The overnight stop was probably the hottest place we’ve parked at so far. While it was very quiet, there wasn’t a breath of anything resembling fresh or even warm air. It was absolutely roasting hot.
I woke up at 2am suffocating with the heat. My USB fan was running face down. I’m not sure how long it had been doing that but I felt absolutely terrible. I got the fan pointing at my face straight away and started to feel a little normal again.
The 0515 alarm went off and it was one of those mornings where I definitely needed an extra hour. That decision paid off as you will discover at the end of this blog post.
It was a short drive to the start line and I got going at 07:14. The first few miles on the John Brown Road were very slow indeed. The pain in my feet was the issue together with a few climbs and an uneven road in parts. The temperature was rapidly approaching 30 Celsius. The good news was that there was a strong cross wind from the south. It made a huge difference.
I was greeted by some golden retrievers early on. Fortunately, it was a much better dog related experience than the one I had late yesterday.
I met the RV at 4 miles for a refresh of my hydration pack. Given the now 30+ Celsius temperature I was going through the water pretty quickly.
A voice message from Thomas (who joins the support team with Deb next Saturday) helped to raise my spirits hugely. Another 4 miles ticked by. This time much quicker thankfully and it was the start of a day long attack in the heat of eastern Kansas.
I met the RV for a peanut butter bagel at 8 miles. That would give me enough energy and buy Alan some time to visit Dollar General in Princeton.
There were the odd spots of shelter from the wind when I found trees to my left. It was only then that I was able to feel the real heat of the day. It was probably the most fierce heat of this entire tour.
I was pleased to reach an unsheltered section of road. The sun might have been beating down, but the wind more than made up for it. It might have been a cross headwind but it was having little impact on my pace it seemed.
There was a double bonus to be had down the road when five seconds of shade together with the wind made for almost reasonable conditions.
I met the RV for a refresh of my hydration pack near an old church at the 14 mile point. I didn’t hang about and pushed on.
The music playing on the iPod at this point was some high tempo dance music from the 1990s/2000s. It was having a huge impact on my pace. What was also having an impact was some top banter on the main support team WhatsApp chat. I found it very amusing. To summarise, I now have a cowboy name (Randy “Boots” McBlister), Alan will be having a leaving do in Dodge City and the incoming Deb will be dancing on a bar top with a cowboy hat on. Coincidentally, Party! (The Vengabus) was playing on my iPod at the time. That’s TUNE OF THE DAY (1). It was all very silly but in the furious Kansas heat it served as a complete distraction.
I had the option of taking a rest at the 19 mile point. My message to Alan in the RV was “I’ll risk it and push on”.
I soon came to the end of my time on the John Brown Road and made a left onto the old highway 50. I was immediately greeted by the wind head in. It was like a warm hairdryer!
I made it to Williamsburg at mile 21. It was time for another peanut butter bagel and a bottle of Powerade. I’d just finished eating when 2 men approached the RV. They were called John and Adam. They were on a “men’s retreat” nearby. We talked about my journey and Adam kindly asked if he could say a prayer for me. He asked if I was in pain. I told him about my feet. He then recited a really moving prayer. It was powerful and very humbling.
If I was writing “Run Geordie Run The Movie or an episode of Highway To Heaven” this is the part that I open my eyes to find the two men gone and Alan says “what men?”. Back to reality and there was just time for a quick photo before I set off again. It had been yet another chance meeting of some very kind folk in the USA. It’s been an almost daily occurrence.
TUNE OF THE DAY (2): The Power of Prayer - Bruce Springsteen. It’s an appropriate song from one of my favourite records.
At 4pm the temperature was approaching its peak of 33 Celsius (feels like 35 apparently). There was a bit of a dip in the road which meant shelter and a pocket of very hot air.
I spotted a few ranch entrances which are one of my favourite things to spot in the USA. That craze started back in 2011.
I soon started to climb and I was once again met with a full on headwind. Although, now it had increased to almost 40mph. It had very little impact on my pace and I consistently moved forward with real intent.
At mile 25, I received a voice note on the Run Geordie Run Facebook page from long term supporter (and bloody good runner) Steve Medd. It was as beautiful as it was timely. It reminded me of the emails I used to get from renowned local club runner Jimmy Bell. What it means to have the support of such esteemed athletes over the years is hard to put into words.
With the full ferocity of the headwind and the Kansas heat I powered on. It was now 5pm and the sun was dipping down to meet me head on. I covered my face to keep the sun away. While this made breathing a little difficult, I was saving myself from getting burned. I had factor 50 on but by that time it had ran away with the sweat.
Back to mile 25 and I messaged Alan to say “1 more mile”. I sent the same message at mile 26. I fought harder against the wind and mile 27 flew by. With the quickest mile of the day, I was spent of energy at mile 28. It was 6pm and for once I wasn’t stopping because of foot pain. I’ll let you and your own belief systems decide what part John and Adam played in that.
Today was arguably the strongest day yet. Especially given the extreme conditions. I was helped hugely by that strong wind. It was like having a cheat code to help reduce the perceived temperature. It had been far more of a help than a hinderance.
We drove a little further down the road to Waverley, Kansas to find a safe overnight spot. Alan asked a priest if we could park behind the church. He kindly said yes.
The only frustrating part of the day was that my Garmin watch wouldn’t sync with my phone. This used to happen in the early days. I’ve taken screenshots of my watch instead. The workaround is to connect to my laptop instead. Unfortunately, that’s out of charge. I haven’t used it for over a month. Everything, I do is on my iPhone.
I was amazed to see that I’d climbed 2900ft today. That makes the day’s effort seem even more satisfying.
TUNE OF THE DAY (3): Loreen - Euphoria (Mike-O Extended Klub Mix)
TUNE OF THE DAY (4): deadmau5 x Alexis Jordan - Brazil Happiness (Helter Edit)
If David Fairlamb isn’t playing those during a VersaClimber class at his gym then there is no justice in this world!!
I'm pleased to report that the charity fund continues to grow and is well on the way to £22,000 thanks to some incredible generosity. A very kind donation was left along with a message from Nick: "Mark, stuff of legends. As a stateside Geordie, I'm following your journey with massive respect. To mark 50 days done, here is a small contribution which I will double once you reach California. HWTL".
If you would like to make a donation, please visit my just giving page:
https://www.justgiving.com/page/rungeordierun2025
