As you will soon discover, 365 isn’t just about endurance. It’s not just about running day after day, through the seasons and the storms. It’s about shining a light on this incredible place we call home. Every stride will move through landscapes that deserve to be seen, celebrated, and shared with the world.
From the rugged coastlines that catch the sunrise before anyone else, to the quiet country lanes where the only sound is your own breath and birdsong. This region has a heartbeat all its own. 365 will bring that to life. Through images, video, and stories, we’ll show the world the raw beauty, the grit, and the charm that make our corner of the world so special.
People who followed the USA run saw a nation of contrasts, vast and wild. But 365 will be different. Closer, more intimate, more personal. It will celebrate home. Every route, every backdrop, every finish line will be a reminder that beauty doesn’t always need to be sought across oceans; sometimes it’s right here on your doorstep.
This journey will show more than the miles. It’ll show the soul of a region, one day at a time.
There’s a new chapter about to begin: Run Geordie Run 365.
The full details will be revealed in December and from January, people will be able to follow the journey day by day. What’s certain already is that this isn’t just another challenge. It’s something far deeper. The physical, mental and logistical demands will be there as per usual, of course. However, the true meaning of 365 goes beyond miles, routes or records.
It’s about connection, endurance, purpose and discovery. It’s about what happens when you commit to something so big that even you don’t fully understand it at the start.
For now, 365 remains a mystery. But as the months unfold, its real significance will slowly reveal itself. Not in the announcement, not even in the early stages of the journey, but much later on next year. When that moment comes, it’ll all make sense.
Run Geordie Run 365 isn’t just about the physical, mental and logistical challenge. It’s about taking everything I’ve learned from past adventures, especially the run across the USA, and building something even bigger.
During the USA run, people didn’t just follow along; they bought in. They became part of the story. Every mile, every setback, every sunrise on the road, it was shared and felt together. That connection meant everything.
With 365, the goal is to take that experience to the next level. To bring people closer to the journey than ever before. To show the highs, the lows, the grind, and the joy in a way that’s real, raw, and immersive.
This is about more than miles. It’s about creating something that inspires, connects and moves people to believe that impossible things can be done, one day at a time.
Before anyone knows what Run Geordie Run 365 truly is, something remarkable has already happened. The first kind donation to St. Benedict’s Hospice has arrived. No launch, no big reveal, just quiet belief.
It shows that when something is built with purpose and heart, people can feel it even before they fully see it.
That first act of support says it all: build it and they will come.
Every challenge I have taken on has pushed me further, not just across miles but deep into the heart of what is possible. This time it feels different. It is not about one epic moment. It is about showing up every single day, no matter what.
It is about discipline when motivation fades.
It is about courage when comfort calls.
It is about doing something that demands everything.
Something incredible is on the horizon. And it starts with one step.
I had a really good meeting at St. Benedict's Hospice today to close off the USA 2025 run. That Justgiving page closes tonight and the final total is an amazing £31,380. You can see how that ended over at https://www.justgiving.com/page/rungeordierun2025. Many thanks again to everyone who made a donation.
The next item on today's agenda was to talk about the next fundraiser. It’s an event I’m nicknaming “Run Geordie Run 365” for now. I expect to announce further details at the end of November. For now, there is a new Justgiving page over at https://www.justgiving.com/page/rungeordierun365.
Run Geordie Run 365 promises to be the maddest and toughest event that I’ve ever done. If I plan it right then it will end up being quite a spectacle. I’m hoping it will be another one of those where people get hooked in to the blog, YouTube and all the other socials.
I’ll be seeking commercial backing for the event starting tomorrow. All overheads associated with the run will be coming out of my own pocket.
In the meantime, I’ll be teasing a few picture clues over the next few weeks.
The overnight stop at Mexican Hat, Utah made for a very uncomfortable sleep. The temperature didn’t cool down until around 0230. That was my cue to get some sleep before the 0515 alarm.
I noticed a single solitary star in the sky. I had also done last week on the Sunflower Road. I didn’t mention the significance of it in my blog. My Mam had left me a letter to read after she died. Part of it read “if you look up to the night sky and see a single solitary star, then you’ll know I’m watching over you”. If you believe in that type of thing or not, I found it very comforting.
We set off at 0545 on the short journey to a mile away from Forrest Gump Point. The sun was just about rising behind me as I set off on the “final mile”. There was barely a sound to be heard. It felt so peaceful out there on the road.
I spoke to Donna briefly to tell her that I’d started. Then, unplanned, I spoke to camera via a Facebook Live session. That lasted until the signal cut out and I switched to my iPhone camera instead.
The mile flew by and I could that famous stretch of road being unveiled by the rising sun. It was like the curtain raising at a theatre.
As you can tell from the video below I was very happy with the ultimate outcome of my running/fundraising exploits.
In what felt like the blink of an eye, I reached the end of the “final mile” at Forrest Gump point. My feet ached even after that short distance.
My socials said “I think I’ll go home now. Almost 13,000 miles of running ends here. As it was meant to be.”
All throughout the final mile I felt at peace. I have the closure to my grief that I’ve spent many years and tens of thousands of miles searching for. As mad as it may sound, I would not have wanted any other outcome to this tour than the one I got today.
There is no regret or disappointment in me at all. There is simply gratitude and pride at a job well done.
The response on social media and the amount of donations made soon after I finished was incredible. At the time of writing (21:13 in a hotel in Las Vegas. It’s a long story which I’ll cover later this week) £25,766 has been raised for St. Benedict’s Hospice. I’m aware of some pledges in the pipeline too so it won’t stay at that amount for much longer.
The mile served as the perfect birthday present. I later chuckled at a card that was sent to me by Donna.
The coverage on NUFC.com helped massively to boost the funds for St. Benedict’s Hospice.
The money raised for various charities including St. Benedict’s Hospice via Run Geordie Run is quite something. The generosity and kindness shown is very difficult to comprehend.
These numbers will continue to grow in the future. I just need to figure out how in due course.
It’s important not to think of these numbers in terms of pure pounds and pence. It’s the difference that money can make to a charity such as St. Benedict’s Hospice that’s hugely important.
I’m one of many volunteer fundraisers. Together we are making a significant difference to the lives of terminally ill people and their families. If you’ve supported my fundraising efforts then you should feel very much as proud as I do right now.
If you haven’t yet got round to making a donation then please visit:
There will be more to write about in the coming days, weeks and months so please tune in to the blog and socials.
In the meantime, it’s good night from an air-conditioned hotel room in Las Vegas. The RV is parked outside in the middle of an extreme heat warning. The air con is set to 67. I’m blumming freezing!
TUNE OF THE DAY: Forrest Gump Suite - Alan Silvestri
It’s with great sadness that I’ve learned of the passing of one of Run Geordie Run’s greatest and most loyal supporters, Glynis Lynn.
Glynis, along with her husband Bill, showed incredible kindness and generosity over so many years. Their unwavering support has meant the world to me and to the causes I’ve run for.
Glynis was more than just a supporter. She was a friend, a motivator, and a constant presence through every challenge.
During my run across the USA this summer, Glynis was in touch every single day. Her messages, arriving without fail at the end of each stage, brought encouragement, humour, and a genuine sense of care. She always made sure to ask about my wellbeing and that of the support team. She never missed a detail and never missed a day. Her compassion and consistency were remarkable and I’ve kept every message she ever sent. They are now treasured memories that I’ll hold close.
I always got the sense that Glynis had a wide circle of friends and family who adored her. She struck me as a true one-off. Glynis, it seems, was someone who left love, kindness and laughter wherever she went.
Her passing will leave an enormous void, not just for those who knew her best, but for all whose lives she touched in her own special way.
One thing is certain: Glynis will never be forgotten. Her warmth, her humour, and her unfailing kindness will live on in the hearts of everyone lucky enough to have known her.
If more people in the world were like Glynis Lynn, it would be a far gentler and more caring place.
I’ll finish with the words from Glynis’ final message to me this summer. These words that, looking back, seem even more poignant now:
“Safe onward travels, take care. xx”
Rest in peace, Glynis. You’ll be deeply missed, but forever remembered.
It’s been a long time coming, but today I finally laced up the running shoes again (Hylo Impact size 11.5 for those who are interested in that type of thing) and took my first proper steps back towards fitness. Not across a desert or over a mountain pass this time. It was just through the familiar streets close to home. And you know what? It felt great.
Since finishing the run across the USA, I’ve really struggled to get my fitness journey going again. Physically, mentally the lot. The pain in my feet has played a huge part in that of course. The body has taken some battering over the years and the motivation has been tough to find. But today felt different. Today was about swallowing a bit of pride, starting small, and getting back to basics.
Armed with the Couch to 5K app, I set off into the autumn air with none other than Jo Whiley in my ear. Now, I listened to Jo plenty of times on Radio 2 while making my way across America, so hearing her voice again brought back all sorts of memories. The highs, the lows, the long stretches of road, and that sense of freedom that only running can bring.
The run itself was a mixture of gentle jogs and walking breaks. It was nothing fancy, just a steady reintroduction to what my legs are supposed to do. Along the way, there were a couple of moments that reminded me why I love this running lark so much.
First, a friendly wave from Kelly, my neighbour, who is a runner herself. She gave me a nod of encouragement as she passed. It might seem a small thing, but those little gestures mean a lot. Even more so when you’re rebuilding from the ground up. Then, in one of those brilliant twists of fate, I crossed paths with my old neighbour Andy. He’s a man who’s been through a tough battle with cancer in recent years. We shared a quick high five and a smile, and I’ll be honest, that gave me a real lift. Seeing him out and about, fighting fit, was as inspiring as it gets. If Run Geordie Run was to be a movie then moments like that would definitely be scripted.
When the session finished, I stood there catching my breath and felt something I haven’t felt for a while fitness wise. Genuine optimism. The road ahead might be long, but it always is. Every big adventure starts with a single step and this one is no different.
So here we go again. The long road to recovery starts here. This time, I’m taking it one run, one breath, one high five at a time.
As ever, my thoughts turn to St. Benedict’s Hospice, whose care and compassion continue to inspire everything I do. Every step, whether it’s across a continent or just around the block, is taken in their honour and in memory of those we’ve loved and lost.
This might just be a short local run for now, but every journey has to start somewhere. Watch this space. The next chapter of Run Geordie Run has begun.
The series of looking back at the run across the USA continues today with the letter 'G'. There were a number of candidates such as generosity, grit, Great Plains, gas stations, grinding (miles), giving back and "geet lang rerds". In the end, this particular entry had to be 'G' for Geordie.
No matter how many miles away I am from home, being a Geordie is always at the heart of my running journey. From the streets of Tyneside to the highways of the USA, that identity travels every step with me. It’s in the way I speak to strangers who quickly ask, “Where’s that accent from?” and in the pride I feel when I explain what I’m running for.
Being a Geordie means carrying a bit of Newcastle spirit across deserts, mountains, and endless plains. It means resilience, humour in the face of hardship and a willingness to graft when the going gets tough. Most importantly, it means never forgetting where I came from and why I’m out here: repaying a debt of gratitude and raising funds for St. Benedict’s Hospice.
The run may have taken place thousands of miles away in America, but make no mistake, every mile was powered by the heart of a Geordie.
No matter where I found myself in the USA. Whether it was a dusty back road in Missouri, a wide Kansas plain or a bustling town centre, one word always seems to find its way into conversation: Geordie. It usually starts with a curious look, followed by the familiar question: “Where’s that accent from?” What begins as a quick roadside chat often turns into a full explanation about Newcastle, about the North East, and about what it means to be a Geordie on a journey like this.
Being a Geordie isn’t just about geography. It’s about resilience, humour, and graft. Out there on the road, when my legs ache and the blisters scream louder than the traffic, I think of home. I think of the people who taught me to keep going no matter what, who showed me that hardship can be met with humour, and who made generosity and community second nature.
I might be thousands of miles away, but every step is taken with a bit of Tyneside spirit. It’s there in the determination to finish the day’s miles, in the laughs I share with strangers who become friends and, most importantly, in the pride I feel knowing that every stride is raising funds for St. Benedict’s Hospice back in the North East of England.
So while this was an 1,843 mile run across America, make no mistake, it was powered by the heart of a Geordie.
If you're enjoying this A to Z look back on the run across the USA then donations to St. Benedict's Hospice can still be made at www.justgiving.com/page/rungeordierun2025.
‘F’ is for feet. Of course, it had to be. As I type this post, some 41 days since the run across the USA finished, there has been some progress in terms of the recovery of my feet.
To understand what happened in the USA this summer you really have to go back 12 years.
The damage to my feet began in earnest during the run across Australia in 2013. The endless miles of searing tarmac left them battered and broken. Nails were lost, skin was torn apart, nerves damaged and joints pushed far beyond what they were ever designed to endure. Those scars never truly healed. From that moment on, every run I attempted carried the weight of the punishment my feet had absorbed crossing that vast continent.
When I took on Europe in 2016, those old injuries returned with a vengeance. What should have been a new challenge quickly turned into a battle with the legacy of Australia. Blisters formed on top of scar tissue, tendons ached from strain and infections made even the smallest step painful. By 2018, another European crossing had compounded the damage further. My feet had grown fragile, almost permanently inflamed, with sharp nerve pain and deep bruising never far away.
All of that history came together in the USA this summer. It was there that every mile seemed to call back to the suffering of Australia and Europe, but it was also there that resilience reached its peak. My feet were scarred, swollen, and often unrecognisable (apologies again for the photos that you had to endure on my blog), yet they still carried me forward. Every step across America was not just a physical act, but a statement of defiance against the years of pain and damage that had built up.
The USA run became the ultimate test. Not of how broken my feet were, but of how much strength I could summon from their brokenness. They were no longer the feet I started with in 2013, but they were the feet that had endured deserts, mountains, highways and oceans of pain. To reach Forrest Gump Point, to keep moving in spite of everything, was the true climax of resilience. My feet may always carry the scars, but they also carry the proof of what can be endured when the will to keep going is stronger than the damage done.
As I sit at home writing this, my feet tell the whole story. They’re ugly, scarred, and often painful. But they’ve carried me across continents when common sense said they shouldn’t. I’ll probably never walk without feeling them remind me of what I’ve done. But maybe that’s the point. Every ache is part of the price I paid to keep going when it would’ve been easier to stop.
Despite all that, with the money raised for St. Benedict’s Hospice and the other charities, I have zero regrets. I would do it all again in a heartbeat. The kind people that I’ve met along the way and the donations from people I will never meet, is a genuinely incredible thing. If you are one of those people, thank you again for your amazing kindness and generosity.
If you’d like to sponsor this years run across the USA then there is still time to do that in aid of St. Benedict’s Hospice at www.justgiving.com/page/rungeordierun2025.
It may come as no surprise to some that today's entry into the A to Z series is ‘E’ is for endless roads. It's now very obvious to me that the USA 2025 route was the most difficult that I’ve attempted so far around the world. Mountains, rough terrain, difficult weather conditions and the extreme daily distance were the usual adversaries. Those long endless roads that tend to disappear into eternity would drive you mad if you let them.
It’s always a tough physical challenge to run thousands of miles. The mental fortitude required is in the extreme. With nothing but the sound of footsteps and the vast open sky above, these endless roads become a place where determination and tenacity battles distance and monotony.
The images are in sequence beginning in New Jersey winding their way all through to Utah.
I hope you get an appreciation of what I was up against. That’s against a backdrop of painfully disintegrating feet too.
It’s no wonder that so many kind people bought into what I was doing and made a donation to St. Benedict’s Hospice. If you’d like to do the same then please visit https://www.justgiving.com/page/rungeordierun2025.
Today we are working our way through the USA 2025 journey via the alphabet with ‘D’ for donations.
When comparing USA 2025 to the other events that I’ve done, there were four stand out statistics.
The total value of donations DURING the 74 days of the event was the second highest of any I’ve done. It was only eclipsed by the first USA run in 2011.
The amount donated by local people during the run was the highest by a considerable margin.
The average donation was the highest ever by a considerable margin.
There were the most amount of anonymous donations. Thank you, whoever you are.
At the time of writing an amazing £30,730 has been raised for St. Benedict’s Hospice. That has attracted Gift Aid of just over £5000. With the current overall total sitting at £376,500.44, my dream of raising at least half a million pounds for good causes is still very much alive and kicking.
Forget the porridge and pasta, donations were and always have been my main fuel source. Donations give me the emotional drive and sense of purpose that keep me pushing forward, mile after mile after mile.
Knowing that each step helps support the kind of incredible care that my Mam was given turns every mile into something far more meaningful than just a physical challenge.
Without the kind donations from so many people, I would not be able to repay the debt of gratitude that I feel towards the hospice. For that, I’m eternally grateful.
Through the alphabet, today we continue the A to Z series of USA2025 recollections with ‘C’ for clouds. They aren’t just for staring at and deciding what objects they resemble. The colour, height and texture of a cloud was invaluable to me when predicting the weather conditions. I’m no expert but I can spot a storm a mile off. Or not. Sometimes a sinister looking cloud can prove to be a false alarm.
The main point I want to make is the imprint that cloud patterns make on my brain. I first noticed this after the run across the USA in 2011.
You’re probably wondering what on earth I’m talking about. Let me explain. There are times when I step out of my front door at home and I look at the clouds. Quite often, I’m immediately taken back to Kansas, Colorado, California or any of the other 11 states that I’ve ran across. “These look just like Kansas” is a typical thought to myself. Sometimes I look to the sky and I feel nothing. There’s always a feeling of disappointment when that happens. Does anyone else compare their “home sky” to other places in the world?
The clouds this summer in the USA didn’t disappoint. There were far more storm clouds this time around compared to 2011. I do love a good storm.
If you're enjoying this A to Z series and have been inspired by the run across the USA then there's always still time to make a donation to St. Benedict's Hospice via www.justgiving.com/page/rungeordierun2025. Thanks in advance for you kindness.
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THE RUN GEORDIE RUN MISSION
My name is Mark Allison and in my spare time I'm a volunteer fundraiser. I'm currently on a campaign running across various continents around the world in aid of charities in the North East of England.
The latest event is:
May 1st 2025 - USA - Coney Island New York to Death Valley to Huntington Beach, California. 3200 miles in 100 days (£60,000 target for St. Benedict's Hospice (Charity No. 1019410).
Previous events were:
1993 to 2007 - Various events in the UK (£14,925 raised)
2007 - UK - John O'Groats to Lands End. 874 miles in 37 days. (£34,108 raised)
2011 - USA - Huntington Beach, California to Coney Island New York. 3100 miles in 100 days. (£105,717.80 raised)
2013 - Australia - Cottesloe Beach, Perth to Shellharbour, Sydney. 2384 miles in 82 days. (£55,126.60 raised)
2016 - Western Europe - Lisbon, Portugal to Belgrade, Serbia. 2633 miles in 83 days. (£55,147.25 raised)
2018 - Eastern Europe - Belgrade, Serbia to Kiev, Ukraine. 808 miles (unsupported) in 48 days. (£59,041.50 raised)
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