The final countdown - 6 days to go

I'm pleased to report that today started in pretty much the same way that the rest of the week had done. You've guessed it - some brilliant donations made to St. Benedict's Hospice via the Justgiving page. At the time of writing, £260 has been added to the USA 2025 charity fund which sits just shy of the £12,000 mark. Thank you to everyone who has made a donation so far. The hospice are in desperate need of every donation that is made. All size donations are most welcome and I'll be fighting every mile in the USA to deserve them.

When people donate they often say to me "Sorry that it's not a large amount". Every single pound raised matters. I always remember that, of the £105,717.80 raised for the run across the USA in 2011, £50,000 of that was made up of donations of £10 or less. That's absolutely staggering when you think about it. The volume of donations was as generous as it was remarkable.

Regular readers will remember, that the run across the USA in 2011 was completely self funded. That run cost me £15,000 to do. The return on the investment that was seen for St. Benedict's Hospice and The Children's Foundation was eventually seven times that initial outlay. It's a run that benefited local charities and completely changed my life. It's the best £15,000 I've ever spent.

I was supposed to give up fundraising at that point. I didn't have another £15,000 to spare. That's when I decided to reach out to the private sector for backing. Two years later, I ran across Australia. £55,126.60 was raised for the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation and The Children's Foundation. 3 years after that £55,147.25 was raised across Europe for the same charities. In 2018, £59,041.50 was spread across Useful Vision, The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, The Children's Foundation and St. Benedict's Hospice. You also need to add in to all of that the various ad hoc smaller events that I've done.

In case you've got lost off with the sums, since seeking the help of the private sector to fund my runs, at the time of writing an additional £200,284.38 has been raised. That figure burst through £200,000 barrier today. Of that sum, the charity fund for the current campaign sits at £11,865.74. There is a long way to go to hit my own personal target of £60,000 for St. Benedict's Hospice. If the generosity to come is anything like what has gone before then I'm confident that another significant sum can be raised for St. Benedict's Hospice.

This is the current fundraising position at the time of writing:

The USA 2025 is largely funded by the private sector and it's going to cost me in the region of £6000 on top of that. It's something I would do again and again in a heart beat. Thanks to my main sponsor Chapman Ventilation and also D-Line Cable Management, Hadrian Healthcare Group, Hays Travel and Vigon the easy majority of the motor home rental cost was covered. Put quite simply, without their amazing support, this run would not have been possible.

I'm indebted to chapman Ventilation for their continued support which is now in its 14th year. D-Line have been involved since 2015 and I'm so grateful to Hays Travel, Vigon and Hadrian Healthcare Group for their support.

I'm also very grateful to Hylo Athletics for supplying my running shoes. When you need to run in a quality pair of shoes that provide comfort and stability that comes any a price. These are top end shoes which would have been out of my reach without the kind support from Hylo. 

Then there is the Big Optician who have supplied my sunglasses for the 4th campaign running. That's another cost chalked off. Another long term supporter, Active Edge, have supplied me with enough Cherry Active (aka the secret weapon) to see me right across the USA. Finally, the amount of time that David Fairlamb has committed to preparing me for my events, both physically and mentally is beyond calculation. I've been working with David since 2008 and it's fair to say that his support and friendship has been life changing. I'm not the only person whose life has been changed because of him by the way. He has a string of clients that I know about and many I'm sure I don't who have lost a load of weight and now lead healthy lifestyles.

So with that, I'm proud to reveal the running shirt that I'll be wearing across the USA. This is just one configuration as some shirts have different logos for Vigon and Hays Travel too. I also have shirts with some blank spaces just in case I can find further commercial backing.

The shirt is very light weight and the printing, done by local company Custom Planet, is absolutely superb. It adds virtually no weight at all and there is zero discomfort thanks to the type of printing they've applied.  

I particularly like the back of the shirt where, for the first time, passers by are going to be able to see what I'm doing. To cater for the inevitable weight loss, I have shirts ranging from XL down to medium.

In other news today, on the theme of "making connections" (which is a by product of this run), I spotted the following message on a Facebook community group:

Given that eggs are part of my staple diet when running I decided to reach out to Isabelle:

It reminded me of something I wrote earlier this week that is due to go out to colleagues at work before I start running in 6 days time.

"As I stand on the edge of another massive challenge—3,200 miles across the USA—I’m filled with a familiar mix of nerves, excitement, and deep gratitude. The miles ahead are daunting, no doubt about it. From the punishing climbs of the Rockies to the endless heat of the deserts, this run is going to ask everything of me—physically, mentally, emotionally. 

But this isn’t just about clocking miles or testing my endurance. It’s about something far bigger. Every step I take is for St. Benedict’s Hospice, a cause that’s been close to my heart for years. It’s their strength and compassion that inspire me when my legs are screaming and the road feels endless. 

I’ve done long runs before. I’ve crossed countries and continents. But something about this one feels different. Maybe it’s the sheer scale. Maybe it’s the pressure I’ve put on myself. Or maybe it’s the people who’ve already shown support—the messages, the donations, the belief. That belief carries me. Every single time. 

I know this journey won’t be easy. I’ll face pain, fatigue, loneliness. But I’ll also find joy, connection, and maybe a bit of magic along America’s highways and backroads. And with every mile, I’ll be thinking of those we’re helping. That’s what keeps me going. That’s what makes the run matter. 

So here we go. One man. One mission. One support team of volunteers close by, driving a motorhome. One giant run for something truly worthwhile. 

See you out there. 

— Mark Allison (Run Geordie Run)"

That's all for today. Please check back tomorrow on what promises to be an exciting day in terms of raising the run's profile. I am, of course, referring to the half time appearance on the pitch at St. James Park.