Day 43

This blog starts as I was sleeping in Chudniv on Wednesday night. There was a lot of work going on outside by local people to try and fix Chappie's break. It had snapped off on Sunday night as I dragged Chappie into a bus stop.

I'm pleased to report that Chappie's break has not only been fixed but it works better than it ever has. When it's applied, there is no budging Chappie. Thank you to those kind people who worked in the dark in Chudniv to fix Chappie.

I didn't sleep very well overnight unfortunately. That's not unusual at all for this tour. I'm used to being in "listening mode" where I sleep very lightly in Chappie while listening out for passers by, stray dogs and other creatures.

I had a quick coffee and I was on my way from Andrew and Svitlana's house shortly after 0700. Thank you to them for the use of their settee for the night. It was a very foggy start to the day but I suspected that the sun would soon burn that away.

The aim was to reach Zhytomyr by 1900 where I would be staying with a family in the city. The prospect of my first rest day after 11 consecutive days of running 272 miles up and down many hills filled me with a lot of excitement but mainly determination. It seemed like months since I left Kalush. It was only last Monday but so much had happened since then. One thing's for sure, the media coverage in Kalush and then four days later in Turnopil has been hugely beneficial. I've met may people along my route who were fully aware of where I was running from, to and the reason why.  

As I passed the man below with his horse and cart near Dubyshche I thought to myself "How bad must your hemorrhoids be mate?".

I was stopped by two lads further down the road for a photo and they also made a kind donation to St Benedict's Hospice. In time honoured tradition, I paid the equivalent amount in Sterling to my Virgin Money Giving page straight away.

I stopped for an omelette, coffee and what I think was a chicken sandwich at a place called Chumats'kyy Tabir. It was a nice place with plenty of different kinds of food and vodka on offer.

The fog lifted and the sun shone brightly. I had a lot of shade during the first 10 miles of the day with very tall trees to my left and right. I noticed a lot of people foraging in the forest and also selling berries, mushrooms and other stuff at the side of the road. 

At the 13 mile point in Vysoka Pich there were a lot of people at the road side with products for sale. I saw similar road sellers almost all of the way to Zhytomyr. 

A car pulled alongside me at the 14 mile point and the ladies inside asked if I needed any help. While I was grateful for the concern they showed, they had stopped dead on a main road with cars and lorries backing up behind. I quickly said that I didn't need help and thanked them. The traffic got moving again as I set off on my way.

I stopped at a gas station on the outskirts of Korchak for a variety of bottled drinks. The taste of my warm mineral water hadn't been very refreshing at all. 

As I left the gas station I heard a very loud crash. I was immediately filled with dread. When I looked up I could see a bus 100 metres away that was freewheeling to a stop. As I got closer, I could see the side wall of the bus had been completely smashed away. Some of the passengers on the bus started dragging still bodies to the grass verge. The passengers sitting closest to the now missing side wall were covered in blood. A few local people started to help retrieve people from the bus. The driver of the lorry that had collided with the bus ran to see what damage had been caused. He limped as he ran and his arm looked injured. It was a scene of absolute carnage. I ran past while trying my best to focus on the horizon ahead.

I spent a few minutes gesturing to the oncoming speeding traffic to slow down. In a state of shock, I immediately rang Donna to tell her what I'd seen. I just needed to have a normal conversation to bring me back to reality and get my head back in the game. Obviously, my shock was nothing compared to the plight of those poor bus passengers. They were in my thoughts for the rest of the day. 

I don't want to appear to trivialise the accident but I must continue reporting the rest of my day.

I spent the remainder of the day running parallel to the Teteriv River. It was a long rolling road with a few testing climbs.        

Just before I reached the outskirts to Zhytomyr, I heard a car reversing at speed then a crash into the high roadside kerb. I turned around to see a driver getting out on the opposite side of the road to me. He was offering me the bottle of water he had in his hand. The traffic was busy in both directions so I politely gestured to decline his offer. He seemed ok about it and got back in his, now damaged, car.

There were still five or so miles to my end point when I saw the sign below. 

I reached the built up area of Zhytomyr and my heart sank when I saw a steep climb with 1.5 miles still to run. Half way up the climb a cyclist called Yuri (below right) grabbed a section of Chappie and started to help me up the hill. At the top of the hill, I laughed when another cyclist called Yuri (below left) asked if he could help. "You're a bit late mate" I said. Both men spoke decent English and they kindly escorted me to the family home after 32.5 miles and 12 hours of running. 

Waiting to greet me with the family that I would be staying with was my contact in Zhytomyr, Svitlana and her daughter. All of a sudden, I was surrounded by lots of kind people. I was so relieved to have made it through a very tough and demanding day. 

Day 42 had been the quickest day and this day had been the longest day in terms of mileage. After the many changes to my route since I left Kalush 11 days ago, I have ran an extra 24 miles during that time! That is a significant amount. I'm pleased that the remaining route to Kyiv is fairly straight.

There are now only 86 miles (138 km) to the finish of stage five of the run around the world. I'm aiming to reach Independence Square in Kyiv by 1200 on Tuesday 24th July. 

At the time of writing this blog, I'm not sure how I will approach the final few days. I'm filming with Ukraine TV on Sunday so that will affect things. My initial thoughts are to run 28 miles on Saturday and Sunday, 26 miles on Monday and do the final 4 miles on Tuesday.

In the meantime, if you've enjoyed following the journey via the Run Geordie Run Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram or this blog then please consider making a donation to St Benedict's Hospice.

If you don't know what a hospice is then please watch this short video.

A donation can be made via my Virgin Money Giving page meaning that your money goes straight to the hospice. Please click here to make a donation.

Day 43

Limited update today due to exhaustion. Full summary to follow tomorrow.

Day 42

I found it very difficult to get out of Chappie this morning. I felt very tired and I didn’t set off until 1000. I had a decent sleep and the spot that I chose to setup camp last night proved to be a good one. 

I wanted 29 - 32 miles today and straight away I felt under pressure due to the late start. 

The first few miles were long and straight and I made it to the 8 mile point in Lyubar in a pretty decent time. I stocked up on water and continued on my way. 

I took a left hand turn at the sign for Zhytomyr. I’m beginning to remember some of the Ukrainian alphabet which makes life a little easier. 

I stopped at a shop in Novyi Lyubar and had a look at what I could get to eat. I settled for some cheese and made a sandwich outside using the bread that Yuri had given me yesterday. I had a few conversations while I was eating with various people. The lady in the picture below was flabbergasted when I told her that I’d ran 1100 km from Belgrade over the last 42 days. 

I went back in the shop for a coffee and they wouldn’t accept my money, saying it was a gift. 

With some food and coffee inside me I decided to pick up the pace during the afternoon. As I ran along, I felt really strong. I thought that there was a possibility that today may be the quickest of the entire tour. 

I didn’t let the traffic in Yurivka slow me down too much! 

After Yurivka, there was a gradual climb that seemed to go on forever. I tried as hard as I could to keep up a quick pace and the miles seemed to fly by. 

The quality of the road surface was pretty good with only the occasional pothole. There were a few sections with protruding sharp stones. It was the kind of surface that ruined my feet in Australia. I had to concentrate hard on where I was stepping. 

A man stopped me in Krasnoselka to warn me of the dangerous road ahead. 5 minutes later I heard a lorry behind me sounding its horn. I looked around to see another lorry overtaking it. The first lorry obviously wanted me to pull over into the dirt at the side of the road. I stood my ground which meant the lorry had to slow down and stop until they could overtake. The horn continued sounding and I could see a very irate driver mouthing something at me as he passed. 

The running into the late afternoon was very pleasant with views of lakes, sunflowers and the many farmers fields. 

I made it to Chudniv and decided to call in at the local shop for a Coca Cola. When I came outside I got talking to a couple called Svitlana and Andrew. They had read about me in the local paper. I asked them if there were any safe places to sleep outside of Chudniv on the road to Zhytomyr. They were kind enough to offer me a place on their sofa bed for the night. Their Grandson, Daniel, accompanied me the 100 metres to their home. 

I was made a very nice cup of English tea and had some of their home made goats cheese. It wasn’t long until a journalist turned up at the house and I gave a very thorough interview. 

The mayor also arrived and presented me with 3 bottles of local spirits and a brochure explaining all about the history of Chudniv. 

I was also interested to learn that the world’s tallest man, Leonid Stadnyk, was from Chudniv. Sadly he passed away 4 years ago. 

Andrew called upon some neighbours to have a look at Chappie’s damaged break. They are still working on it outside in the dark as I sit here writing my blog. 

A huge thank you to Svitlana and Andrew for their kind hospitality. I didn’t think I’d be getting a shower until tomorrow in Zhytomyr. 

I’ll be setting off at 0700 tomorrow morning to ensure that I arrive in Zhytomyr at a decent time. I’ve just heard from Donna who has been looking at the stats that today was the quickest of the tour so far. I ran 28.6 miles today. It’s 32 miles to Zhytomyr so I’ll need another repeat of today’s performance. It won’t be easy but the prospect of a rest day after 11 consecutive days of running is a huge incentive. 

Finally today, thank you to those kind people who have sponsored me in aid of St Benedict’s Hospice. If you’d like to do so then please visit http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/rungeordierun.

Day 41

I had a very good sleep in the air conditioned hotel room in Starokostyantyniv. As with dinner the night before, breakfast was brought to my room. Much to my relief so were eight days of my laundry. The staff at the Sluch hotel had done a brilliant job. 

Breakfast consisted of eggs, sausage (with a tasty mustard like filling), toast, cheese and coffee. Smachno. 

I packed up my things, loaded up Chappie and the days running got underway just before 1000. I felt very sluggish and the prospect of running for a ninth consecutive day was difficult to contemplate. 

I reached the outskirts of town only to be pulled over by the police. I told the English speaking male officer about my journey and we took photos. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about police in Ukraine (and prior to this in Romania) they love a selfie. 

I received a message from Yuri and Victoria, who I met on Saturday. It said that Yuri would be passing and as well as food and water he would deliver a slice of cheesecake that Victoria had made. 

With the prospect of a food delivery later in the day I all of a sudden began to run much quicker. There were many climbs to run up and I did my best on each of them. 

There was an unannounced downpour at the 14 mile point. It just came out of nowhere. I had my waterproof and poncho on within 20 seconds. They were off again after five minutes as the baking hot sunshine returned. 

Yuri turned up at the 18 mile point with bread, water, cheese, tuna and the slice of cheesecake. I had my first break of the day and we talked for a while. 

I could tell by talking to Yuri and also from the messages I’ve received from both him and Victoria that there is a real concern for my wellbeing. It is a huge comfort to me, knowing that so many people are following the journey and are willing to help. 

Yuri left in his car and all of a sudden I felt very alone. 

As I sat eating bread, I had an awkward conversation with an old lady. I don’t think she could understand that I was a foreigner. She seemed to leave satisfied that we’d had a worthwhile conversation.

It took me another mile to reach the “top road”. This was the road that I could have joined early on Sunday. This was the popular choice of road amongst the people back in Lanivsti. Had I taken that road then I wouldn’t have had a shower and bed last night. The popular route is five miles shorter but that was a sacrifice I was willing to take for some cleanliness. 

The top road was a lot quieter than I thought it would be. I call it the top road as the more southerly road that I’d been on since Sunday morning ran parallel with it. 

The road was long and straight and I could see quite far ahead. I began to wonder with all of the trees to my left and right, whether I’d be able to find a suitable place to setup camp. 

I entered the Zhytomyr Oblast at the 25 mile point for the day. I assumed that the sign below was telling me that. 

As the sun began to dip towards the horizon behind me I continued to look for a suitable place to setup camp. This is always the most difficult part of the day. It’s a task that I often dread.

At the 25.9 mile point a wide entrance to a farmers field appeared to my left. I was 2 miles short of my target for the day but decided to setup camp there. 

There were a lot of small flies hovering around but they didn’t bother me too much. I tried my best to anchor Chappie to the ground. I forgot to mention that two days ago the brake snapped off the bar. This means that securing Chappie is now a lot more difficult. Running downhill is also a challenge without a brake. 

There are now just 60 miles left to the next rest day in Zhytomyr.

Tomorrow is my tenth consecutive day of running. I need at least 30 miles and then the remainder will be done on Thursday. I’m so looking forward to a rest day and also speaking to some people in Zhytomyr at an English speaking group. 

I start the final push (or pull) to Kyiv on Saturday morning. It’s 88 miles to the finish line in Independence Square from Zhytomyr which will see my required average daily mileage reduced to 22. I’ll be ignoring that figure in an attempt to reach the end by 1200 on Tuesday.

Day 40

I had a decent amount of sleep in the bus shelter near Korchivka. It wasn’t until I put my head in the hood of my sleeping bag at 0600 that I really slept well. After this time I dreamt of a Chinese baby in a cart attached to Chappie. I was dragging them both up a mountain side. Work that one out dream analysts! 

I was woken by the sound of footsteps. I peered out of the rear hatch and an old man was glaring at me from half a meter away. I said hello and he moved away to wait for his bus. He came back and I explained about my journey. In astonishment, he put his head in his hands. I knew that the old man and me were good at this point. 

A few other passengers arrived and they boarded the west bound bus at 0715. 

I packed up Chappie and set off at 0800. After enjoying writing last nights blog and the prospect of a much needed shower at the end of today, I felt determined and it showed with some quicker than usual miles. Chappie felt lighter than usual and I think eating more calories the day before also helped. 

I’ve passed a few of the structures in the image below recently. I must try and find out what they are called and their purpose. 

A farmer pulled over in his tractor and I told him about my journey from Belgrade to Kyiv. Cue one more look of astonishment. 

I reached Antoniny just before noon. It looked like a nice place with numerous lakes of various sizes. 

After 11.5 miles, I arrived in the main square at noon and bought a couple of hot dogs. They were very nice and it didn’t take long for me to eat them.

I was asked for a few photos from the locals which I’m always happy to oblige with. I’m still puzzled as to the level of interest in Ukraine but it does help to make the journey a lot more bearable. 

I got talking to a girl called Vira. She’d previously worked in London so her English was excellent. We talked about my journey and also about our respective jobs. 

I set off again at 1300 and felt quite tired in the midday sun. I got stopped for a few photos down the road and exchanged enthusiastic high fives with the children in the picture below. 

A man that I’d previously met in Antoniny stopped to present me with a bottle of Pepsi. I saw him later in the day to receive a bottle of Sprite. 

As the afternoon went on I got slower and slower. My feet were very sore. With 4 miles to go I took my 3rd painkiller of the day. I reached the outskirts of Starokostyantyniv and was greeted by a family with some berries. I ate a handful and we took some photos. Also present was a young lad from the Ukrainian army. He asked me if I needed food or water. I said that I had everything that I needed. I’ve still got a ration pack from the Ukrainian army. 

There was a slight climb into the town centre and by this time I was in a considerable amount of pain. There was only one thing for it - to put my foot down with a bit of AC/DC. 

  

The next mile was decent. I chose a track by Faithless next - “We come one”. After that, mile 28 was the quickest of the tour so far at 13:00. It would have been quicker but I was concerned that the contents of my basket would drop out. I wound the speed down to the finish line and stopped running after 29.5 miles. 

The finish line was a hotel where the shower that I’d been dreaming about all day was waiting for me.  

A young lad named Tolia was there to greet me and he was able to translate to the hotel that I had a bag of laundry that could do with washing. To my utter joy the hotel were able to take that on. Thank you to the Sluch hotel for that. Thanks also to my contact Lena and her mother who did the booking and sent some lovely food to my room. I ate the lot. 

What a day! I’m pleased to say that things are going to plan. I now have 3 days to run 86 miles to Zhytomyr. I’m so looking forward to a rest day on Friday after what will be 11 consecutive days of running. It seems like months ago since I left Kalush.

Day 39

I woke up after a very good and much needed sleep in the accommodation above Yuri and Victoria’s auto workshop. Having only had one hour of sleep the night before I couldn’t help but thinking how fortunate I’d been to unexpectedly recharge my batteries. Also, there was a hearty breakfast on offer and the calories were also very much needed. 

Breakfast consisted of salad, eggs, bread and sausages. Afterwards, there was a delicious homemade blueberry pie. In my world that bit is known as “breakfast pudding”. Victoria told me that her Mam and Aunty has made it late last night especially for breakfast! I turned down the offer of a second piece. I was so full. It was definitely an athlete’s breakfast full of protein and carbs. Smachno!

We finished off with a coffee from the workshop retail section. Victoria’s Dad asked if I needed any supplies for Chappie such as a pump or puncture patches. I told him that I had all that I needed and thanked him for his kindness. I joked with him via Yuri and Victoria’s translation that he was the best smelling man that I’d met in Ukraine. He was clean shaven and I think I must have seen him last night and this morning after he’d just had a shower. 

I packed up Chappie and Victoria handed me a packed lunch consisting of bread, meat, eggs, veg and cheese. I was also given two bottles of water. I now had enough to last me until Starokostyantyniv.

  

I said goodbye to Yuri, Victoria and her Dad with handshakes and hugs. What lovely lovely people. 

It took me half an hour to get through Lanivtsi. I spoke to Donna via WhatsApp and had to end the call due to the loud horns of the passing lorries. I think that they were part of a wedding procession.

A drunken cyclist then insisted on getting too close. I had to stop in my tracks to avoid any collision. He seemed to be frustrated that I wasn’t talking back to him in Ukrainian but I may have been mistaken. He stopped at a bar/cafe and I continued on my way. 

A mile down the road the cyclist returned. I think he must have had a “top up” in the bar. He wasn’t cycling very straight at all. He muttered a few angry words in my direction and tried to grab my arm. I politely threatened him and that was the last I saw of him. 

I’m sure that the small amount of drunken men that I’ve met this week mean me no harm but I have found them very annoying. 

At the five mile point I saw Yuri again with his father. They were on the way back from their lake where they’d caught a fish! It was 8kg. 

One for the geeks now - I’ve played a lot of Far Cry 5 on the Xbox this year and that involves fishing. I’m sure it’s a Carp. 

I said another goodbye to Yuri and his father in law. I was immediately inspired to write the following on my Facebook page. 

“It is difficult to find the words to express my gratitude to the wonderful people that I have met in Ukraine. 

They “get me” and I “get them”. 

They open their homes to me. 

They feed me. They give me water. 

We laugh. We shake hands and we hug. 

We show each other pictures of our families. 

We share jokes (usually based on our difficulties in communicating).

There is something very special about this country and it’s people. 

I have found that love, respect and kindness are a common language. 

If we all communicated using those three things then the world would be a much better place I think.”  

The potholes and usual traffic problems returned after 8 miles. The road surface was very poor after this for the rest of the day. At least the roads were very flat with only two climbs to do all day. 

It was nice to receive an enthusiastic wave from some nearby farm workers. They were one of many people during the day to wave or ask for a photo. Many of the people who’d asked for a photo had seen the recent appearance of Chappie and me on TV. 

During the course of the day I was for forced to wear my waterproof and poncho. They are the perfect way of keeping dry and with the land being so flat I could see the rain approaching from a distance. 

In Teofipol I had a conversation with a man who spoke very good English. I told him about my journey but sadly had to turn down his kind offer of accommodation for the night. I still had another 12 miles to do. 

I stopped for a quick coffee and a croissant around the corner and a group of people asked for photos. They had also seen me on TV. I think one lady asked if there was room enough for two people in Chappie. Her mime included pointing inside Chappie and making a smooching motion with her lips! Oh how I laughed. 

As I set off one of the ladies presented me with some mini croissants and a bottle of Coca Cola. I thanked them all and headed up a large hill filled with potholes. 

The road straightened out and became flat again. This route was a good choice with very little traffic making for a very safe day. 

Once again Desert Island Discs helped pass the time. What doesn’t help my mental state however, is me thinking of the finish line. Not only that but thinking that there is only one Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday left before I reach the finish line in Kyiv.

Thinking about the end of any stage of the run Around The World too soon has always been an issue for me. When I was close to the end of the run across the USA in terms of time but not in distance things almost unravelled for me. I was running around the clock during the final two weeks. I consumed a huge amount of caffeine to get me through the days considerable mileage. During the final week I was subject to a lot of anxiety, worry and panic. With three days to go, the mileage deficit was cut to 57 miles with 150 miles to go to the finish line. 

Somehow, I managed to cut that deficit to 29 miles on the final day. That meant I had to run 60 miles on day 100 of the run across the USA. They were very nervy times and I still have the feeling of huge relief that I managed to run 3100 miles on 100 days from California to New York. It wasn’t easy especially in those final days. 

The same thing happened near the end of the run across Australia. I wanted the end of that run to happen so badly. I’d spent 70 days in considerable pain during the hottest Australian summer on record surrounded by flies every day. It felt to me that the 2384 mile run from Perth to Shellharbour would never end. I almost lost my mind thinking about the finish line. It was also difficult seeing Donna suffering in squalid conditions with me in the RV. A regular overnight temperature of 35-38 Celsius made for a horrendous situation. 

I quit the run across Australia with less than 200 miles to go. Mentally, I couldn’t make one more step. The following morning, in a Sydney hotel, I made the decision to continue. I needed 4 normal days off before coming back to run the final miles. 

The run across Europe in 2016 was very tough mentally and physically. The mileage was considerable and for 52 days I was on schedule. Once Donna and I made the decision to end the run in Belgrade due to the military coup attempt in Istanbul I lost focus. The damage that the RV took in Italy didn’t help matters. Neither did having an alcoholic on the team. 

I decided to quit the run across Europe as I ran up the Stelvio Pass. Donna told me to think about it. It took a phone call from personal trainer David Fairlamb to keep me running and I spoke to him every day until I reached the finish line in Belgrade. Having Steve Harrison on the team brought some huge enjoyment to the final stages of the run across Europe. The final weeks with Richard and Donna on the team and all of the positivity that was on the team really helped. There were still dark moments for me in Croatia and Serbia but somehow I reached the finish line at the Victor statue. 

So the point I’m trying to make is that I’m now in a very vulnerable phase of a multi month ultra run. I don’t have a recognised support team but what I do have is the incredible kindness being shown on an almost daily basis here in Ukraine. I’ve also got daily telephone support from Donna. She has talked me through some pretty low times since I left Belgrade on June 7th. There have been times where I couldn’t see me finishing this run, particularly when I was in Romania with puncture after puncture happening. It’s all worked out so far though. 

I’m now focusing on getting to the hotel in Starokostyantyniv tomorrow. Then it’ll be 3 big days of running to get to Zhytomyr by Thursday. I’m looking forward to meeting members of an English speaking group there on my first rest day since I left Kalush. 

It will then take 3.5 days (or less) to run 88 miles to the finish line in Kyiv. I can’t let myself think about that too much until I set off from Zhytomyr on Saturday.

As my watch clicked onto 29 miles for today I found myself alongside a bus shelter. There were no other obvious options to setup camp so I lifted Chappie inside. Let’s hope I get more than 1 hours sleep tonight which was what happened 2 nights ago the last time I slept in a bus shelter.

I hope that you're enjoying following my journey. It’s not the stage around the world that I thought it would be but there have been so many positives so far. 

Please consider making my efforts worthwhile by making a donation to St Benedict’s Hospice. That can be done by visiting http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/rungeordierun.