Final USA 2025 route changes

I spent the majority of Sunday 11th August working on changes to the first 12 days of the route across the USA through New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The main reason for changing the route is to keep the first few days at a relatively low mileage. In theory this would just mean a change to the end point of each day rather than the actual route itself.

By the end of the day, I had managed to plot the route from Coney Island, through Manhattan and into New Jersey. It wasn’t an easy route to plot. However, the task was made easier with help from “my man in NYC”, Steve Pringle. You may remember that Steve came to our rescue in 2011 when the last USA run finished. He answered a call on social media for help to get a lift from the motorhome drop-offf point in upstate New York to our hotel own Manhattan. It turned out that this was the Steve Pringle who was in the year above me at the same school! It really was a poetic ending to that run. I’m very pleased and grateful that Steve is helping out again at the start of the run as I’ve written about before. In the meantime, with his help, I was able to one tune next year’s day1 route. 

Steve was able to advise on quite a few things including a query I had about the south side of the George Washington Bridge (the nearest pedestrian exit out of Manhattan). It turns out the south side is shut for repairs. That’s the side I ran across on day 100 back in 2011 (pictured below). The north side of the bridge is perfectly passable as confirmed by Steve who cycled the route recently. 

Between us we made a further few tweaks to the day 1 route. The first of which was a slightly longer but familiar route through Brooklyn. Running up Ocean Parkway has less traffic and there’s a dedicated cycle/running path. This is the road I ran on in the closing stages of the USA 2011 run. 

I decided to cross over the Brooklyn Bridge this time and run all the way up Broadway to Central Park then Harlem and upper Manhattan before crossing the Hudson River using the George Washington Bridge.  

To keep up the tradition of having Geordies involved at start/finish lines, Steve very kindly offered to run with me from the Brooklyn Bridge all the way to the George Washington Bridge. That’s approximately 10 miles. 

I started and finished the previous runs across the USA and Australia with Geordie company. The runs across also Europe ended with Geordie company. 

Back to the 2025 route and I thought I had a settled day 1 route until Steve confirmed my thoughts on a bridge over the Hackensack river. While, it looks quite passable, there is no official footpath. Steve drove that way to work last Tuesday (going above and beyond the call of duty again!) to confirm. 

So fast forward to Sunday just gone and I tweaked the day 1 route to finish in close proximity to my 2011 route. This means that I’ll be running 26.5 miles on that first day (pictured below). A quite unique New York Marathon. This also means that instead of following a slightly southerly route, I’ll be running the reverse of my 2011 route over the first 11 days. There are some quite brutal climbs up and over various parts of the Appalachians. I’m looking forward to getting reacquainted with the on in May next year. 

A huge thank you goes to Steve for his assistance in planning the route out of NYC and for his offer of some running company. As I’m following a previously trodden route now over the first few weeks, I’ve been able to plot some good daily end points. Familiarity of the localities I’ll be running through really has helped to shape the first 321 miles. There are a few changes after that, mainly to avoid a place where the motorhome was attacked in 2011. As you can see from the plan below, I don’t run more than 30 miles each day until day 4. This will really help me ease in to the run. These will be tough miles with plenty of climbing to be done every day. The mind boggling fact that I thought of today was that I won’t reach the USA 2011 day 100 start point until 4 miles into day 3 next year! What a last day that was back in 2011. 60 miles! 

Despite the changes and a more northerly route, the total mileage to Huntington Beach, California remains at 3180. I’ve decided to change the marketing of this run to be a round figure of 3200 miles. I’m sure the total mileage will end up exceeding 3200 anyway, once I take into account slight navigational detours or errors. 

So with the route planning now complete, I'm looking forward to getting on with the many other tasks that are still to be done. I'm also looking forward to running past the sign below again (in the opposite direction) next May.

USA 2025 Route changes

I've spent a lot of time in recent weeks replanning the final 19 days of the run across the USA. There were a few reasons behind the changes that I made. The main one being that I wanted to add similar jeopardy to the closing stages of the run that the 2011 event saw. I faced a huge mileage deficit back then. This made for an incredible final few weeks that really helped to further capture the public’s imagination. That “will he/won’t he make it on time” scenario was one of the reasons why people were engrossed in the run and the money poured in to the charities. 

I don’t plan to have any unexpected mileage deficits in the USA next year. However, due to the route changes I’ve made, which have seen an additional 30 miles added, a natural deficit has been introduced. On top of that, I have added some strategic lower mileage days of around circa 27 miles. It may not sound like a huge reduction from a required average of 31.8 miles but it soon adds up. 

The changes start on day 71 (10th July 2025) where I’ll begin running with a deficit of 28 miles. Back in 2011, I was 166 miles behind schedule on day 71! The 28 miles of deficit is a result of adding the 30 miles later on. Back to day 71 and instead of sticking to route 136, I’ll be tackling a 23 mile desert road section through Valley Of The Gods (pictured below). That will be an unsupported section and I’ll be meeting the support team as I rejoin route 136 further down. The end to this particular 34 mile day is Forest Gump point. This sets me up nicely for a 36 mile push through Monument Valley to Kayenta the following day. 

It’s 97 miles from Kayenta to Page (near the famous Horseshoe Bend). That will take 3 days to complete and will see the deficit reduced to 20 miles. Incidentally, it’ll be my 54th birthday in the middle of that stretch. It looks like I’ll be spending it at a fuel station called Shonto Marketplace. There is a laundrette there! I may get cleaned clothes for my birthday. 

The most impactful change to the route was made after Page, Arizona. Instead of heading north west to a familiar destination of Coral Pink Sands, I’ll instead be heading south, parallel to the Colorado River. As you can see from the route below, I’ll double back on my self, heading north again before crossing the river at Marble Canyon using the iconic Navajo Bridge. As the crow flies this day 76 isn’t a huge distance. However, I’ll be running an event high 39 miles (at that point in the run). 

The deficit will be reduced to 13 miles at the end of day 76. This will be further reduced the following day where I’ll have the stunning Vermilion Cliffs to my right on a day that will see 41 miles ran. 

The 180 mile stretch on days 78 to 82 are where I get reacquainted with some of the USA 2011 route (in reverse obviously). Colorado City, Apple Valley, St. George, The Virgin River Gorge and Mesquite remain very familiar in my minds eye after all these years. 

Unlike 2011, I won’t be running on Interstate after Mesquite. Instead, I’ve got a 20 mile unsupported desert section which will place me in the Valley of Fire State Park. By the time I get there on day 82, the mileage will be at an event high surplus of 17 miles. With 148 miles in Death Valley looming just a week away, the mileage surplus will be used to my advantage. 

The following 7 days (83 - 89) through and beyond Las Vegas will require an average of only 26.2 miles to be ran with 15 miles on day 88. That 7 days of average marathon distances towards the end of July will be done in expected extreme temperatures. 

Day 90 is the first of 5 days in Death Valley National Park. That will see be descend into the park, below sea level, with a 29 mile section to Badwater Basin. Temperatures of 45-50 Celsius are expected. 

Day 91 is an 18 mile section from Badwater Basin to Furnace Creek. That day starts at 272ft below sea level and climbs to the heady heights of 7ft before dipping below again. 

 

Day 92 is a 25 mile section from Furnace Creek to Stovepipe Wells. If you’re familiar with Death Valley you’ll appreciate that there is nothing between these places other than road and extreme temperatures. 

Day 93 and 94 are where the ultimate challenge lies. The 31 mile section on day 93 from Stovepipe Wells to Panamint Springs starts at 7 ft below sea level and has a 5000ft climb to Towne Pass during the first 16.5 miles. That’s absolutely massive in any temperature never mind the extreme ones I’ll be faced with. Please spare a thought for the support team too. It's going to be brutal.

The 8 mile downhill section into the Panamint Valley (the final part is pictured below) may bring some relief but I doubt it. You wouldn’t think, by looking at the image below, that it’s a further 6 miles to the finish line at Panamint Springs (in the distance). That sits at 1900 ft above Sea level. It is at this point that the run will be 48 miles behind the average schedule.

The mission of getting the run back on track starts on the final day in Death Valley National Park (day 94, 2nd August 2025). Among many difficult and challenging days, this is the one that presents the biggest of them all and possibly of any run I’ve ever done. It’s certainly up there with day 100 of the run across the USA where 60 miles were required to finish on time. 

From Panamint Springs on day 94, there’s a 17 mile climb up to 5223ft followed by a steady 28 mile descent down to 3658ft and out of Death Valley. The 45 miles in total to Olancha will be physically tough, the second highest daily miles of the entire USA 2025 event and the final of 5 excruciating days in Death Valley. It is at this point that I’m prepared for nerves, panic and an overwhelming feeling of anxiety. I’ll be so close to the finish line in terms of time (6 days left) but there will still be 225 miles to run. 

If you’re keeping up with the maths then the run will be 32 miles behind schedule at this point. The final six days head due south towards the finish line. Days 95, 96 and 97 require 38 miles each day on route 395. The first of which will see me burst through the 3000 mile point. 

Day 98 will require 46 miles to be ran. At the end of route 395, 25 miles into the day, is the Outpost Cafe. This is where I was given a free lunch back during the USA 2011 run. I will be paying my respects to the owner who passed away a few years ago. 

The final 21 miles of day 98 will be tough. Firstly, I’ll be running through a locality where dogs sole aim appears to be to protect their owner’s properties. The sound of the vicious barks is already haunting my nightmares. Then there’s the 6 mile up and over the 4114ft summit and down into Cajon Pass (which I nicknamed the dogging capital of LA back in 2011). If the over friendly gentlemen don’t get me then the creatures making the growling noises in the mountains just might. I’ll be very happy to reach the finish line at Devore Heights that day! It’s at this point that the run will only be 1.4 miles behind schedule. 

31 miles on day 99 will leave just 34 miles on day 100 to get to Huntington Beach on time. That will be 3180 miles Across The USA in 100 days. 

I’m sure that there will be many twists and turns and not everything will go to plan. We will need a plan A, B, C, D and so on. 

That final quarter of the run gives me a platform to take the engagement with followers to the highest level that I possibly can. That’s not to say that the other days won’t. They are all very challenging days in that section too. 

To inspire and to challenge people’s perception of what a normal man in the street can do will hopefully encourage them to make a donation to St. Benedict's Hospice. 

As I said at the end of the USA run in 2011 “The significance of this won’t sink in with me for quite some time.”. I’m not 100% sure what I meant by that as I type this blog. I do believe the answer lies somewhere on a 3180 mile route next year however.

Whoop

One thing that has always puzzled me during the big runs is why some days I struggle to keep moving forwards and the miles tick by so slowly while other days I’m absolutely flying. Not to mention why, for example, miles 35-41 are really quick following a very slow start. 

The image below is the tail end of my miles on day 86 of the run across the USA in 2011. You can see mile from 33 I just got quicker. The image above is me and support man Carlton running that day. That was his first day on the tour! 

This is where I get distracted and think back to my blog from that day “What a day ladies and gents! What a day! The day actually kicked off at 5 am when Shelli drove the RV to pick new support man Carlton (pictured below saying "hiiyyyaaaa") up from the bus station in Columbus. Carlton had travelled for 24 hours on 2 planes and a bus. He looked very tired not only from the travelling but also a close encounter with pepper spray in the bus station.

After just 1 hours extra sleep, I set off running towards Columbus with Carlton. He managed 10 miles before bailing out. He's actually got a few injuries so I appreciate even more all miles that he runs with me. Carlton is a very funny guy and the first 10 miles flew over with his banter. 

I made it to Columbus just in time to talk to Gary and Lisa on the Real Radio Breakfast Show. This piece will be aired on Tuesday morning. I'll be talking to them again on Thursday for Friday morning's show. I'll be on the show 3 times next week and twice on the Legends. I'm very grateful to Real Radio for all of their coverage so far. It's been brilliant. 

The miles were ticking by really quickly out of Columbus. The temperature didn't get above 88 degrees Fahrenheit which made for a quicker than usual pace. At the 18 mile point I noticed a huge black guy pushing his car to a nearby a petrol station. I crossed the busy road to help him out. The poor guy was almost passing out. At the back window were 2 vicious dogs who seemed to be very "unhappy" with me. We managed to get the car to it's final destination and I went on my way. Moments later one of the dogs, a pit bull, came racing after me. This little blighter was clearly after a bite of my ankles so I tried using my trusty finger pointing method. The dog forced me onto the busy road where I was almost hit by a car. I "politely" shouted at the dog to "go away" (my son reads this by the way!). It took no notice so I was forced to enter into the next lane of traffic. One of the drivers saw my predicament and put himself between me and the dog. The dog gave up at this point and my heart was racing. The kind stranger made sure I was ok before driving off. That was as close as I've come to a) getting knocked over and b) kicking a dog in the teeth. 

I made use of my new found rush of adrenalin by getting to the 21 mile point at a very quick pace. There waiting for me was Mike Sumich, one of my followers on Twitter. He'd brought a couple of bottles of Newcastle Brown Ale for me. I'll be drinking those in New York. Thanks Mike. 

Mike joined me for 8 miles along highway 40 and it was nice to have his company. 

Mile 29 onwards are a bit of a blur and somehow I picked up the pace even more. Carlton joined me again for a few miles and I'd asked Shelli to do mile 40 with me. As I approached her, I aksed her to start sprinting. It took me a few hundred yards to catch her. She was running flat out. This had the effect of me being able to increase my pace even further and I got to the 41.5 mile mark before finishing for the day. The time was just gone 2030. This was not only the furthest I've ever ran but also quicker than my previous best for 37 miles (a record set in 2009). 

The most pleasing thing about the finish was that I felt that I had many more miles in me. Quite a few more miles in fact. I'm certain that this record of 41.5 miles will be beaten before this run is finished. I really hope that it will be as pacy as today's too. 

There was a tough start to life on the support team today. He managed to to run 16 miles with me, drive the RV and empty the RV waste (Pictured below. I forgot to tell him there were gloves available. Oops!).”

Anyway, back to my point. Why do I sometime get quicker during the day? During these months long runs, especially on difficult days, I seem to keep something in reserve. When the hard work is done. When I’ve battled through scorching conditions. There always comes a time when I feel I can go all in. I’ve seen it from John O’Groats to Lands End, across the USA, Australia and Europe. It seems to me to be a physiological thing. I wouldn’t know where to begin describing it. It is what it is. I look forward to that feeling of “I feel the need, the need for speed” next year in the USA (hopefully).

The bigger question is “Why do I recover well some days and not others?”. In other words, why do I feel fresh? Why don’t I feel like I ran 45 miles the day before? What is so different about today that I feel much stronger and quicker and less tired? To try and answer that question, with the help of the support team we’ll be logging various bits of simple data. This will include the amount of protein, carbs, sugar and sleep. I won’t be concerning myself with the daily average and peak temperature, humidity, distance ran and elevation.Instead I’ll be looking at 1 data item called strain from a Whoop fitness tracker. This gadget is used by many fitness professionals including many pro cyclists. 

The blue line on the graph below is the strain score during the Tour de France. It has a maximum value of 21 and I’m sure you can spot the 2 rest days on the graph. The other line is recovery expressed as a percentage. 

My hope is that through the logging and monitoring of both manual and Whoop collected data we can figure out what we can do to to give me as good a recovery as possible. I’m hoping we can spot trends and patterns and the support team and myself can agree that because we did x, y and z then you recovered better than when we did a, b and c. All of this is hardly being done under laboratory conditions but should at least go some way to giving me the best chance of having more good days than bad.