Day 4 - Brief Update

Another early start for Mark today.  He tweeted some pictures from last night's sleeping place (see below) Cunderdin and then some footage of the first mile of the day, click here.

Mark's tweets from day 4 should give you get a pretty good idea of how he was feeling:

06:35 The flys are out already. Gutted! It was warmer this morning than previous days. Perhaps that's why. :(

12:07 Dark times this morning but I have stuck at it. 16.5 miles done. Quick bite to eat then back out on the road.

12:09 There seem to be twice as many flies today. They are really getting me down. I can't drink or eat properly while wearing the fly net. 

Here are more of his thoughts that he recorded whilst out on the road: Day 4

Mark was able to escape the flies for a short period, these tweets and picture should set the scene:

14:13 #Kellerberrin and your virtually fly free public toilets - I salute you. #tweetingnotpooing

Is this what the kids call a #selfie? #flyfree @ Kellerberrin

I spoke to Mark briefly at approx. 18:30 (AWST).  It was clear that his spirits were quite low.  A difficult conversation when there are thousands of miles between us but positivity was the key.  The fact that Gary's #bigbrownjumper had raised so much for the two charities, through auction on Real Radio, certainly helped to lift the mood.  During the conversation the day had turned to night but Mark was determined that he was going to finish on 41 miles for the day.  

An hour later and I heard these two recordings: 

Sounds from Saturday evening 1 and Sounds from Saturday evening 2 

Just brilliant to hear.  On reflection Mark felt that pasta for tea, the dark, less flies, pouring with rain and appropriate music all spurred him on. Oh, and two young ladies stopping to ask if he was ok!

So that's 154 miles covered in 4 days, only 10 miles behind schedule.  This map should give you an idea of the progress made so far.  Perspective.

Day 3 - Brief Update

In the early hours of this morning, Mark tweeted about his use of social media.  Over the last few days he's spent a lot of time using Instagram, Sound Cloud and Twitter, mainly due to the fact that he won't always have a mobile phone signal.  This is his opportunity to share as much of the journey as possible while he still has the coverage to do so.  Mark is also conscious that he needs to ensure that he has sufficient rest periods, if he were to spend time writing the blog then he would lose valuable sleep time.  So, until Mark has his first scheduled rest day (next weekend) I'll try to summarise as much of the journey as I can.  This progress map demonstrates the distance that Mark had made after 2.5 days.

Mark's first tweet of the day read: "Morning! As I expected, a cracking start to day 3. A very cold 0525 start with @memoodesign and John has got me to 9 miles by 0730" this was then followed with "Half marathon done by 9am. Time for breakfast" and then "18 miles done today" by approximately 11:00.  A cracking start to the day, unlike mine.  

At approximately 04:30 this morning I was woken by a call from the call centre of one of Mark's sponsors - Connexion2.  Marks Identicom tracking device had alerted them to a 'man down' situation and they needed me to confirm whether he was ok.  I'm not sure what the representative thought of me but 'mumbling mess' springs to mind.  By the time I had fully woken and had come to my senses I was reassured that the microphone element within the device was recording Mark and that he sounded fine.  As protocol though I needed to speak to him to confirm that he was ok.  Cue call to Australia, and this is where he was...

Mark spoke with Gary and Lisa on Real Radio this morning and explained that it was more than likely as result of fly swatting which then set the alarm off.  Panic over and the taxi to Newcastle airport cancelled!  As dramatic as I felt it was in my sleepy state, how incredible is it that Mark has this device? After an apology Mark then tweeted "I'm fine but what a brilliant test of the #Identicom tracking device.  I can see how useful a device #Identicom is for lone workers in vulnerable jobs".  

Mark continued in good spirits and was once again joined by ex-pat John until the end of the day.  Mark recorded the following at mile 33...

Day 3 - Mile 33 at Cunderdin

I'll not spoil too much of the story so that Mark can share it in his own words so I will leave you with a few tweets and pictures from the end of Day 3:

"41.08 miles done. So much easier in the dark without the flies. Finished running at 2015. Thanks to @memoodesign and John for company".

"Feet feel like clubs of meat. Badly swollen. Losing ability to move my toes. Very similar to day 3 in the run across the USA".

"I expect this swelling to last a couple of weeks. There is blood in my socks where the nail on one toe has caught the adjacent toe".

I think that's enough detail to share with you around the feet situation, for anyone really intrigued then hop across to Twitter or Facebook and you can get a real close up of said feet!

Click on the link below which will play Mark's thoughts after the end of Day 3.

End Of Day 3 at Cunderin

On a final note, "I haven't been able to read any tweets today because of flys. Good food and a chance to read your tweets is a good end to the day".

  

The funds for the two charities, the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation and The Children's Foundation, is currently £16,643.  The donations have been continuous throughout the day which is fantastic. Please remember to leave your comments of support for Mark.  Click here if you would like to make a donation.

Day 2 - Brief Update

Once again Mark sends his heartfelt apologies for not updating this blog himself and sharing more of the journey so far with you.

Mark had an incredibly tough day today battling through a headache, the Australian heat, tiredness and if you read on his social media sites - pesky flies.  Mark feels that these have all contributed to a slow progress today - yet he managed 31 miles.  Still an incredible feat!  As tough as the day was, as you will see below, Mark was able to treat himself to a spot of fine dining - at Bakers Hill Pie Shop.  I'd like to see the stats for the mile leading up to that!

Towards the end of today's run Mark was joined by 2 expats, John (from Newcastle) and Melanie (from Southampton).  They reached Mark when he had 2 miles to go which seemed to help pick up the pace resulting in a speedy finish for the day.  Proof that the legs work if the mind tells them to.

John and Melanie have a place 1 mile from today's finish line and very kindly offered Mark the use of a proper shower and an evening meal.  All in all this was a tough day but John and Melanie have been superstars and Mark is very grateful to have been so very well looked after.

The messages of support have continued throughout the day as have the donations.  Each and every one of these spur Mark on to keep pushing so that he gets to Bondi for Christmas Eve and that the target of £50,000 for the two charities is achieved.  Please continue to send these messages through Facebook or Twitter - they really do help!

Tonight is all about recuperation.  An early start tomorrow will hopefully help Mark get back on track and ensure that he arrives at Norseman as scheduled.

Day 1 - Brief update

As this is being typed Mark is currently tucked up in the RV getting some precious hours sleep.  As you may have read from his twitter feeds last night - it was a late one.  Mark is very conscious of sharing this journey and for that reason he has asked for this blog to be updated from the UK.

Day 1 has been a success, 41 miles were achieved and the charity fund has smashed £16,000 (not sure if he saw that before lights out!). Mark has had a very tough day with a huge climb in the afternoon, nevertheless he made it, as we all believed he would.

To see how the day unfolded please check Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.  Mark added photos and audio clips throughout the day, this should help to build a picture and I'm sure he'll be back on here in no time to expand. 

As ever Mark is truly grateful for the donations that have been flooding in and he sends his thanks out to each and everyone of you who have helped to reach this fantastic amount so far. There is however a long way to go in order to achieve the target of £50,000.  If you would like to make a donation please click here.

Please remember to spread the word and continue to send messages of encouragement to Mark.  Let's help to give this journey the success that it deserves.

Thanks 

Donna

Run Geordie Run Down Under launch show on Real Radio and ABC 720

There was a very special Run Geordie Run Down Under ... With Benfield launch show today broadcast by Gary and Lisa on Real Radio in the UK together with Jonathan Morrell on ABC 720 in West Australia. It was a really emotional piece of radio that saw an unprecedented amount of commercial radio airtime given up for me and the 2 charities.

I left no emotional stone unturned and, at times, just about managed to hold the tears back. There was a lot of really good banter between the 4 of us and if this broadcast is to be one of my final memories of this great city of Perth, then it is a really good one.

The first section of the show heard Gary and Lisa catching up with their old colleague, Jonathan. We then talked about how I'd spent my time preparing for the run while in Perth. BBQs, curry, mammoth shopping trips for vital supplies and how much Vodka my temporary landlady Helen and her boyfriend consumed while at the aforementioned BBQ were the topics in this section. Incidentally, Helen and Lisa are both from Consett originally. Enough said! :)

The final sections of the show talked about my fears, hopes, current mindset and exactly why I raise funds for The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation and The Children's Foundation. 

I was thrown a curve ball when Lisa read out a message from my son Jack. After I quickly composed myself, the show continued.

The show ended with a final plea from me for donations. I laid it all out on the line at that point and tried to explain how we all, collectively, can make Run Geordie Run Down Under ... With Benfield a success for the 2 charities. 

I've got to admit that the broadcast left me emotionally drained and I now have just 11 hours to compose my thoughts and get ready to set off from the jetty at Cottesloe Beach at 7 am tomorrow local time or midnight UK time today. The widget below contains all of the dialogue (and very good Aussie sound bytes) from today's show.

Thanks to Gary, Lisa and Jonathan for a great show and to the behind the scenes production team too.

I'll close this final blog post before I set off across Australia with a plea for your hard earned money. Any donation that you can make, via the Virgin Money Giving link below, would be gratefully received. Rest assured that every penny of your donation is much needed and very well spent by The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation and the Children's Foundation. Thanks in advance for your generosity.

Thank you Client SAT

Being in the middle of the Outback, particularly in the Nullarbor region will see me completely out of touch with the outside world. This has been a long standing concern of mine for one particular reason. As I've said many times, it's imperative that I'm able to take people on the journey, virtually, with me. This is, of course, done via the blog, Twitter, Facebook, Real Radio and various other radio and TV stations. Not being able to communicate via those channels is a concern that has now been completely eradicated thanks to a company in Perth called Client SAT who are renting me a Satellite phone.

Client SAT have given me the phone at a tiny fraction of it's normal hire cost. Previously, my already tight budget couldn't possibly have afforded one. So a huge thank you must go to Rob Martin, a Satellite Phone Broker for Client SAT, for arranging this deal. You can see the type of phone I'll be using on Client SAT's website here.

The phone will allow me to speak to the outside world, no matter where I may be. I can also update Twitter which, in turn, automatically updates my Facebook page. In short, I will always be able to keep people updated with my progress from anywhere in Australia. Anywhere!

Thanks again to Rob at Client Sat who had the following to say about the phone and how it works.

96 FM with Blackers, Carmen and Fitzi

I'm very lucky in this "job" and it gives me the opportunity to meet all kinds of interesting and kind people. Today was no exception as I was asked to be a guest on 96 FM's Breakfast Show with Blackers, Carmen and Fitzi (or Ian Blackley, Carmen Braidwood and Brad Fitzgerald if you'd like to call them by their "posh" names).  

I really enjoyed talking to the guys both on and off air. We talked about the distance, my weight, injuries and so on. I got a real sense of admiration, awe and respect from them. This mixture of feeling, I have to say, is very much consistent with everyone else I've talked to in Perth over the last 6 days.

I always anticipated a friendly welcome here in Perth but the reaction of so many Australians and ex pats alike has gone way beyond my expectations. The people here in West Australia are so nice and genuinely want to hear all about the run across Australia. If I continue to meet similar folk along the route then it's really going to spur me on.

Thanks to Blackers, Carmen and Fitzi as well as Peter Brennan the producer of the show for having me on air. I'm looking forward to speaking to the show again as the run progresses. 

30 hours to go

It's been another busy day of preparation in world of Run Geordie Run Down Under ... with Benfield. The day started with a call from Perth Radio station 96 FM. They asked for an interview in their studio on tomorrow mornings breakfast show with Blackers, Carmen and Fitzy. Of course, I was only happy to oblige and I'm looking forward to that. Please tune in after 0730. There is a listen online link here. Set your alarms for half past midnight UK time.

I had a nice leisurely 7 mile walk today through the very beautiful suburb of Como to the Sir James Mitchell Park. It gave me a lot of time to think and reflect on the journey ahead. I recorded some brief audio which can be heard using the widget below.

The following collection of images don't do the park justice. The views of the central business district in Perth were stunning.

I spent an hour in the afternoon getting supplies from Woolworths. I quickly filled the trolley but it took 2 trolleys to take the packed up shopping. There was everything in there from energy bars, rice, pasta, porridge, nuts...... I could go on. I picked things off the shelves as if my life depended on it. It could be hundreds of miles before we see a store as well stocked as this one is. My time in the shop wasn't that dissimilar to those "end of the world" or Zombie type disaster movies. You know, the ones where the survivors rush around the supermarket emptying the shelves. There are further images of the trolley and it's contents on Instagram for the real nerds out there.

Finally today, support Man Graham (pictured below) flew in to Perth just hours before his 65th Birthday. In his luggage were pair of trainers number 2, some Nuun tablets and more Run Geordie Run information leaflets. Graham didn't appear to be too tired at the airport but was flat out at 10pm. He now has only 1 day to recover from jet lag before starting his duties on the team on Wednesday. That's a big ask as it took me nearly 3 days to get used to this time zone. Anyway, it's great to have Graham on the team. You can read more about him here. Thanks to our lovely host, Helen, for picking up Graham from the airport and giving him a place to stay for 2 nights. She has been an absolute star and I'll be writing more about her contribution to the run in a separate blog post.

 

There was a nice piece on my running club Tyne Bridge Harriers' website here. It was also nice to see that David Fairlamb's website front page is now dedicated to Run Geordie Run Down Under ... with Benfield. 

As you can see below, I've finally managed to upload Sunday's Channel Ten news item that was shown nationally across Australia in the main bulletin and then in the headlines between shows such as Homeland and Modern Family.

Please listen out for me on tomorrow's Real Radio Breakfast Show with Gary and Lisa (pictured below) as we launch Run Geordie Run Down Under ... with Benfield. This promises to be a very special show indeed and will be jointly broadcast with ABC 720 in Australia. You'll get top hear all of the Aussie jingles. I think the amount of commercial airtime allocated to it is quite unheard of these days. I gather that a lot of behind the scenes production has gone into this broadcast and I'm very excited to be a part of it. The show can be heard by clicking the LISTEN LIVE button on this page between 8 am and 9 am (UK Time) on the 15th October.

That's all for now. As ever, I'm up until the wee small hours writing this blog, keeping you informed and taking you on the journey that is Run Geordie Run Down Under ... with Benfield. It is almost here. I am ready. I am excited. I am nervous. I do not want to let the 2 charities down. I am prepared to push boundaries and ensure that I try my hardest at all times. Get ready to enjoy the journey with me. In only 30 hours time I will be setting off from Cottesloe Beach.

Sky Tyne and Wear

Here's a short piece that was on the Sky Tyne and Wear website last week.

Filming with Jonathan Morrell for Channel Ten News

It has been another great day today as "Run Geordie Run Down Under ... with Benfield" gets ever nearer! In fact it's only 3 days before I set off from Cottesloe Beach at 7am on Wednesday 16th October. It was there that my day today started when I filmed a news item with Channel Ten Eye Witness News. Ex ITV and Sky broadcaster Jonathan Morrell put the questions to me and it was a piece that was shown all across Australia later in the day. It first hit the news in Sydney at around 2pm (my time) and later at 5pm in Perth. 

A group of us gathered around the TV to watch the piece that lasted almost a minute and a half. The trailer that was shown at the start of Ten Eye Witness News can be viewed below.

Thank you to Jonathan Morrell and Andrew Friend for pulling all of the necessary strings to make the news item happen. My sponsors will be very pleased that their logos were seen all over Australia. I think the biggest win was for my shoe sponsor Brooks as there was a lingering shot of my Glycerin running shoes (as shown below). I have 7 pairs of those incidentally to get me across Australia.

While I was down at Cottesloe Beach, I spoke to Mark, one of the senior life guards, who told me about a "famous Australian saying". It can be heard using the widget below.

After the filming was finished, Jonathan and I went up the coast for lunch in a town called Hilarys. It was very nice indeed (as you can see from the view from the restaurant below). Jonathan is a very interesting man to speak to and I got a really good insight into life as an ex pat, his former UK TV career as well as the broadcasting that he does here in Western Australia.

I'll be seeing Jonathan (pictured below) again on Tuesday as we'll both be taking part in a special edition of his ABC 720 show that will be linking up with Gary and Lisa on Real Radio. I've just heard the audio promo pieces (known as a BED in the radio industry) and I have to admit that they gave me goosebumps. It's brilliant and stirring stuff indeed. Please tune in to that if you can on Tuesday. I'll post a link to the show tomorrow night.

I finished the day by double checking the day 1 route out of Perth. It's potentially quite tricky, with lots of twists and turns and I want to be as familiar as possible with it before I have to run it. Of course, once out of Perth, the next 1640 miles to Adelaide will see only 3 major turns being made.

As I type this blog post the first support team member, Graham, will be on his way from Newcastle to Dubai. Before he arrives, tomorrow evening, I will be getting the final supplies for the run as well as a satellite phone hopefully.

As ever, I'll close by saying thanks for the donations for the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation and the Children's Foundation. The charity fund currently stands at £15,119 which is brilliant but there is such a very long way to go to reach my own personal £50,000 target. Please consider making a donation. If you do then please remember to leave a message of encouragement. I will be able to read and take great motivation from them.

That's all for now and don't forget that Run Geordie Run Down Under ... With Benfield gets underway next week!!