USA Day 1 - Reaction

Nick Davison (pictured below) has been in touch following yesterday's blog post about day 1 in the USA.

"Good Stuff - I remember it well. I also remember wondering how someone who looked like he could play prop for the Falcons would be able to achieve such a run...you proved me wrong! I'm interested to find out what happened to Shelly? Also disappointed to hear about the "lack" of book publication with Stu. Will there still be a book? …… All the best - thanks for the update. Cheers, Nick".

I'm interested to hear your opinions and questions too. If you have a particular question about the run across the USA then please get in touch at sponsorship@rungeordierun.com. I'll incorporate the good ones in my blog.

USA Day 1 - Revisited (01/05/2011)

Over the next 100 days I'll be telling the story of how I ran across the USA. It's a year ago today since I started the run! Here we go with the story of day 1 of the run.

After 3 years of planning and training, it was finally time to start running across the USA. I felt a small amount of nerves while I was eating my porridge in the RV which was parked up at Huntington Beach. That was nothing, though, compared to the overwhelming feeling of anticipation and relief that, against all odds, I had finally made it to the start line in California. I say against all odds, as I’d been told to “forget all about running across the USA” by a nurse who diagnosed my broken ankle some 11 months earlier. Of course, not one to miss a trick, at the benefit of the 2 charities, the ankle is now known as The Paddy Power Bionic Ankle. On reflection that piece of "advice" was one of the best things I've ever been offered. It made me more determined to make a success of the run and be on the start line as per the original schedule.

It was a boiling hot day in Huntington Beach and I stood at the start line (pictured above) weighing 18 stones 7 pounds. It was the heaviest weight I’d ever been. Hardly the required weight needed to start a run across the USA. Hardly the weight of a man who’d ran thousands of miles in training. Despite all good intentions and advice from various experts I’d failed to eat properly for years. This wasn’t helped by the appetite that running 30 – 40 miles in training seems to bring about. With that starting weight I was not only running the risk of injury but any running in the hot California sun would be extremly difficult. I daren’t even mention the strain being put on my heart. Nevertheless, I was at the start line at Ruby's Cafe on a pier in Huntington Beach with a small group of kind folk present to see me off. Among them was Nick Davison and his family (below). Nick was an exiled Geordie who had let the support team and me hang out and relax at his home the previous day. His hospitality had been most welcome and it really contributed to my relaxed state on day 1. 

Also present at the start line was Alan Millen from The Exiles who was the writer of the 2 special Run Geordie Run songs (available on iTunes). Alan had travelled a long way to see me off. He lives in Switzerland! In total, there were about 15 people to witness the start of the run across the USA.

My support team at this point consisted of Richard Scholfield (Driver), Stu Wheatman (publisher of my book) and Shelli Mayfield (PR Student). Richard's experience and general manner was to prove invaluable in the early days of the run. Most importantly though he can't half do a good job with blisters! That poor lad went above and beyond the call of duty where my feet were concerned. He taught me how to safely lance blisters in a sterile way. I was able to do them myself once he left the support team 2 weeks into the run.

As the publisher of my book, Stu Wheatman (of Tonto books) was present to record daily interviews and to establish a  rapport with me. This would help us write the book, entitled Run For Home, which he had planned to have finished at the end of the run. Sadly, numerous factors meant that we just couldn't get the book off the ground.

I'll talk more about PR girl Shelli's impact on the run at a later date. It's a part of the story that started so well but got worse as the run progressed. She had done some good work in the lead up to the run. Her best effort was to give me a mobile phone with which I could text my family at any time for free. This was crucial if I was to keep morale up! I also used it to update Twitter and receive messages whenever there was a mention of @rungeordierun on Twitter. It was an old phone with few features but at that particular time it was as invaluable a piece of kit as I could wish for.

The run got underway at 09:01 Pacific Time. I ran the length of the pier by myself then I was accompanied for the next 4 miles by Nick Davison. Nick was great company and just what I needed at the start of the run. At the 4 mile point I shook him by the hand and continued on my way past fast food joint after fast food joint along Beach Boulevard. Lots of these had free wi-fi and I stopped a few times to update Twitter, my blog and to check on the donations on my Justgiving page. The fund total was £30,000 when the run started. I was quietly confident that the £50,000 target could be reached within the following 100 days and 3100 miles.

The weather was absolutely scorching and I remember drinking a lot of water during the first day.  Richard and Stu were waiting in the RV at a Wal-Mart near the finish line. The idea was for Richard to have an easy first day to help with jet lag. Shelli was supporting me in her hire car. I'd misjudged one of the meeting points at about 15 miles. I'd long since ran out of water and almost ended up being dehydrated. I had a really good intake of water once I got the chance. This was one of only a handful of times that I ran out of water in 3100 miles and 100 days of running.

I remember stopping for a McDonalds at the 25 mile point. As per usual my body was craving fat and sugar. And there was always the free wifi with which to update Twitter and the blog! Taking people on the journey with me via the blog was very important. I later found out that it became addictive reading for many people. 

By the end of day 1 I had managed to run 32.4 miles from Huntington Beach to Diamond Bar. I was 1.4 miles ahead of schedule! This was to be a very rare occurrence indeed!

The RV resting place for the night was the Wal-Mart in Diamond Bar. This was the first of many stays in Wal-Mart car parks during the run across the USA. After a dose of Cherry Active, an update of my blog and a quick phone call home, I was fast asleep. Running that far in scorching conditions had taken it's toll. I was very tired.

On the plus side, I was now down to double figures left to run. i.e. from 100 days to 99. Foolishly, I'd actually started the day thinking about the considerable time and distance left to run. These kinds of thoughts would not enter my mind until day 95 with near catastrophic consequences.

It was a relief to finally have 1 day over and done with. All the years spent planning, training and preparing had gotten me this far. It was finally a reality and my quest to run across the USA in 100 days and raise £50,000 for St Benedict's Hospice and The Children's Foundation had begun.

A year ago to the day…...

It's a cliche but it's really hard to believe just how fast time flies. It is, in fact, 1 year since I started running across the USA from Ruby's Cafe at Huntington Beach. Where on earth has the time gone?

Over the next 100 days I intend to recall each corresponding day from the run across the USA. I'll be uploading photos that were never published together with footage on YouTube that has never been seen and audio on Youtube that was never heard. It will all end on August 8th where I'll be reliving those final glorious moments in Coney Island and piecing together how the media in the UK saw things alongside my own viewpoint. 

If you missed out on the run in 2011 please stick around to find out what it was all about and how I successfully managed to run across the USA in 100 days. If you happened to follow the run last year then I hope to bring a completely different angle to proceedings. Without sounding too much like a tabloid newspaper, I'll be pulling no punches to bring you the inside story. 

For many reasons, there were certain things that I could not write about while in the USA. Now that I'm at a safe distance I intend to leave no stone unturned. I'm sure that it will be controversial. I'm sure that it will offend a few people. The story that will unfold over the next 100 days will recount all of the good times, the bad times, the tough times, the painful times as well as the glorious times.

Please do feel free to get in touch with any questions at sponsorship@rungeordierun.com. I'll do my best to answer all of your questions and publish as many as I can on my blog.

In the meantime, please sit back and enjoy the story of 1 Geordie's journey across the USA.

Some nice feedback

I recieved the following email today from Andrew McBride and I thought I'd share it on my blog. It's this kind of feedback that, on top of the funds raised for St Benedict's Hospice and The Children's Foundation, makes it all worthwhile.

"Hi Mark, 

I know you must get hundreds of emails like this everyday...just wanted to say best of luck for the planning and preparation of the Australia run. I had the pleasure of hearing you speak so passionately and inspiringly at the Derwentside Sports Awards not so long ago, until recently I used to live in Shotley Bridge but now reside in Auckland, New Zealand, working at Westlake Boy's High School. 

We have national champions in all age groups for long distance running, cross country and road racing.  

I have been using much of the content on your website and youtube page to inspire and motivate our boys, without having met you, they think you are a bit of a legend! Just shows you how far things can spread and how many people can be inspired. All the best and kind regards Andrew McBride"

Commercial sponsor number 2 for Australia 2013

Last week I made the announcement that the first commercial sponsor for the run across Australia was Benfield. Soon after they were on board, another company pledged their support. It gives me great pleasure to now reveal that the second commercial sponsor for the run across Australia is Identicom.

Rather appropriately, Identicom have a presence in the UK and Australia. They provide lone or remote workers with tracking devices. These are devices that transmit GPS and other environmental data back to, say, an employer who can ensure that their staff's whereabouts are known. Can you a see where this is going? Identicom's support is not only financial but, amazingly, they will also be providing me with their award winning tracking equipment.

The ability to have my position tracked in Australia will not only give my family peace of mind but will also help to really engage the readers of this blog. I'm always very keen on taking people on the journey with me and this will really help to do just that while I'm in Australia. It's going to add an extra dimension to the run. I anticipate people becoming addicted to tracking the little dot on a map on this blog as it makes it's way across the Outback.

There will be many more blog posts to follow about my partnership with Identicom. I will be trialling the product during various long training runs. For further information about their products please click here.

If you would like to join Identicom in supporting the run across Australia then please get in touch at sponsorship@rungeordierun.com and I'll send you an information pack.

Commercial sponsor number 1 for Australia 2013

It's 18 months until the start of the run across Australia. Unlike all of my previous events, I won't be paying the costs of this particular event. Instead, I am looking to the business world for support. The search for such support has been relentless since the turn of the year. I'm pleased to report that very good progress has been made and I'm now in a position to unveil the first official supporter of Run Geordie Run for the run across Australia in 2013. 

Finding a business with the same principals that I have is important and the first sponsor is a very nice fit indeed. Despite the large size of the company, it's a family owned business and it even has it's own charitable trust. Their slogan, "Enjoy the journey" could not be more in keeping with the spirit of Run Geordie Run. 

It gives me great pleasure to reveal the first supporter of the run across Australia; Benfield Motor Group.   

Our partnership was revealed last week with a good throng of press present on the Quayside in Newcastle. It was a busy press day altogether, with a live appearance on BBC Newcastle's breakfast show with Alfie and Charlie followed by the interviews on the quayside resulting in articles in The Journal, Chronicle, Northern Echo, the news bulletins on Real Radio and in various other publications and websites. 

Benfield's support on it's own, while very generous, is not not enough to make the run across Australia a certainty to happen. For that reason, the search for other such support continues. Watch this space for further news in the coming weeks. In the meantime, thank you to Benfield for being the first business to support Run Geordie Run and the run across Australia.

If you would like to join Benfield in supporting the run across Australia then please get in touch at sponsorship@rungeordierun.com and I'll send you an information pack.

Australia 2013 - Full route now online

The full route that I'll be running across Australia is now online for your viewing pleasure!

I've put the same amount of effort into this route as I did with my previous routes from John O'Groats to Lands End and California to New York.

It's a lot simpler than previous routes but is going to be incredibly difficult to run. 41 miles per day in very uncomfortable temperatures in a mostly unforgiving and inhospitable place is why I'm calling this my most difficult challenge to date.

I've not only reconciled the mileage and route on 2 occasions I've also had it indepentantly checked. I will revisit the route another couple of times before I set off for Australia. Nothing is ever left to chance with a route of this nature. 

To view the route click here. There is also a permanent link to the route across Australia on the right hand side of this blog. 

Virgin Money Giving

It's just 2 and a half years since Virgin Money Giving launched and donations have already broken through the 100 million pound barrier! Due to the fact that they are a "not for profit" donations platform, an extra 3.4 million pounds has been donated to charity compared to justgiving.com*. It is for that reason that I've decided to make the switch to Virgin Money Giving for all of my future fundraising activity.

You can read more about it here on the Virgin Money Giving blog. If you would like to make a donation then please use this link.

* If the money raised through Virgin Money Giving since launching in October 2009 was raised through JustGiving instead £3.4m less would have reached charities. This is based on the Gift Aid re-claim rate for Virgin Money Giving and the overall mix of payment types on Virgin Money Giving.

Cross Country Running

I'm always looking for new ways to keep the Run Geordie Run profile raised between major events while trying to inspire others to run or do something that makes a positive difference to other people's lives. With that in mind, cue a new series of "inspirational" posters that will be appearing here and there in the build up to Australia 2013. 

The first one, shown below, proved very popular when it was posted on my Twitter and Facebook feeds. I received some lovely feedback, particularly from the running community and it wasn't long before it had been viewed over 1000 times. 

"Cross Country Running" has already appeared in a couple of office premises and a gym. If you would like an A4 sized Run Geordie Run poster to display in your gym, shop or office or if you'd like to include it in your publication then please get in touch at sponsorship@rungeordierun.com. Stocks are limited so please be quick.

The momentum is building….

After weeks of hard work and planning, I can at last say that there is now genuine momentum gathering to make the run across Australia follow in the successful footsteps of the run across the USA. 

THE ROUTE

The first major task that was completed was the detailed route plan. I finished that last week and if I didn't know already, I certainly do now that to cross Australia in just 70 days is going to easily be the toughest challenge to date. I've already pinpointed the Eyre Highway, which is over 1000 miles long and links Western Australia and South Australia via the Nullarbor Plain, as the most difficult stretch on the run. There is one stretch of the Eyre Highway which is the longest straightest section of road in the world at 91.1 miles. Given the harsher temperatures and lack of facilities and general population, it's set to make the 1000 mile long stretch of Highway 36, on my USA 2011 route, look like a walk in the park.

With a punishing schedule of 41 miles per day with 3 full rest days, it's going to take 42 days to run 1600 miles from Perth to the outskirts of Adelaide. Day 43 (27th November 2013), which is the day before my son's birthday and the day before rest day 4, will see me run 43 miles from the north and then through Adelaide before finishing with a gruelling 1000ft climb up to Norton Summit to the east of the city ((B) in the image blow).

Following that rest day on day 44, it will take a further 26 days to run the remaining 1000 miles to Bondi Beach in Sydney. I aim to arrive on Bondi Beach, after running past Sydney Olympic Park and quite literally over Sydney Harbour Bridge, live on Real Radio on the morning of Christmas Eve (UK time). If it's only half as dramatic as the finish that I had in the USA then everyone is in for a treat.

COMMERCIAL SPONSORSHIP

Away from the route, I have put a lot of effort in over the last month to try and secure a headline sponsor. I had the final of 3 meetings with a potential company this week. I gave a 90 minute presentation to the company that, in their words, "hit the spot". I hope to have positive news over the next few weeks on this front but with 2 other potential suitors waiting in the wings to hear my story I'm quietly confident of securing the funding needed to carry out the tour across Australia. 

I spent £15,000 of my own funds to cross the USA. With a return of over £105,000 for St Benedict's Hospice and The Children's Foundation it was well worth it. The 70 day tour across Australia is going to cost a little more than the 100 day tour across the USA. Flights, fuel and RV hire costs are the main reason for this. 

After 17 years of self funding, I can no longer afford to stump up the cash myself. Without commercial sponsorship the run across Australia and those I have planned thereafter will be very difficult to execute. Without commercial sponsorship, it will probably mean that I will have to run unsupported across Australia. I'm no Bear Grylls by any means so I can see that particular method ending badly. I'd give it a shot though!

PR

Between major events, keeping the profile of Run Geordie Run raised, as well as that of the 2 charities is always a challenge. I've written articles recently for Men's Fitness and will be featuring in the Runner's World Hall of Fame very soon. I've also started working with Sky Tyne & Wear, a new online only news service. Watch out for video blogs appearing on there from time to time.  

In conjunction with The Children's Foundation, work has started on the "Run Geordie Run Junior" brand.  We are in the inception stage at the moment, but this could be a really exciting legacy to leave if we get the ingredients right. The aims of the project are to work with schools and youth sport's organisations promoting health and fitness with an anti-bullying message. 

I'm very excited to announce that the special Run Geordie Run menu at Firenze in Jesmond will be "going live" this month too!

NUTRITION

In conjunction with my mentor, David Fairlamb, I've spent a fair amount of time over the last few months researching a particular nutritional framework. I'll be putting this into practice from next week. Watch this space as to how I get on with that. 

TRAINING SCHEDULE

The 2012 training schedule has been completed this week. I have 2500 miles left to run over the remaining 43 weeks of this year. I somehow have to find the time to get into the gym too with core strength work high on the priority list. I've got some brilliant training runs planned for the Summer. I'm going to get re-acquanted with the difficulty that the North Pennines have to offer. I've also pinpointed the London Marathon, Coastal Run and North Tyneside 10k and Brampton to Carlisle for PBs this year. 

As ever, the training is going to be full on. It's imperative that I get the nutrition right too. I can't go into the run across Australia at the same weight that I did across the USA. Getting the food right has always been very difficult for me. Run across a continent. No bother. Eat properly. Seemingly impossible!

JUST THE START

As I said at the start of this blog post, there is now genuine momentum gathering to make the run across Australia follow in the successful footsteps of the run across the USA. I have been doing this kind of planning, preparation, training, fundraising and publicising for as long as I care to remember. Marathons, coast to coast runs, John O'Groats to Lands End, across the USA and now, this is just the start, for the run across Australia.

My mission, though, continues to be a simple one; to repay the debt of gratitude to St Benedict's Hospice (Charity No. 1019410) for caring for my Mam and to help The Children's Foundation (Charity No. 1000013) to improve the happiness, health and safety of children, like my own, in the North East of England.