Day 57 of the run across the USA 2025

The overnight stop was safe but a little noisy. That was to be expected given the nearby main road and railway line. I was kept awake by thoughts of the mileage left and possible plans to get to the finish line.  

After a short drive to the start line, I was on Highway 50 in cooler temperatures just after 6am. 

The first thing I noticed was potential storm clouds on the distance. They were spectacular at that time of the morning.

The first water refill was 3 miles in. I just took a bottle of water as I’d hardly touched my hydration backpack. At 4.5 miles there was a spectacular ranch sign. 

There was a rare bend in the road at mile 6. It was here that I could see further cloud build up ahead. 

As I approached the town of Peabody, there looked to be a downpour happening up ahead. I thought it may be 5 or so miles away. 

A rainbow appeared dead ahead of me. That was a cue to ask Siri to play a particular song. How appropriate that I’m in Kansas! Siri offered up a number of different versions from numerous artists. I think Eva Cassidy’s was my favourite. 

TUNE OF THE DAY: Over the Rainbow - Eva Cassidy 

A mile after Peabody, there was a little standing water left. I’d been lucky to miss out on getting a soaking.   

At mile 12, it became obvious why there had been such large gaps in the oncoming traffic for the last few days on Highway 50. There were roadworks which were a few miles long. The flow of traffic was controlled by a “pilot car”. 

There wasn’t a lot of room for me at times but the traffic was slow and safe enough. 

The good thing about Highway 50 is that you’re never far away for a railway line. I took a few pictures and video for a pal back home.

I think Alan was expecting me to stop for food at Walton at mile 17.5. I felt good and the favourable conditions (29 Celsius with a headwind) had to be taken advantage of. 

I made it to the 22 mile point just to the east of Newton shortly after 1pm. It was time for some food and a short sleep. The bagel and scrambled eggs were delicious. The tactical snooze was interrupted by flies as per usual. 

When I got back out on the road, it seemed the temperature had increased considerably. I was pleased to have gone as far as I did while it was relatively cooler. 

I passed underneath interstate 135 and made my way into Newton on the Old Trail Road. Thankfully it was tarmac and not a trail!

The mill in Newton was one of the biggest I’d ever seen. Its silhouette from a few miles away made me think it was a cathedral at first. 

A quick search told me that “The Ardent Mills Newton facility is the largest small-pack operation in the Ardent Mills organization. Newton packs over 40% of United States privately-labeled small bags sold on retail shelves. 

Newton makes many different blends of flour that get used for various baking needs including desserts, coatings, snacks and many other tasty items. The Newton mill has a daily capacity of 850,000 lbs. of flour.” 

The main street of Newton was pretty quiet. I did notice a barber and a massage place. I almost called in!  

The train station was modelled after William Shakespeare’s house according to my pal back in the UK. It’s on a line that runs from LA to Chicago. 

There was more trains to look at in Newton which always makes me happy. Ever since I saw them winding their way through the Mojave Desert in 2011, I’ve been fascinated by them. It possibly goes back to our journeys to the caravan at Seahouses as a child. We would often get stopped at the railway crossing at Chathill. My Dad would build the excitement up. “Can you hear it yet?” and “Which direction do you think it’s coming from?”. It was a thrill to pass the time on what seemed like a very long journey. It was long because we’d probably call in to the Mill House in Washington, the Little Chef at Stannington (which is where Donna and I go for a curry from time to time) and the Oak Inn would also get a visit. Many hours later, we’d arrive at the caravan. Anyway, I digress. 

I made it out of the other side of Newton and almost back on to Highway 50. At mile 27.5 I felt the “explosion” in my left foot. It was in a spot that I’d noticed blood on my sock at the 22 mile rest point. It had filled with fluid. I decided to call for the RV and call it a day. I had at least another 2.5 miles planned but it was on the busy dual carriageway. We hadn’t determined a stop point. Stopping was the correct decision. 

I had a look at the problematic area of my left foot when we reached the overnight stop at the Walmart car park in Newton. 

I was correct in that it was connected to the area of my sock where I’d spotted blood. There seems to be three pockets of fluid around that area. After yesterday’s major mistake, I’m going to leave it. If there’s anything I’ve noticed on this tour, it’s that my feet recover quick enough and well enough overnight. Yes, it may not be enough to get me through the full day but getting close to 30 miles is decent. 

On the plus side, one of only three people who have ever nursed my feet back to decent shape (and off painkillers) arrived in Denver this afternoon. It’s the return of Deb who, along with Thomas, takes over from Alan on Saturday. 

I bought her a bag of her favourite Cheetos a few weeks ago to soften the blow of having to look at my feet again. It was the only time I’ve been in a supermarket here. I’m either out there on the road or in the RV 99.9% of the time. It’s a strange existence.  

The charity fund is currently £22,155. Every penny raised is helping St Benedict’s Hospice provide free palliative care in addition to advice, and support to patients and their families that are dealing with a life limiting illness. 

Thank you to everyone that has donated so far, every donation no matter how big or small, counts. 

Please visit: https://www.justgiving.com/page/rungeordierun2025

^DA daily graphic to follow

Day 56 of the run across the USA 2025

It was a scorcher of an overnight stop with no breeze. It took quite a while to eat my porridge but I was on the road for 06:29 near Clements, Kansas on highway 50.  

The early miles were the usual slow ones to get the legs moving. It was nice to get out into the 24/25 Celsius temperature.  

I met the RV for a bottle of water at 4 miles and ditched the walking poles. Taking advantage of the lower temperature, (although it was quickly rising) I slowly began to build the pace. I felt as good as I had for a few days.  

I ditched my backpack at the next water stop and just took a bottle with me. It’s not too often that I’ve been able to run without the burden of either the backpack or waist pack. Being just that bit lighter really helped.  

There were the usual birds and trains to tick off my daily eye spy list.  

When I reached the Marion county line, I noticed that the hard shoulder was in poorer condition. Perhaps they didn’t have as big a budget as Chase county. 

As I ran on the outskirts of the town of Florence, I came up to a rare roundabout. I was extremely pleased with the progress so early on. It was only 10am and I’d managed 11.25 miles. It was a solid foundation for a big day of miles. 

I met the RV for a toasted bagel and a good gulp of Powerade. It was then that I was only minutes away from the biggest mistake I’d made on this tour so far.  

My socks and feet were soaking wet. I decided to dry my feet and change my socks. When doing so, I noticed a large blister on my left foot. The plan was to “empty” the fluid out of it. I did that with no problems. The layer of skin was quite thin. Unlike, some of the other blisters that I have.  

Now for the mistake. I dabbed some antiseptic (Isopropyl Alcohol) around the area of my left foot that I’d worked on. It wasn’t painful at first, but it certainly became more so after a few minutes. It felt like I’d poured acid on raw flesh. The pain was as bad as anything I can ever remember. It was even worse than the pain I had following 2 teeth out in March this year.  

I tried hard to control my breathing and endure the pain. It eventually died down from the blister but increasing the area of what I call the ball of my left foot. As the minutes went on the pain increased.  

This was the lowest point of this tour by far. I tried to control my sobbing but it was difficult. All of a sudden I felt very alone and a long way from home.  

I just had to get out of the RV and back on the road. My right sock went on ok. I had to bite down on a towel to get the left sock on.  

My shoes went on ok and I got back out into the now 30 Celsius heat.  

To say progress back on Highway 50 was slow was an understatement. I had to use the walking poles to take the pressure off my left foot. The next 3 miles ticked by at 26 minutes each.  

All of the good work in the early part of the day had been for nothing. If I wasn’t in so much pain, I may have had room left for the frustration. 

After nearly 80 minutes and 3 miles of hobbling down highway 50, enough was enough. 

The options, as I saw them, in that moment were a) drive back 3 miles to Florence and go again tomorrow, b) drive forward to Dodge City and wait and recover until Deb and Thomas arrive on Saturday or c) quit altogether.  

After exchanging messages with Deb back in the UK, I chose option a). I made sure that I sent her a photo of the damage. 

With the pain subsiding slightly, I followed Deb’s advice. I soaked my feet for 20 minutes, had a quick shower and then applied antiseptic cream and a gauze pad with a dressing to my left foot.  

Given my lack of mobility, dressing my foot wasn’t straightforward. I made a decent job of it I think.  

We had parked outside of Town and Country Cafe in Florence. It was roasting hot in the RV and I tried my best to get a little sleep with my foot elevated.  

The pulsating pain on the ball of my left foot had subsided. We decided to go into the cafe for something to eat. 

As well as a cheeseburger and fries, it was a real treat simply to talk to some of the local people. This was as authentic a place and people as you’re likely to find. The food was delicious too.  

I handed out leaflets and told the locals and staff about my journey. It was then time to return to the furnace of an RV. It was 32 Celsius by this point.  

I spent the next few hours looking at the remaining miles and scratching my head. I’m losing the possibility of finishing this run in 100 days. In fact, that was probably lost 4 weeks ago.  

I exchanged numerous messages with the remaining support team to come on duty. The tour is so mis-aligned with the original plan now. This makes getting the team on and off the tour very tricky going forwards. Thankfully, they’ve all shown a high degree of flexibility and we are making things work to a point.  

I’m now faced with being approximately 200 miles short of the finish line on day 100. That would actually need to be day 99 as the RV has to be returned early on day 100. It would be a case of so near, yet so far. That scenario doesn’t take into account the very complicated support team handover logistics.  

A possible scenario is to do what Donna and I did in Australia in 2013. That is to hand back the RV on day 99 and extend the run by a week. We used a car after handing the RV back and stayed in the odd motel here and there. The issue with that is that I have neither a car (we were kindly loaned one by Mitsubishi in Australia) or a support team at that point. This is a plan that would require an average of between 30.5 and 31.25 miles to be ran. There are some enforced low mileage days in there due to support team handovers.   

Another scenario is to finish the run in Monument Valley at Forrest Gump Point. That would be on the 23rd July.  

Ending on day 84, would mean standing down the remaining 2 support team members. The RV could hopefully be handed back in Las Vegas (and not LA) where I would fly back to the UK from.  

There are no decisions to be made just yet. Only miles to be ran.  

TUNE OF THE DAY: Against the wind - Bob Seger

If you are enjoying following my journey and think that my efforts are worth a donation, please consider visiting my just giving page: https://www.justgiving.com/page/rungeordierun2025

^DA - apologies for the lack of end of day graphic - I’m away with limited resources.

Day 55 of the run across the USA 2025

The day started at 2am with a spectacular lightening storm to the west. 

There was a tremendous gale force breeze. At one point I had to shut my window to prevent the torrential rain pouring in. 

The storm eventually drifted north east, taking with it the cool breeze. It had cost me over an hour of sleep. I worried for the safety of the RV at one point. 

The early alarm was disregarded and I didn’t get out onto Highway 50 until 08:38.

It was another scorcher of a day with the relatively cooler part of the day missed. Starting at 28 Celsius is difficult. 

Coincidentally, day 55 of the run across the USA in 2011 had the same issue: “The current problem is that I'm not getting enough sleep over night. This is leading to late starts. This, in turn, means that I'm running the mentally tough miles during the hottest part of the day.”

There was an ornamental metal structure across the road from the start point. 

There was the usual cattle nearby to say good morning too. I was also surprised to see a tortoise next to what looked like a spilled load of onions.

I was pleasantly surprised to get a call from my friend Helen in Perth, Australia. That helped me take my mind of the heat for 10 minutes 

I met the RV for the first time at the five mile point in Strong City. Alan had made a toasted peanut butter bagel which I took with me to eat. It was delicious. 

The traffic was quite busy today. There were times where I wouldn’t see a thing for a few minutes then convoys of trucks and cars would pass me. 

I just about managed to get to the RV at the 8.25 mile point. I felt very unwell again. A lie down for 30 minutes with a towel full of ice cubes helped to get me back on my feet. It was at this point that I made a minimum of 20 miles the target for today. If there were to be cloud cover or a better wind to take advantage of then I’d revise that. For now though, it was one of those days where it was just about survival. 

At the 10 mile point, I ran over Diamond Creek. I noticed a lot of very agile birds swarming overhead.

I ducked into the RV again just before the 15 mile point. I had a plain omelette and watched the trains go by. There was a small breeze which gave some comfort. 

The final 5 miles were done at the hottest part of the day. The 33 Celsius heat made it very difficult to keep moving forward with any pace whatsoever. I had my full head covered with 2 buffs to keep the sun off. It became a case of head down and keep going on the long straight highway 50. 

At the 20 mile point, a police officer stopped to ask if I was ok. He was called Michael and another in a long line of police that I’ve met all over the world while running. I gave him a leaflet and explained that this was the finish point for the day. He recommended a shaded spot for our overnight stop just a few hundred yards down the off road. 

All in all, it was a very difficult day. It’s interesting to see that it was just as tough back in 2011. In Kansas. 

I think we are in for a very uncomfortable overnight sleep tonight. There is no breeze and the luxury of the previous 2 nights isn’t there. 

TUNE OF THE DAY: Harmonia's Dream - The War on Drugs

If you are enjoying following my journey and think that my efforts are worth a donation, please consider visiting my just giving page: https://www.justgiving.com/page/rungeordierun2025

Day 54 of the run across the USA 2025

Some of the final words on yesterday’s blog were “Could this be a much needed good nights sleep?”. I’m pleased to report that it was with a tremendous breeze that almost made it a bit too cold around 0300. We were right next to a busy train line but the noise cancelling headphones worked well. A good 7 and a half hours was had. 

I set off from the RV at 0626. I decided not to take any painkillers. That wasn’t a good decision with hindsight. 

A train passed by. It was one of countless trains that I saw and/or heard during the day. 

As was the case with previous days the roads were long and rolling. A man pulled alongside me to ask if I needed help. I don’t think he was a podiatrist so I told him about my journey instead. He looked shocked and amazed in equal measure. I get that a lot! 

I met the RV for painkillers at mile 3. I ditched the walking poles and switched to my waist pack. It’s something I’ve not used for a while due to the pain in my lower back. That’s gone now so I thought I’d give it a try. 

The first two hours of the day were quite mild (24 Celsius) in comparison to recent times. 

I met the RV just before 7 miles for a water refill and the last of Terry’s oatmeal and butterscotch cookies. They went down like a treat. 

Once again, I ran past many ranches and farms. The ranch entrance below was one of my favourites today.   

I said hello to a few friendly bow wows down the road. They responded well to my good boy/girl offering.   

There were plenty of cattle to greet too along the way. They seem like very inquisitive animals. At mile 8, I ran next to a rattlesnake. I thought it was dead at first. However, its eyes blinked and I didn’t hang about.   

 

After some really decent running, I made it to the outskirts of Emporia, Kansas at the 13.5 mile point. I got a water refill at the RV and continued to “ride the wave” of decent pace that I’d found. 

 

I met the RV again at mile 17 for a water refill and some snack bags. Alan tried to persuade me to stop and eat but, with the momentum I’d built up, I decided to press on. My decision came with a risk. Alan needed to do some shopping, dump the waste and find some propane. In the searing Kansas heat, that meant that he could be out of range for an hour or so. It was a risk I was willing to take, as good form such as that isn’t easy to come by. 

That 10 mile section of good pace had been built up using several things. Firstly, when there is a good nights sleep there’s always a chance. Then, conversations with Donna followed by David Fairlamb boosted my morale. Some witty voice notes between support man Thomas and I lifted my spirits further. The cloud cover that suddenly appeared offered a rare chance to take advantage of slightly better conditions. 

As I tore through the streets of Emporia, I sent a few video messages to people. That’s not something I’ve done before but it was good to have that one way conversation. I followed it up with a couple of Facebook live videos just to capture the euphoric miles. 

All through Emporia, people smiled and waved. It was almost as if they knew about my journey. That support helped massively. 

The real catalyst for the pace was a song I heard on radio 2. 

That’s TUNE OF THE DAY(1) - Fight Another Day by James Morrison. 

The lyrics were very relatable to this run. I must have listened to it over and over on Spotify afterwards. The chorus is as follows: 

Cause' sometimes it hurts, we cry till we break God only knows what's waiting for us tomorrow, oh And those hard days will come, that we just can't escape But if I hold on to you and you hold on to me We'll live to fight another day. 

I’m sure you can see how I was able to connect that song to my running. 

After about the 6th time of listening my thoughts turned to the staff, patients in St. Benedict’s Hospice and their families. When I started to think about them, then the song took on even greater meaning. 

Ultimately, I thought about my Mam fighting to stay alive during her final days in the hospice. It was a fight that she’d inevitably lose. Every day that she won though, was a day that I still had her in my life. As you read this there will be terminally ill people in the St. Benedict’s Hospice in exactly the same situation. Thanks to the care of the staff there, many of them will be living to fight another day. 

The music and the subsequent thoughts I had while profoundly sad, had a positive impact on my mind and my running. 

As in left Emporia, I decided to do another live video on the Run Geordie Run Facebook page. I talked about my Mam’s time in St. Benedict’s Hospice in a bit of detail. I also talked about the pride I felt at “playing a part” at the hospice. It’s a small part in amongst an army of other volunteers as well as the doctors, specialist palliative care nurses, fundraising team, trustees, the chaplain, therapists, admin and reception staff and so on. I got a lot off my chest in that video. 

Back to the running and I made it out of Emporia at mile 19. The temperature had reached 32 Celsius and the cloud was disappearing quickly. 

I was now on Highway 50 which was a dual carriageway with a hard shoulder. 

The temperature was getting much hotter it seemed. I was beginning to think that my decision to press on while Alan did the chores was a stupid one. 

Those chores were taking a lot longer than I’d anticipated. While I ran out of water after 24 miles, I didn’t feel any need for panic. 

I eventually met the RV at 26.2 miles. Stopping points on Highway 50 were few and far between. Thankfully, Alan found one next to the railroad. I quickly downed 2 cans of coke and rested for 15 minutes. My left foot in particular was quite painful. At least the right foot was having a day off. 

I decided to leave my waist pack behind. Despite success earlier in the day it was causing come lower back pain. I think that’s nerve related. 

I took my foot right off the gas for the final few miles. I had another good chat with Donna back home. We talked about my earlier Facebook Live video. She has this great gift of explaining things to me in a way that just makes sense. 

The final 2 miles were spent singing Englebert Humperdinck songs at the top of my voice. Thankfully, “on Highway 50 nobody can hear you sing”.

At mile 30.3 I could see some familiar looking clouds ahead. It was like Kansas in 2011 all over again. I know a thunder cloud forming when I see one. That was me done for the day at an early time of 5pm.  

As I’m typing this blog we find ourselves on the fringe of some spectacular lightening activity. It seems to be coming our way. Here’s hoping the good ship Run Geordie Run (the RV) doesn’t get struck overnight. I wouldn’t rule anything out on this tour. 

In absolute grim news, my left foot is not recovering well from last weeks trails and stones. Thankfully, my right foot is. ^DA - I've shrunk these photos case of mealtime reading!

Thanks to an incredibly generous, and well timed, donation from the Newcastle United Supporters Club, the fund has smashed the £22,000 barrier. Thank you to everyone who continues to follow and share the story. Donations to St Benedict's Hospice can be made here: 

https://www.justgiving.com/page/rungeordierun2025