9000 miles of support and kindness

On the back of the link to www.rungeordierun.com appearing on nufc.com a couple of days ago, there have been some brilliant messages received from exiled Geordies who live on or near my route through Ukraine and Russia. 

Given how valuable such assistance has proved to be in the past (notably in California, Nevada, The Rocky Mountains, New York, Perth and Sydney) I'll be following up on these offers of help.

I've met some amazingly friendly and helpful Geordie ex-pats during the first 9,000 miles of the run around the world. Some of them have proven to be absolute game changers and all of them have shown me some incredible kindness and support. 

Nick Davison and his family (pictured above) let me hang out at their house during the build up to the run across the USA. I remember eating the most delicious sandwiches! Nick ran the first few miles with me on day 1 from Huntington Beach. Nick also tipped off his friend that I would be running through where he lived in Denver (See below). 

I was only 2 miles into day 41 of the run across the USA when I noticed a car pulled up ahead. Then I noticed the driver with a black and white shirt on. It was Dave and Lesley Greaves (pictured above) who had been driving all day to try and find me. They were on holiday and wanted to hand over 200 US Dollars (£123) sponsorship money from the NUFC Midlands Supporters Club. What a gesture! What generosity! What great timing when I felt quite lonely on the road. 

Nick Davison's friend, John Bulman (pictured with his partner Carrie above) was a police officer that I met in the Rocky Mountains west of Denver. He ran with me for a day and helped make the miles go quicker. If memory serves me correct he was from Keswick originally and was a Carlisle United supporter. I also remember Carrie introducing me to an energy product called Honey Stinger Waffles.

A few days after meeting John, he brought his colleague to meet me (pictured above) as I ran east out of Denver. That's one of my favourite photos of the entire run around the world so far by the way.

Who can ever forget the people pictured above who ran with me for the final 13 miles of the run across the USA. I'd suffered a week of terrible anxiety finding it hard to deal with being so close to the finish line in terms of time but not in distance. 

I'll be forever grateful to the Toon Army NYC branch for the company on those final miles on what turned out to be a 60 mile day. Also present at the bottom right hand corner is Dave from Real Radio. He ran a few miles with me as I reached NYC but had to get a taxi to the finish line as his feet were sore!

Pictured below is Alan and Tim (aka The Exiles) who wrote and recorded a charity song (available on iTunes - search Run Geordie Run). Alan (and his wife) were at the start and end of the run across the USA. Tim made it to the finish in time for a celebratory pint with the rest of the Toon Army NYC branch.

Pictured above are Mel and John from Perth, Australia. John, originally from Cramlington, reached out to me after seeing coverage on nufc.com. Along with Darren (pictured below on the right) they were at the start line of the run across Australia at Cottesloe Beach. 

Darren and John ran the first 13 miles with me and it proved to be a great send off on what was to become the most difficult stage of all those done around the world so far.

Mel and John let me use the facilities of their holiday cottage on day 2 and were present on support team duties from days 8 - 13 of the run across Australia. They both cooked many a fine meal and various snacks throughout their time on the team. They even converted Graham on the support team to meat after decades of being a vegetarian such was the quality of their cooking. 

Pictured below is Helen whose relation initially saw a request for help for accommodation in Perth on Twitter. Helen was kind enough to put me up for a few days before the run across Australia started, helped me shop for supplies and (due to the nature of her job) provided telephone support when I needed it. That phycological support was extended 3 years later during the run across Europe.

Helen has had a patient knack of helping me to gain a sense of perspective and putting me back on the right course on some very difficult and dark days. 

Pictured above is the person who I refer affectionately to as "The man who saved day 63". I'll let Donna's blog post from the day take up the story.

A spectacular start to the morning was soon to be over. Mark was becoming increasingly hassled by the flies and the pain had started again in his feet. Mark sent me a message so say how much he was struggling, I knew that this would be a low end to the morning. 

As I waited for Mark to approach the RV, I started to prepare for water exchange and a snack. Just then I heard the blip of a siren. My heart sunk, I was parked perched on the corner of a farmer's track – was I in trouble? 

I coyly went to the front of the RV to step out and saw a flash of a Newcastle top! This had to be good news! 

I was greeted by a big smile from Andrew, the Zone Commander for New South Wales Fire and Rescue. Andrew had previously been in touch on Facebook as he lives in a town not too far from where Mark would be running. Andrew's Dad was originally from North Shields so the family are big supporters of 'the toon'. This was great! 

In the distance a very dreary Mark was heading towards us, he almost dropped to his knees when he saw the friendly black and white stripes. His pace quickened and he greeted Andrew with a huge bear hug!".

The rest, as they say, is history and Andrew spent the next few days bringing supplies and checking in on us. His job covered a huge area and he passed us quite a few times. 

I genuinely think that I was ready to quit that day. I dread to think what the outcome would have been without our chance meeting with Andrew.

Donna's blog for the day says it all really and concludes with:

"The break with Andrew had cost Mark an hour, it was certainly well worth it as he skipped into the next running stretch for the day.".

I tweeted "Break over. Time to get back out there. I'm in the mood to attack again.". 

Finally, there was Pete Smith (pictured above) who ran the final 10k of the run across Australia with me. The previous 2378 miles from Perth had been physically and mentally torturous. The final 6 miles with Pete were very calm, casual and I remember feeling like I was on a lunchtime training run. It was such a contrast to the previous 81 days of heat, flies, blood, sweat, tears and pain. 

Donna's blog from the day - "I presumed that it was someone who had stopped to check that Mark was ok - a common feature of the last 82 days. How wrong could I be? Just when the glory of the finish line awaited, up pops a Geordie! Pete Smith, a friend of nufc.com, lives in Sydney and had followed the journey throughout. As luck had it he was in the area with family and kindly offered to join Mark as support for the final stretch.".

As well as the people mentioned above there are the various support team members, the local well wishers, the sponsors and helpers and all of the kind people who support me via social media. Putting all of that together has meant that I have managed to successfully run 9,000 miles across the UK, USA, Australia and Europe. There are so many people to write about and thank when I sit down and think about it.

All of the liaisons with the above people can be traced back to coverage given to my running on nufc.com. There's another set of people to thank for sure!

Of course, I now have Chappie (The Chapman Ventilation Around The World Buggy) pictured above, to support me. I'm looking forward to writing about the next group of people that we'll meet between Belgrade and the southern tip of New Zealand in a few years time.

Every ounce of help offered to me during the remaining 11,000 miles across Serbia, Romania, Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, China, Japan and New Zealand will be gratefully received. The support and generosity shown is never something that I take for granted. It has and will continue to help me achieve my ambition to go some way to repaying the debt of gratitude that I feel towards local charities.

Raising half a million pounds or more by the time I reach the end of the world is not going to be an easy task.  Running the remaining 11,000 miles isn't going to be easy either and isn't without its fair share of risks. What in life that is worth anything at all comes easy?

This promises to be a continuing fascinating journey and with a lot of help and support I'm confident of suceeding.

Thank you NUFC.COM

There are only 96 days to go before the start of stage five of the Run Around The World. There isn't a day goes by where I'm not checking the 2,900 mile route from Belgrade through Serbia, Romania, Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan to Astana. That is on top of a whole load of other tasks to be crammed in before Chappie* and I depart on June 4th 2018.   

I must say a huge thank you to nufc.com for continued support on their tremendous website. On and off, I've had a presence on the site for around about 17 years now where they have featured many of my running exploits. 

It's difficult to quantify, but many many thousands of pounds have been donated to the charities I raise funds for as a result of the support given by nufc.com. So far, almost £295,000 has been raised for local charities. It's with a huge amount of gratitude that I attribute a great deal of that amount to the visitors to nufc.com. 

There's hardly a week goes by where somebody says to me something like "I've followed you on nufc.com since the run across the USA" or "We heard about your from nufc.com". 

As well as the incredible support from nufc.com and the many fellow Newcastle United supporters, a lot of my commercial sponsors originated via publicity on the site. Chapman Ventilation is one such example. The company is based down south but, because of their Dad's back and white allegiance, they are Newcastle supporters. 

Chapman Ventilation paid the full production costs of Chappie *(or the Chapman Ventilation Around The World Buggy to give it its full title). That's me pictured below with Chappie in the middle of a snow and thunder storm.

Thanks again to nufc.com for their incredible support. With so many people doing some brilliant fundraising I'm incredibly grateful to them for all that they have done and continue to do for Run Geordie Run and my quest to raise funds for St Benedict's Hospice. 

If you would like to sponsor my 2,900 mile run starting June 4th and finishing 100 days later on September 11th then please visit http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/rungeordierun.

There are only 99 days to go until the start of the 2,900 mile run from Belgrade, Serbia through Romania, Ukraine, Russia to Astana in Kazakhstan.

This is stage five of the 20,000 mile run around the world and all donations are in aid of St Benedict's Hospice who cared for my Mam. Please donate at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/rungeordierun.

Countdown to The Road to Astana - 99 days

There are only 99 days to go until the start of the 2,900 mile run from Belgrade, Serbia through Romania, Ukraine, Russia to Astana in Kazakhstan.

This is stage five of the 20,000 mile run around the world and all donations are in aid of St Benedict's Hospice who cared for my Mam. Please donate at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/rungeordierun. 

The Road to Astana - Significant dates.

These are the significant dates, plus some other figures, for stage 5 of the run around the world (The Road to Astana).

Monday June 4th (Day 1) - Start from Pobednik (The Victor statue) in Belgrade, Serbia.

Wednesday June 6th (Day 3) - Enter Romania.

Thursday June 14th (Day 11) - Enter Ukraine.

Sunday July 8th (Day 35 ) - Enter Russia.

Friday July 13th (Day 40) - Birthday in Russia.

Monday July 23rd (Day 50) - Halfway point in Russia, 1420 miles.

Friday August 24th (Day 82) - Enter Kazakhstan.

Tuesday September 11th (Day 100) - Finish at the Bayertek Tower in Astana, Kazakhstan, 2840 miles.

I have 8 scheduled rest days during the 100 day run. I will be spending the following number of days in each country:

Serbia - 2 days

Romania - 8 days

Ukraine - 24 days

Russia - 47 days

Kazakhstan - 19 days.

Based on the previous four world stages I expect to burn approximately 630,000 calories during the 100 day campaign. I expect to lose approximately 6 stone in weight and 20% body fat. The picture below left was taken on day 3 of the run across the USA and the one on the right 97 days later.

I will wear out nine pairs of Brooks Glycerin shoes running 2840 miles in 100 days. I'm uncertain as  to how many tyres Chappie will get through.

If you would like to sponsor me in aid of St Benedict's Hospice then please visit http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/rungeordierun where any donation will be gratefully received and put to extremely good use by the Hospice.

The Road to Astana begins on....

It has been a busy first 6 weeks in 2018 and the following are my random thoughts about what's going on in the build up to stage five of the Run Around The World. I can definitely feel a real sense of momentum building as the start of stage five fast approaches.

The main task recently has been to start the visa application process for Russia. I must say that the Russian Tourist Office have been very helpful and provided me with advice on what type of visa to apply for and the process to follow. I have to wait 90 days before entering Russia before beginning the visa application process so that will start on March 1st where they will send me a letter of invitation. That's the important document that I'll take to the Russian Embassy in Edinburgh and formally apply for a visa. 

Once the visa application is successful, I'll be able to confirm the start date in Belgrade as the 4th of June 2018. It's a Monday meaning that I'll be scheduled to finish the 2,900 mile run from Belgrade to Astana on Tuesday the 11th of September 2018. The start date is one month later than I had originally planned and the reason for this is so that I can see the new Star Wars movie at the end of May. I'm a huge fan of Star Wars and couldn't face missing the new film, Solo, in the cinema. Sad but true.

After I get my visa in March, I'll be booking my flight to Belgrade and the return flight from Astana. That's going to be straightforward. What isn't so, is to figure out how I can transport Chappie (pictured with me below) safely to Serbia and then safely home from Kazakhstan. At this moment in time, it seems to me like the most complicated logistical aspect of any stage so far of the Run Around The World. It's not like I can nip down to the post office for a box to post it in. It's a tricky one for sure. 

There are a whole host of other questions starting to be asked. One such one is what do I do once I land in Belgrade. Do I sleep in Chappie straight away? Do I book a hotel with safe storage for Chappie for a few days before the run starts? I'll need a couple of days to prepare for the run and grab a few supplies. The whole issue of transporting Chappie is something that I'm giving serious thought to. Watch this space when I have the answers.

  

Another ongoing task is to study the route in greater detail on Google Maps. I'm making notes as to what shops/bakeries/garages etc are available to me each day. If all goes to plan, for example, I'll be stocking up at the garage below in Ukraine on July 4th. 

Google Maps has rarely let me down and has been instrumental in my planning to run across the USA, Australia and Europe. With the addition of Street View it's possible to get a really good feel of the types of roads I'll be running on.

I also need to think about purchasing the final crucial items for the trip. There aren't many things left to get but the Garmin InReach tracking device is top of the list. This needs to be purchased soon as I want to trial it on a 3 day training exercise with Chappie in Northumberland at the end of March. I need a couple of lights to attach to the rear of chappie and also one for my harness. I also need to start thinking about the kit I'll be running in and get the sponsors logos applied.

Also on my list are a few Team Run Geordie Run related tasks and it looks like we will have a slightly larger team (close to 30) than last year at this year's Great North Run. Thirteen of the team have come from Primal Fitness and Performance where I've been training four times a week recently. The picture below is of me pushing my new favourite piece of kit, The Prowler. Me and it have a love/hate relationship!

I'm really enjoying my training at Primal. The consistency that I've found to get out of bed early to attend four morning sessions four times a week is unprecedented. It's been very hard work but I feel far more mechanically sound than ever before and the mild pain that I've experienced in my knees for years has completely gone. I should add that this pain usually disappears during the big trans continental campaigns but is always apparent in normal day to day life. I'll leave it to the experts to analyse that one.

Back to Chappie, and thanks to my main sponsor, SOS Group who are providing me with use of their large van from March, I'll be able to transport him(?) to various locations to train with. This will give me more options than always running with Chappie from my home in Bedlington. 

In other news, I'm pleased to confirm that the Around The World Ball will be held on October 13th 2018 at the Biscuit Factory in Newcastle. Tickets will be on sale at the end of February and are likely to be priced at £45 each or £400 for a table of 10. Fingers crossed that we sell out our fourth consecutive ball. 

There are so many other things I could talk about including the great start to fundraising that has been made for St Benedict's Hospice. At the time of writing the first £1000 has almost been raised. The  amount raised for this fundraising campaign is £26,529.26 and I'm confident of breaking the £300,000 barrier for the overall amount raised around the world before I start running in June. 

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to that total. Thanks also to the sponsors shown above for their continued support.

Finally, for this blog post, I'll close with the simple image below which illustrates the countries ran through of the four completed stages and those that I still have left to do. A whopping 8,991 miles have been ran through 13 countries too far. All that remains are the remaining 11,009 miles through 7 countries. 

If you would like to sponsor my efforts in aid of St Benedict's Hospice then any amount would be gratefully received at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/rungeordierun. 

A busy January of training and planning

With just 150 days to go until the start of the 2,900 mile run from Belgrade to Astana there is hardly a day to spare in terms of training or planning.

This week has been very productive and it started with a very tough session at Primal Fitness and Performance at 0630 on January 2nd! I A further 5 gym sessions and a 7 mile Sunday morning run with my pal Steve Dobby (pictured below) completed a good week of training.

From a planning point of view, I had a very good meeting with Steve on Tuesday. We worked out a training schedule for January and a loose plan up to the end of May. We also came up with a list of tasks to be started in January. These include my Russian visa application, researching the freight options for Chappie, creating a kit list with the weight of each item and researching the best running kit to use given that I won't have access to a shower very often. 

I also continued looking at my route to Astana (as checked by Jimmy). I got as far as Oradea in Romania where I found a Lidl right on my route. With me being self sufficient, it's places like these that are going to play a hugely important role. I've already spotted many garages, delis, bakeries and supermarkets along the way. There are also many long stretches without any such facilities where I'll be making use of every bit of available space in Chappie to store as much food and water as I can.

I managed to setup my new fundraising page for St. Benedict's Hospice this week. Thank you to those kind folk who were quick to make a donation. 

There is a long way to go to hit my fundraising target for the Hospice in 2018. A very long way! With over £25,000 raised in 2017 for Useful Vision and The Children's Foundation the signs are there that there is enough support to be able to achieve this.

To say that last year's £25,000 and this year's targetted £30,000 is keeping me on my toes is an understatement. I'm working as hard as I possibly can to deserve the incredible generosity of sponsors and the general public alike. As I've said many many times, that generosity is something that I have and will never take for granted. If you'd like to make a donation then please visit www.virginmoneygiving.com/rungeordierun.

January will continue to be a busy month and I'll be meeting Steve again at the end of this month to discuss progress made. Meanwhile, Jimmy will continue to check and double check my route. Watch this space for further updates.

Progress being made on the route to Astana

A huge thank you to Jimmy for checking and double checking the first 54 days of my route from Belgrade to Astana. It’s a painstaking task and to have a fresh pair of eyes look at the route is a massive help. It also frees me up to do other things. Jimmy is a software tester and has all of the right attributes for this task. A keen eye for detail and a willingness to leave no stone unturned being just a couple. 

There are still 46 days left to check. Slicing the 2,900 mile route up into 31 mile chunks while checking each one from a safety and facilities point of view will take another month or so. 

Thanks for your efforts so far Jimmy.

The chosen charity for 2018

It's been a very busy 12 months full of research, planning and preparation for stage 5 of the run around the world. One thing is for sure, the 2900 mile route from Belgrade to Astana promises to be the most difficult yet on many fronts. The logistics have, at times, appeared to be almost unfathomable. I've lost a lot of sleep wondering how on earth I would be able to make it a success.

The first hurdle to overcome, of course, was to attract the required commercial backing to make the venture worthwhile. I wanted enough money to cover the costs of the tour but also a huge chunk of money to benefit the charities. SOS Group didn't hesitate in continuing as main sponsor. Chapman Ventilation, Fresh Freight Group, Active Edge, D-Line, Virgin Money, Northumberland Tea and Brooks were added soon after and Primal Fitness and Performance more recently. Thanks to all of those companies for their kind support. They have all helped to raise almost £25,000 so far in 2017 (£6837.59 for Useful Vision and £17,382.10 for The Children's Foundation). They are going to continue to help me smash my target of £50,000 for this current fundraising campaign which will give an overall total raised of over £320,000. That's some amazing support and generosity. Without the kind sponsors it just wouldn't be possible. 

The next hurdle was figuring out how to run 1000s of miles without a support team. To that end, it is thanks to my sponsor, Chapman Ventilation, that we now have "Chappie" aka the Chapman Ventilation Around The World Buggy. It will be my home for the remaining 11,000 miles around the world. It's a very impressive craft to look at "in the flesh" and reminds me of a life boat or some kind of space capsule. We will certainly be having many adventures and turning a lot of heads together in the year to come.

Once Donna and I were happy to proceed with stage 5 it was time to approach a charity to ask for permission to fundraise. 

2017 has given me a chance to have a really good think about where I want to concentrate my fundraising efforts going forwards. Of course, this year away from the run around the world, I've really enjoyed raising funds for Useful Vision. At the time of writing, almost £7000 has been raised. With 6 weeks of the year remaining I'm hopeful of getting the final total close to £8500. I always enjoy visiting their website and Facebook page. It's obvious to me that they put the money raised to great use to support vision impaired children and their families with many different activities. 

I knew very early this year which charity that I intended to approach for permission to fundraise once Donna and I would eventually sign off stage 5. In fact, it was the 9th of March when I chose St Benedict's Hospice as a potential charity. That is a very significant date for me as you will see below. I wrote the following over 10 years ago.

"The staff and services provided by St Benedict's Hospice made my Mam's final days battling cancer more dignified and taught us both how to, what she and I called, "live with cancer". 

My Mam attended the day care unit at the Hospice on a weekly basis for many months. It was during this time that the assessment and management of her treatment was undertaken by the specialist Hospice staff. It was certainly a bit of respite and relief for me, knowing my Mam was in good hands for a day receiving the kind of care and attention that I know she really appreciated. She often talked about the staff as if they were a bunch of her good friends. 

My Mam was admitted to the Hospice on the 27th December 1994. She spent a week there having her medication regulated and trying to get better and returned home with a renewed confidence to battle the cancer that she had and also support me while I did my 3rd year University exams. I passed with flying colours thanks to her support. 

The 20th February 1995 saw her return to the Hospice. Her condition had worsened and there she stayed until her passing away on the 9th March 1995. I feel I owe St Benedict's Hospice a huge debt of gratitude. If I can help them, in any small way, to continue to provide the kind of services to other terminally ill people in the region, then I will. 

This isn't just something I intend to do for a short time. I'd like to think I'll always try and raise funds for St Benedict's Hospice. Indeed, 2004 will be the 10th year of fundraising activities. I hope, in years to come, my son Jack will also have a part to play in this. And hopefully the support of my family and friends will continue. It's their money that is going to the Hospice after all."

I visited the hospice recently and presented my plans to run from Belgrade through Serbia, Romania, Ukraine, Russia to Astana in Kazakhstan. The visit also gave me a chance to have a look around the new hospice building. It goes without saying that I was very impressed and humbled with what I saw.  

To my huge relief, permission was granted to fundraise for the hospice in respect of stage 5 of the run around the world. For once, I didn't have a plan B so I'm pleased that I'm able to continue to repay the debt of gratitude that has never gone away.

For me personally, it's hard to describe just how good it feels to have a personal connection back to my fundraising. I was very close to both of my parents. To lose them both when I was young was, and still is, a difficult thing to cope with. My Dad died in 1988 when I was 17. I was 23 when my Mam died in 1995.

I'll be talking a lot more about St Benedict's Hospice over the coming months. For now, I'll close this blog with a part of the speech I gave when I announced my plans to run around the world in 2014.

"When my parents were taken from me when I was just a young man I could have done 1 of 2 things. I could have let the grief consume me and tear me apart (I must admit that it nearly did) or I could do something positive and put to good use the debt of gratitude I feel to local charities for at least trying to help my parents and for making their final days battling cancer as comfortable and dignified as possible. 

Fortunately, I chose the latter option and it has helped to ease the burden of grief that I have carried with me every day since I lost my parents. It is a most terrible dark feeling that is as painful in my heart right now as it was all of those years ago. Thankfully, through fundraising, I have found a way to control and even some days numb the pain. 

There is no doubt in my mind that raising funds for good causes has been as beneficial to me as it has to them and the beneficiaries of their charitable good deeds. 

Ladies and gentlemen, I do realise that my story is no different to many other peoples’ in this room today or in the street outside. We have all lost loved ones. It’s what we do, in their memory, for the greater good of others that is so very important.".

The Road to Astana gets the green light

After spending the last 12 months looking at the many aspects of segment five of the run around the world we (Donna and I) have decided that it will go ahead as planned, starting on the 1st May 2018. 

The original route that I proposed back in 2014 via Turkey and Georgia into Russia is an absolute non starter for safety reasons. The advice from the UK government regarding the route into Russia between the Black Sea and Caspian Sea is either "advise against all travel" or "advise against all but essential travel". 

It seems that the the decision made last year, to finish segment four early in Belgrade rather than Istanbul, was a very wise one. As planned, this has given us a chance to get back home, regroup and come up with the safest plan possible for the remaining 11,000 miles around the world. That plan now involves taking a more northerly route.

It will take 100 days (91 days x 31 miles and 9 rest days) to run the unsupported 2821 mile route from Belgrade, Serbia through Romania, Ukraine, Russia to Astana Kazakhstan. It doesn't look that far in the images below but it's almost the same width as my route across the USA.

We are under no illusions that running and pulling Chappie, aka the Chapman Ventilation Around The World Buggy for such a considerable distance is going to be easy. I'm looking at the positives though, as having a support team isn't always the easiest and happiest experience for me. Also, not having an RV is a relief after the damage that was inflicted on the one we had last year as a result of an unfortunate accident. This time, I'm in full control of the outcome. I'm very excited and in many ways relieved about that. I'll restate, though, that it's going to be very very difficult.

I'm also genuinely excited about what I call the "adventure" aspect of the Road to Astana. Cooking for myself, ensuring that I have enough food and water, tending to my feet, finding safe places to "park up" and sleep etc etc. Now let's have this conversation again after 1,500 miles when I'm in the middle of Russia! Let's see just how much I'm "excited" then!  

I will be sending my plans to my chosen charity next week and will seek the official sign off from them before the end of November. Following that there are two further obstacles to overcome. The first is getting a Russian visa. The second is coming up with a plan to transport Chappie safely to the start line in Serbia to and back from the finish line in Kazakhstan. To say that segment five of the run around the world is going to be the trickiest to complete is an absolute understatement. Just getting to the start line is taking a huge amount of planning.

I must thank those kind people who have helped keep my dream of raising at least another £50,000 for local causes alive. Thank you to my main sponsor SOS Group Ltd, Chapman Ventilation who have paid for the construction of Chappie and also FFG Logistics, Active Edge, D-Line Cable Management, Brooks, Virgin Money UK, Primal Fitness and Performance and Northumberland Tea for their amazing support.

Thanks also to James "Jimmy" Childs who is continuing his task of looking at my route in great detail.

Thanks also to the many supporters who have made a donation to The Children's Foundation and Useful Vision in 2017. The current fundraising total for 2017 stands at £23,913.70 with an overall total of 291,539.35. Watch this space in the next few weeks for news of the 2018 charity upon successful sign off.