It’s been 10 days since I finished running at Forrest Gump Point in Utah. I’m pleased to report that the tingling in my feet is getting less and less intense each day. The picture is the remaining damage on my left foot (Sorry! I've made the image as small as possible).
I’m also very relieved to have had my first proper night of sleep last night. Up to now, I still seem to have been on Pacific Time. Being wide awake at 3am has been no fun at all this last week. I'm still waking up with a bit of confusion as to where the RV is or how far I have to run today. To have last last more than a day or two is new to this campaign. The sense of relief that follows is really nice though.
Back to home matters and I’ve been having a lot of fun with Órlaith. These are precious moments that I didn’t dare think about while pounding the roads in the USA.
Donna and I had a bit of talk about events in the USA last night. Many aspects were discussed and it was really good to reflect. I’m still of the opinion that it was the toughest running/hobbling that I’ve ever done. USA 2011 was l about performance and had a large team to support that. At its worst that run was 176 miles behind schedule. With 4 days to go there was a deficit of 73 miles. I was subject to a huge amount of panic and anxiety.
I ran 195 miles over the last 4 days. That was made up of 3 x 45 miles days and a 60 miler on the final day. The money poured in to St. Benedict's Hospice and The Children's Foundation. As the saying goes, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times".
Australia 2013 was extremely tough and saw my feet disintegrate. I was able to compete that run by adding 12 days to the schedule. It was quite a small but very capable team back then. I had a sports therapist on the team which helped massively. From a mental health point of view, nothing will ever beat Australia. I lost my mind back then. Lessons were learned that took into future runs and even USA 2025 benefitted from that.
Europe 2016 was another one that was about performance and a large team supported it. My feet were in a bad way after 3 weeks. However, having a podiatrist on the team was massively important. Looking back, the miles I ran there together with the elevation, was mind blowing.
I made a mockery of the mountains in the Pyrenees and the Alps some days. That run had strategically placed rest days. That made a huge difference. That run was cut short by 600!miles. That was due to losing the finish line in Istanbul (remember the attempted military coup of 2016??). The finish line became Belgrade, Serbia. I didn’t realise at the time but that setup the next run perfectly.
In 2018, I didn’t have a support team. Instead, I pulled my buggy behind me from Belgrade, through Romania, to Kiev, Ukraine. After USA 2011, it was the most lucrative run I’d done with £59,041.50 raised for St. Benedict’s Hospice. I had problems with my feet again on this run. Thankfully, a kind lady in Kalush, Ukraine was able to patch them up. This was good enough to get me to the finish line at Independence Square, Kiev.
If all of the other runs were about performance then USA 2025 was not that. This run was different. It was about raw, unshakable determination. It was about getting up every morning, no matter how broken or tired, and putting one foot in front of the other. It was about showing up for St. Benedict’s Hospice, for the people I cared about, and for the promise I made to myself to keep going no matter what and repay a profoundly felt debt of gratitude. USA 2025 wasn’t a race. It was a test of the human spirit.
The overwhelmingly positive reaction to this years run and the way it ended has really surprised me. I’ve received emails, messages and comments that prove to me that people have really bought into my journey. I hesitate to use the word “enjoyed” but there is evidence of that that too. It must have been hard to follow at times.
The most pleasing thing is the amount of money that is being raised for St. Benedict's Hospice. At the time of writing, the total is £30,167.04. I’ll be seeking donations right up until the end of 2025 so the final total won’t be known for some time yet.
The common theme amongst all of the runs from 2011 is the support of my, now main sponsor, Chapman Ventilation. I had intended to make the run across the USA in 2011 my final event. It cost £15,000 of my own money to do. Given that £105,717.80 was raised for charity, it was well worth it. Up to that point £157,351.80 had been raised since I started fundraising in 1993. Thanks to the kind backing of Chapman Ventilation, I've been able to attract a further £218,585.68 of public donations since then. The latest position is below. If you've made a contribution to the money donated below, THANK YOU!!!!!
If you haven’t got round to sponsoring this years effort across the USA then please visit justgiving.com/page/rungeordierun2025.
