The overnight stop was most uneventful compared to previous weeks. The temperature dropped low enough at one point to warrant use of the thin quilt.
I had hoped for an 0530 start. The team were up and about in plenty of time with porridge made. Everything I was doing was in slow motion. Put on kit, eat porridge, brush teeth and so on. Sooo sloooow. It was still a pretty early start though and before 0600.
The previous 5 days of 34.7, 31, 32.8, 30 and 35.2 miles together with an average of 6 hours sleep is something I really felt as I set off towards the town of Lamar, Colorado.
I had to use the walking poles for stability. My feet were in pain for 20 minutes until the painkillers kicked in. Those first few miles were so slow.
The temperature was already uncomfortable when I got to Lamar. I met the team at the 4.5 mile point at the entrance to the Walmart car park. They had been in there to get supplies. Mainly water I think as we are going through a lot in these high temperatures.
I asked if I could get (a second) breakfast somewhere. The easiest option was McDonald’s. Once there I had my first McGriddle since 2011. It was a staple during the run across the USA back then.
I got back out onto Highway 50 afterwards and made my way through Lamar. There were a few things to see. I took a few photos but didn’t hang about.
There was a hardly noticeable climb as I headed north for a short while before turning due west. That gradual increase in elevation has been ever present for a number of weeks now.
As soon as I hit the 12 mile point, the familiar smell of a cattle feed yard hit me. It was horrendous. I then saw Five Rivers Cattle Feeding - Colorado Beef to my left. There were what looked like thousands of cattle eating one of their final meals. I’ve no idea how the system works so that may not be too accurate.
I met the team a little further down the way for a water top up. They’d parked away from the smell of the feed yard, thankfully for them. While my backpack was getting filled we got talking to a local guy checking the crop. Of course, he got a leaflet.
As the temperature soared towards 36 Celsius (according to my watch) I struggled up the rolling hills. It was tough going but I made it to the RV at the 18.3 mile point.
Once inside the RV, I climbed on the bed. I hardly had the energy to remove my cap, glasses and face covering (buff). I was given some ice in a bottle to cool down. I was loath to have a tactical snooze as it was red hot in the RV. Both Deb and Thomas were ok with the temperature when asked so that was good. After 15 minutes, I took the decision to ask to be driven back to Lamar and take refuge in McDonalds with air con and a cold drink. My plan was then to get back out at 6pm. It would still be warm but there would be a reduction in temperature for the rest of the day. I reckoned I could still save the day in a late session and get the mileage to at least 30.
I got back out onto Highway 50 just after 6pm. I felt much better than earlier in the day. The first few miles of the session were the quickest of the day.
I saw a record number of crickets at the roadside. There must have been thousands upon thousands of them. It’s always at this time of night that the flies are at their worst too. I could not have done this evening session without a long sleeve base layer and tracksuit bottoms. Not to mention the complete head covering.
The sun set at 2010. Many oncoming cars didn’t have any lights on. As per the previous 13,000 miles or so of running on roads, I didn’t take my eyes off them.
As the sun plunged beneath the horizon I was reliant on the almost full moon to give a bit of light. The cloud spoilt that sadly.
I took my earphones out for safety reasons. After a few minutes I heard an old familiar noise that had plagued me while running across Romania 2018. It was the high pitched noise of a mosquito.
Those pesky varmints weren’t the real issue. By mile 26, I was pretty hungry.
I met the RV at mile 26.1. Deb and Thomas were having mosquito problems of their own in the RV. One of which was when Thomas climbed up to bed. He heard the sound of a mosquito. He grabbed the fly swatter only to realise that the noise had come from Deb’s phone. Oh how we laughed! Well Thomas didn’t. I didn’t feel so bad about the fish prank yesterday. I didn’t capture the moment but let’s use AI to help us out. This will result in Thomas’s phone “blowing up” with messages from his friends and family. I believe there is quite a following of this blog in his native Belgium.
I decided to leave it there for the day. I had a quick bite to eat. I decided against a shower too.
The plan tomorrow is to get out at 0500. That’s 37 minutes before sunrise. It promises to be a scorcher and those cooler hours are so valuable. We are desperate for the mountains and the cooler overnight temperatures. I’m doing everything I can to get to Walsenburg by Friday evening.
If you go to the Run Geordie Run Facebook page then there’s a video that explains the challenges of the next few days. It’s 21:55 here in Colorado. I’ve got a good 6.5 hour window to sleep in. Mosquitoes and/or Deb’s sound effects permitting, this could be the most sleep I’ve had for a while.
TUNE OF THE DAY: Bodyguard - Beyoncé
Continued thanks for the donations for St Benedict's Hospice. If you think my efforts are worthy of a donation as I head into day 70 of the my journey across the USA, please visit my JustGiving page:
https://www.justgiving.com/page/rungeordierun2025
