shoes. I've now ran a few hundred miles in Hylo Impact shoes. The support and comfort they give will serve me well in the USA. With my "battle damaged" feet, that's exactly what is needed. You can read my full depth review on their Impact shoes here.

TRAINING

There has been a further increase in training load recently. Regular Sunday runs are now well established and I continue to work hard at David Fairlamb Fitness as well as at my own home gym. 

I'm build the weekly mileage steadily. The next big test will be a 105 mile run from my home in Bedlington to Edinburgh. That will be done during the first weekend in August.

LEAFLET

The search is on to find a company who can print one of the most important fundraising tools that I have. Leaflets, such as the one that I designed for the USA 2025 run, have proved to be hugely important in the past. I meet a lot of people during my day to day life as well as the big event itself. Leaving them with a leaflet containing all of the relevant information really helps to get the message across and attract donations.  


THE ROUTE

I've spent a lot of time this month adjusting the route to the north east of Las Vegas. There are now a few days with 35+ miles to do in this area. As a result, the 3 days prior to reaching Death Valley see a reduced mileage of 27 miles. This is designed to ensure that I have a decent amount of recovery time before I go into the hardest section of the entire run. Although, running 81 miles in the 3 days before can hardly be termed as restful. 

I've spent further time checking the route. I've also been watching some really good YouTube content that just happen to drive large sections of my route. These have been shared with the support team. They should get a really good idea of the types of roads they will be driving on.

SUMMARY

USA 2025 is all consuming for me. I'm doing everything that I possibly can to make the run a success for St. Benedict's Hospice. 

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.