Boise City to Guymon

A 55-mile stage for our friends today - flat, straight, hot and plenty of truck traffic, but at least there was a decent shoulder most of the way. Here's Claire keeping James company:



We crewed for most of the day, and then brought Jenni home the last few miles as the heat was really beginning to affect her, and we didn't want to have to make this particular detour:

It's REALLY hot out there...

100 degrees...


Jenni toughing it out...



...and James...



Don't be fooled by those fluffy clouds - they provide zero shade.

Location:Boise City, OK

Trans America (LA-NY) 2011

Rainer Koch from Germany, winner of Trans Europe 2009, is coasting along comfortably in first place after 26 brutally hot days. It was great running with him for a few miles, and seeing his Korean crew person June again.



Seven other runners (two Japanese, two Italian, two French and one Brit) are still in the race and battling along well. Today we helped our Dutch friends Jenni and Anneke to survive 100F temps, and met fellow countryman James for the first time. Our other German friend Peter Bartel is doing very well on his scooter. All are doing very well despite horrendous daily mileages and weather to match.



Now we're back at our finish line motel in Boise City. The Four Seasons it ain't. And not much like a stage finish at the Tour de France. But the air conditioning works, and here that's what matters most. Our friends have several more hours on the road today, which I don't envy them, but at least they will all have a cool place to rest up before another 55 miles of "fun in the sun" tomorrow.

Location:Boise City, OK

End the Madness!

A brilliantly organized event - 5 loops of 10.3 miles along the Arkansas River starting at midnight. Heat took its toll on me especially after the sun rose, but I was pleased to beat my 10 hour goal by 25 minutes. Claire had to settle for 3 loops, as her Achilles started to bother her, and we can't risk a tear less than 3 months before Ireland.

Location:Tulsa

Nearly midnight

Headed to the start of "Midnight Madness". It's hot out there - 88F. Mercy!

Location:Tulsa

Little Feat

No running today...time for some rock'n'roll! One of my all-time favorite bands (regrettably sans Lowell George) in a classic location.

Salomon South Down Trail Marathon - June 11, 2011

A beautiful day, beautiful weather, and a beautiful trail course event across the spectacular but very hilly, chalky and flinty South Downs in England. Claire placed second in her age group and beat her expectations by a huge margin, running 4hr 50mins. I ran a comfortable 4hr 16mins - way off the age group podium but - as ever these days for me - kein Stress.

Next up in Tulsa two weeks from now: a 50-miler starting at midnight aptly titled Midnight Madness. It's hot here now - 103F (40C) today. Ireland in September should be a pleasant change, as long as it doesn't rain continually!

Oklahoma City Half Marathon

We successfully completed our "bonsai" marathon last weekend. (This expression comes courtesy of our wonderful Swiss friends and recent houseguests, Christian & Ursula


Marti.). The weather was astonishingly cold & wet, but on balance the event was well managed and enjoyable. I managed to place in my division, and qualify for NYC Marathon; Claire ran well after her collarbone injury, and came close to beating 2 hours. Good times!

Next few races...

Four races upcoming to prepare for Ireland:
May 1 - Oklahoma City Half Marathon;
May 21 - Aquarium Run Half Marathon in Tulsa;
June 11 - South Downs Trail Marathon in England;
July 1 - Midnight Madness 50-miler in Tulsa.

That should shake out the cobwebs! Running is slow but unusually and mercifully pain-free these days.


- Posted from my new iPhone using my fat fingers

Next up - 11 days across Ireland

In September, Claire and I will be running the M2M Ultra - the length of Ireland (344.5 miles) divided into eleven daily stages averaging 32 miles each. The race starts at Malin Head in the North, and finishes at Mizen head in the Republic. Up to 16 of us will be living on a "luxury rock-and-roll sleeper bus with our own personal chef". As ultrarunning and luxury have been rarely known to appear in the same sentence, it should be interesting!

Runners from the Isle of Man, England, South Africa, Northern Ireland, Canada - and now us - are entered. Kudos to race organizers Rory and Jen for taking on what sounds like a great adventure.

RUSS done

We made it to Karlshagen today with plenty of time to spare. We're now officially at the Baltic coast! 325km (200 odd miles) in 5 days - Claire's longest ever running week. And her longest single run - 45 miles. It was great supporting her through the final four days. Party tonight, then bus back to Berlin early tomorrow morning. The race organization was impeccable, as was Leah's tireless crewing by bike. We seriously would not have made it without them all.

LEAH - After Stage 4

What a difference a good night's sleep makes. I'd had a bit of a down day yesterday due to what seemed like endless bike issues. But today was better even though I started out changing a flat and adjusting the gear shifting. The route was fantastic and I was so happy to meet Claire and Russ at the aid stations, though they needed very little from me. If you didn't know they were on the fourth ultra in so many days you'd have though they were taking an easy spin around Ladybird Lake. One of the highlights for me was going through the marshes and seeing the cormorants...a magical moment. Oh, and seeing the whole gaggle of German schoolkids, all out for a ride on the radweg. It was fantastic day, sure to be topped by tomorrow's finish. I'll be celebrating for not just Claire and Russ but all these folks I feel I've come to know along the way. Good times!

CLAIRE - After Stage 4

Four days done. Slightly shorter distance and not quite so hot today. Still having daily stomach problems at about 20 miles, but somehow seem to recover. The physio Annett has done a great job with my aches and pains, especially my sore Achilles tendon. Ran with Russ again - couldn't have done it without him. Today's highlight: I was interviewed by a local newspaper reporter - should be in Friday's edition.

RUSS - After Stage 4

I understand that there are some problems with the blog - not sure how to fix them remotely, but we'll keep going and fix them in Austin. We have better (i.e., some!) cell reception tonight in Usedom. Today was my third day of keeping Claire company. We finished a long 62km (39 miles) in just over 8.5 hours - not bad on tired legs. The weather was superb, the route was essentially flat, and with only one day left life is good! Leah provided us cold beer at the finish and had provided wonderful sherpa/roadie support. We have really enjoyed having her with us on this adventure.

RUSS - After Stage 3

A loooong 72km (45 miles) today. It was very hot (in the '80s), and Claire didn't thrive in the heat...but she persevered, and we made it to the finish line together for a second straight day. She's tough!

CLAIRE - After Stage 2

Today was very hot (almost Texas), very hilly and long (67km or 41 miles). I got my nutrition and sodium intake sorted out today, so my legs cramped less and I had less potty breaks. The best part of today was Russ keeping me company the whole way. I was worried about missing the cut-off (10 hours), but he managed to keep us on track for a 9 hr 8 min finish. Having Leah giving us mental and physical (in the form of copious quantities of Vaseline) support has been wonderful. Tomorrow is the longest mileage day. If I can make it through that, the rest should be smooth sailing.

RUSS - After Stage 2

Claire just picked up her first award of the race - third placed first-time woman - woohoo! Because of language dfficulties, she had no idea what it was for at first, but now she's suitably proud of her new certificate. I really enjoyed keeping her company through a tough day on the road today. Despite hot, hilly conditions and fatigue, we didn't argue once! I'm looking forward to repeating the experience tomorrow, even though it's 5k further.

LEAH - After Stage 2

Today was an absolute blast! Because the course was rolling and Sheba (that's my bike) is heavy and really gets moving on a downhill, it was hard for me to stay with the runners. So I zipped ahead. Some highlights: gorgeous field of sunflowers, cyclists of every shape and size, piney woods and sandy trails, blue skies, seeing Claire and Russ finish, hand in hand and looking like they had more miles in their legs.

CLAIRE - After Stage 1

Had a great first day - beautiful course and weather. Old adductor / quad issue started to act up towards the end, but fortunately our friend Hans Drexler's girlfriend Annett is a physio, and was able to help me out. Great dinner in this wonderful hotel. We're spoilt, and not relishing going back to a gym tomorrow night!

LEAH - After Stage 1

Wow, what a day! We had everything from city scapes to pastures with windmills and ancient fortress walls. I was able to cycle with Claire through the first aid station, then catch up with Russ for the third and fourth, the halfway point, where I waited for Claire. We hung together until just before the 6th. She looked very strong and was closing the gap so I cycled up in time to see both Seckers finish. It was a lovely day. I'm having some gear shifting issues and hope to find a bike shop tomorrow. Everyone says the route is even nicer than today's. Go Claire and Russ!

RUSS - After Stage 1

Today's course started right in the center of Berlin. After 10km of downtown running, we found ourselves on the Berlin-Usedom bikepath. It's truly gorgeous. Tonight we're saying in "grande luxe" in a wonderful, modern hotel (tomorrow, it's back to gym life!). My legs hurt for much of the 65km, but I was able to keep up a reasonable pace by suffering in silence. After relaxing at the finish with Leah for a while, I was very happy to see Claire arrive with our Swiss friend Ursula. Tomorrow will be another day - hopefully OK after initial inevitable soreness.

RUSS - At Frohnau

Our first race briefing and dinner is over. The race gets underway from the Lustgarten (in the center of Berlin) at 8am tomorrow. There are 67 competitors champing at the bit. Race organisers Jörg, Silke and Lutz seem very nice indeed. One of the German female competitors asked me at dinnertime tonight if Leah was my daughter. Much hilarity ensued, as we debated whether Leah looks super-young or I look super-old.

LEAH - At Frohnau

We're lying here in the gym in Frohnau waiting for dinner and the first race talk. The afternoon passed quickly with details: finding our spaces to sleep, putting together my bike. Thank goodness that is done - I was worried. Now to be excited for the racers! Russ is quite the social butterfly. Claire is puttering around. Tomorrow will be an adventure!

CLAIRE At Frohnau

Russ, Leah and I have arrived at the race start gym. We managed to get a nice corner spot to set up our sleeping bags. we've met lots of great people and very experienced runners. One of the first women I met has the 1000 mile award from having done 10 Western States 100-milers! Then I met a man that has run 1700 marathons! And of course Russ is no slouch. I am beginning to think I am in over my head. Dinner and race briefing at 7pm. Leah's bike has been assembled, but Russ's back will never be the same again.

Leaving Austin for Berlin

...in just a few hours. The race starts on Sunday - we have a Thursday night layover in London along the way, in case of flight problems which seem to always happen these days.

The latest weather forecast is excellent after the recent German heatwave:
> Sunday Scattered Clouds. High: 69°F.
> Monday Scattered Clouds. High: 71°F.
> Tuesday Scattered Clouds. High: 75°F.
Sounds hopeful...but in my experience things often have a habit of deteriorating quickly. Raingear, gloves, hats and sunscreen are all packed.

Claire, Leah and I are all planning to post on this blog once we get underway. Here's the Baltic Run race website. Click the Ergebnisliste link for results once we get underway.

Baltic-Run 2010 - Two weeks 'til Berlin

Claire and I have another few days of humid, sweaty training in Austin before we begin a loosely defined "taper". On July 21, we fly to London for 24 hours, before flying on to Berlin. Hopefully hurricanes, British Airways strikes and volcanic ash will not conspire to mess up our plans too badly.

We will be running an average of 40 miles a day for 5 days in Germany, along with 64 other runners and 7 stage racers. The Baltic-Run race starts in the center of Berlin, and passes due north to the Baltic Sea, mainly along the course of the Berlin-Usedom Radweg (bike path). I know at least 10 of the other runners; I'm really looking forward to meeting up with them all again. We're very happy too that we will be accompanied by our good Texas friend Leah, who will be cycling much of the route and providing us with support along the way.

My right knee has been troubling me a lot during training recently. At times, it REALLY hurts, and it affects my hamstrings, sciatic nerve, glutes, SI joint and back. My informed self-diagnosis is osteoarthritis, as this is the surgically repaired knee I injured white water rafting 15 years ago. The Baltic-Run will be a test to see whether I will be able to continue running long distances, or instead have to hang it up in favor of something less load bearing like cycling. We'll see.

10 hour race in Kentucky

A miserably hot, humid night. I started strong, but had an awful patch at about 4 hours - aches & pains, stomach issues, and shoe problems - so that finishing seemed in major doubt. But then I somehow rallied, and finished strong. Ended up with 47.5 miles - good for 4th place - missed "the podium" by a frustrating half-mile. Click here for a flip video of the finish...

Claire started very well. At one point (around 25 miles) she was threatening to move into third woman place, and to kick my then sorry butt in the process. But an old adductor injury made her limp to a halt. She did the smart thing and baled, so that she wouldn't damage it irreparably before Germany.

Very tired and sore now. It'll be a loooong drive home.

10 hour race in Kentucky

800 miles of driving, through Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois and now Kentucky. Now just one hour until race time start of 8 p.m. It's 93 degrees (100 degrees with heat index). Come on, sundown! The horsetrack is being wetted down right now. It's going to be a very long - but hopefully fun - night, and an interesting challenge.

Next up - 10 hours in Kentucky, June 12-13

I've run through the night a couple of times before and really enjoyed it. It's an odd feeling - your sensory perceptions and circadian rhythms get all oddly messed up. This run caught my eye, as a way to keep me focused for Germany. It's flat, soft and traffic free, so I'm headed to Paducah, Kentucky on June 12th to spend 10 hours from 8pm to 6am running in circles around a horse track. Later in June, Claire's headed to the mountains in Leadville, Colorado to train with her trail friends. Wonder which one of us will injure ourselves least.

Three months til Germany!

July 25th is the first day of our 5-day Baltic Run in Germany. To commemorate this pre-anniversary, we just marked up Claire's three pairs of Brooks Launch "racing sneakers". Yesterday morning was a trouble-free 26.2 mile training run, capping off a 70-mile week for her. I'm lagging a bit in mileage, but hopefully she'll take pity on me when we get underway.

Baltic Run 2010

Running mojo is returning, just in time to prepare for the Baltic Run, 5 days and 200 miles north from Berlin to the Baltic Sea in July. Aches and pains have receded, and I'm finally enjoying running again. This week Claire and I ran nearly 50 troublefree miles, and we're now ready to start increasing weekly mileages over the next 3 months. She has it all planned on a spreadsheet; I just tag along.

It has been a blissfully cool Texas Spring in which to train. During today's run, Claire told me she's "really, really looking forward to Germany." I am too now. My fingers are crossed for us both - hopefully no volcanic ash to mess up our plans by then.

KOOP 91.7FM radio interview

Check out my recent Inner Views radio interview with Abigail Mahnke.

Texas guinea pig

Some fine folks at the University of Texas tested me this week as part of a research study into arterial stiffness. My body composition measurement showed 7.9% fat - as my weight is now 15lbs higher than post-Trans Europe, I've obviously managed to lard myself up successfully over the last eight months. My VO2max test score of 60 (OK, I'm rounding up from 59.7 - sounds better!) was pleasingly high given my advancing years and lack of serious training at this point. Blood work results tomorrow should be interesting, to see whether my cholesterol has kept in check.

Tulsa time?

Claire and I are getting ready to run together for two days at the end of February in Tulsa, OK. February 27 is the inaugural Tulsa Running Club Post Oak Lodge Marathon, and February 28 is the 50K, both on trails. Tulsa seems like a great running community, and this race is being wonderfully planned and organized. Claire's running long and strong every week now; I'll be trying to keep up with her with my gimpy right leg, while saving some energy for speaking at the pasta dinners.

Trans Europe Footrace 2012

My friend J-B Jaouen is of course totally correct - I did "solemnly promise that I will never do anything this crazy ever again" on this very blog on June 21, the last day of Trans Europe 2009.

But that was before I knew that the 2012 course would be shorter (only 4,000km) and would run through my "home country" of England. And so therefore...my bib number for 2012 is #19. How tough could it possibly be?!

Baltic Run 2010

Next stage race will be in July - the Baltic Run, north from Berlin to the Baltic Sea. Two hundred miles over five days. Claire and I are both signed up - if all goes according to plan, this will be our first stage race together.

After her strong showing at this year's Tahoe Triple, it'll be interesting to see how Claire holds up over more and longer stages. She's certainly in much better shape than me right now. My weight has ballooned to 180 lbs (up 21 lbs since Trans Europe), and my legs are very sore each time I attempt to run a few miles as we did together this morning. But at least the Texas weather is now cooler, and so the time running together passes quickly.

Post-Lake Tahoe Triple

Woohoo! $2 payout. Carolyn's a smart girl - she quit while she was ahead. Beers are on you, Ed.

Post-Lake Tahoe Triple

Here's Carolyn gambling Ed Burgess' $1 bill (he's a high roller, eh?)...

Lake Tahoe Triple

The broiling sufferfest is over! All the musketeers finished stongly today - three new "rock star" Triplers and one new "Double Tripler" - Carolyn - have been minted. I'm a proud sherpa. Traditional pizza dinner tonight at the Blue Dog.

Despite an embarrasingly slow time (due to absence of oxygen, no training, old age, and several other good excuses), I managed to eke out a top ten finish in the 10K, and placed first in the geriatric division.

Lake Tahoe Triple

All three gutsy Austin musketeers (plus Hans "D'Artagnan" Drexler from Germany) made it to the finish line of Day 2 successfully. Some minor issues for everyone...but I'm forecasting a 100% completion rate tomorrow. Very impressive.

Me? I've decided to be sensible for once and run the 10K tomorrow. I vaguely remember that marathons are no fun if you haven't trained for them! It will be nice to be finished 3 hours earlier than if I was running 26.2.

Lake Tahoe Ultra

It's a beautiful place! The musketeers are all underway this morning in good spirits. My spirits are good too because the Ultra tonight is cancelled due to road permit issues, so I get to sleep tonight! Maybe I'll run the marathon tomorrow? 26.2 should be easier with no training than 72! Expecting record high temperatures again today and tomorrow - 87 degrees. Cold start, hot finish.

Lake Tahoe Ultra

This'll be interesting. I couldn't resist the temptation of running through the night around the lake and under the stars again this year. 72 miles without any training - tomorrow night starting at 10pm. We'll see.

Lake Tahoe

All three musketeers and my friend Hans from Germany got through Day 1 in one piece. Temperatures were high and sun very strong especially over the last six very hilly miles. A few minutes soaking in Lake Tahoe afterwards helped aching muscles. I've been nagging everyone to eat lots all day - with mixed success. One third done!

Lake Tahoe

Fourteen miles in to the first day of the Triple, the three Rogue musketeers are all running comfortably together. It's warm!!

Lake Tahoe

My friend Hans Drexler arrived very late last night from Germany, and still came and ran with us around Spooner Lake this morning. He's run 320 ultras and marathons since 2001 - quite amazing! - and he's also a great photographer. The Triple should be a breeze for him. It's good to have him here as part of this year's "Tahoe Team Austin".

Lake Tahoe

Our new annual tradition - Murphy's Irish Pub in South Lake Tahoe on the Wednesday night before the Tahoe Triple begins. Claire and Carolyn are tripling, along with our friends Clint and Hans. I'm sherpa'ing for them on the first two days. Then when they run their third marathon on Sunday, I'll run a race of undetermined distance too - just haven't decided yet between the 72-mile Ultra and the 10K. Sublime or ridiculous, eh?

Speaking to runners at Rogue Running in Austin, TX

Thanks to Ruth England for flipcamming me!

Visit roguerunningequipment.com for more Videos

Running Across Countries is now ready for online purchase...

...from https://www.createspace.com/3394407

Running Across Countries

Since I've been home, I've been feverishly working on a book about my running adventures. Writing is sometimes harder than running, I swear! Hopefully it'll be available through Amazon sometime in the next month. Email me at russellsecker@gmail.com if you're interested in getting a copy, so I can keep you posted.

Party time!

Claire threw me a great party yesterday. BBQ, Mexican, margaritas, the works. Thanks to her for arranging, and to many friends for stopping by. Lots of folks said they enjoyed getting their daily dose of this blog - it provided me with an invaluable way to reflect and connect to home. I'm just so relieved the story had a happy ending (beautifully recounted in today's Austin American Statesman by Pam LeBlanc - thanks, Pam!).

Now, about that next race...

Cankles are back...

Halfway back to the UK yesterday, I noticed that my ankles were starting to do an impersonation of water balloons, and my calves and ankles had once again merged to form "cankles" (see France 2005). By the time I landed in Heathrow, my socks had become as tight as sausage skins, and the pressure got more and more painful. It was a little tricky driving my stick shift rental car and trying to take off my socks simultaneously. I'm glad I don't have to run on them today.

By the way, one thing that many stage runners do is to cut down the front of every pair of socks, to relieve pressure on the front of the ankle. Part of my small but moving final ceremony before leaving Norway was to throw out all my many pairs of used, "restyled" shoes and socks. In the end, I opted to place them all discretely in a garbage can rather than cause a littering spectacle at the North Cape.

The journey home...

I set off for Alta airport by bus at 3am this morning, and we covered two stages of the race (in the opposite direction, of course) in under two hours. We crossed the bleak Sennalandet again in wind and pouring rain, and of course saw reindeer by the thousand.

Since I woke at 2:30am, I just can't stop eating or thinking about food. My brain and body have gone into ravenous overdrive. As I'm spending all day on planes or hanging about in Norwegian airports (Alta, Tromsö and now Oslo), my credit card has been hit with the equivalent of the GDP of a third world country. Happy now, Mastercard?

Mmmm, just spotted a Pizza Hut....lucky I've nearley finished this shrimp baguette.

Final results

Rainer Koch of Germany dominated, and was overall winner, leading Takasumi Senoo (Japan) and René Strosny (Germany) who amazingly finished less than 6 minutes apart.

After Hiroko Okiyama's unfortunate abandon, the women's race was won by another Japanese, Takako Funyama (20th overall). Second place Elke Streicher of Germany was nearly 7 hours behind.

I spent 602 hours crossing Europe, and finished 30th (out of 68 starters), which pleases me given my advanced years and the quality of many of the other runners. Cautious pacing helped me avoid injury.

One competition that I DID win was body fat loss as measured by the MRI docs. I am now officially devoid of all body fat. I solemnly promise that I will never do anything this crazy ever again.

Stage 64 - Nordkapp

Here's me wearing 2 Goretex jackets, a sweatshirt, and 2 other shirts (plus natty homemade legwarmers), and I swear I never broke a sweat. Unbelievably, ski chairlift cold - one guy got frostbite on his nose! I have never experienced such bitter gales.

But the journey is blissfully ended, at the northernmost point in Europe. I feel a little "dazed and confused", but elated at the prospect of not having to tenderize my long-suffering feet again tomorrow.

Celebrations tonight, then a 3:30am departure for the airport. I will be first on that bus.

Finally, a shout-out to two folks who helped me most - my long-suffering wife, who helped me hang in there with daily calls and emails, and Mike, who met me in Sweden with a care package and great messages from Austin.

Oh, and did I mention...I just ran across Europe - WOOHOO!

Before Stage 64...

...just wanted to say...

This has been an amazing 9-week journey which I've been privileged to take. The very best part - the one thing that has kept me going through some very painful and bleak miles - has been the connection to everyone who's been reading this blog.

Every morning, when the 4am alarm goes off, I first turn on my phone and read comments & emails, and on many occasions I swear it has enabled me to face "just one more day" on the road. I didn't want to let you guys down!

So THANK YOU for all the kind words and thoughts, and don't underestimate the power they had over this weary soul.

Gratefully yours, as I head to one last starting line,

Russ

Stage 63 - Honningsväg

I can't tell you how good it feels to write 63! Especially after the atrocious day we've just suffered through. Gale force headwinds and rain for most of the day, and even colder temperatures than yesterday. Despite wearing tons of layers, the cold just bit through everything, and then found no body fat resistance. Some aid stations kindly let us inside their vehicles for the first time, but that almost made it harder to return to the Arctic.

Most of the day was spent moving from fjord to fjord. They're beautiful but desolate, and absent sunshine take on a depressing air. We also had to navigate 3 tunnels today, the longest of which was 5 miles long. Very spooky - but at least a break from the wind and rain.

So tomorrow is the final 28 miles. The forecast is for more of the same, but we'll all be relieved to be done by lunchtime. Hallelujah.

Couldn't resist this one...

But seriously - note the orange arrow on the pole - those are what have guided our way across nearly 3,000 miles of Europe.

View of the Sennalandet

Early this morning, before the sun disappeared and the wind began to howl.

Stage 62 - Olderfjord

Our very own fjord tonight! But getting here was a brutal journey. It was 2 marathons plus 5 miles long, on weary legs. The narrow road had plenty of traffic, and rose and fell between sea level and 1000'. And lastly, it was bitterly cold - below freezing with windchill - and the headwind was horrendous. Thirteen hours I'm going to put in the "not fun" column, despite scenery that would've been superb on a sunny day.

But we're here. A salmon dinner was on hand as we finished, and with 2 stages of 50 and 28 miles left, optimism is high. I will be one happy camper on Sunday night.

Stage 61 - Rafsbotn (near Alta)

Despite the length of the stage (over 53 miles), and some nasty truck and trailer traffic from time to time, this was absolutely the best day of the whole journey - I'll try to explain why.

It started with sunshine, nice running temps, and gentle breezes. Unlike other previous more changeable days, that lasted all day. The run started out along a beautiful, wide river with barren, stony, snow-covered hills beyond. We encountered several herd of reindeer, one of which decided to run alongside us for a while. Then the river (and our road) headed down a steep gorge for many spectacular kilometers, and we got to watch the white water do its thing.

But as we approached Alta after about 30 miles, things started to change. Pine trees reappeared, farms sprung up, and the microclimate suddenly became alpine (from the Gulf Stream effect, I'm guessing). Flowers and the smell of mown grass. Running comfortably in shorts and T-shirt. And beyond the fairly sizeable town, in the distance, the Norwegian Sea, with fabulous, massive, ice-covered fjords beyond. Even the Norwegians in the group were blown away - it was spectacular.

Our accommodations tonight are good - hot showers and very good food. Two long, hard days still loom ahead, but we're hoping that the good weather holds, because that makes it all much more endurable.

P.S. Marit - thanks for the invite in Alta - no time unfortunately this time, but maybe I'll come back? J-B - seriously, only 5 other ultras!

Norway - birch trees & rivers...

A nice start to the day...

The sky isn't blue much...but the road does go on forever.

Stage 60 - Máze

Just four days left. Today was my 100th Ultra - small potatoes for some of the hardcore folks here, but still a decent count. Or crazy, depending on your point of view.

The day started sunny and pleasant for a change, and stayed that way for a couple of very good hours. Then, despite clouds and cold, we didn't get rained on, and the scenery became quite impressive (I'll post a separate photo). In all, a good day with a finish time for me just after 2pm.

Bridget Jones bit: wildlife - absolutely zero; herring - pickled in mustard sauce; drugs - ran out of calcium, two NSAIDs (sorry kidneys & liver).

The next three days are all over 50 miles - a very long slog, but we've come this far. No whining ... but can't wait to be done.

Lapp dancing...

...in the gym tonight? (Couldn't resist that one.) Not quite - right now, these two delightful young ladies are "yoikking", which is pretty cool traditional Norwegian singing / drumming / chanting.

Stage 59 - Kautokeino

Finland's done, and now we're in Norway, our last country. Today was 51 miles of fierce, very cold northerly headwinds accompanied from time to time by heavy rain. Lucky for us it's summertime, eh? It was one of those "I just want to be done" days.

One thing I noticed when we got to Norway - no more pine trees, just sparse woods of silver birch. The landscape is becoming more mountainous and rugged as we move towards fjord country. Rivers are slowly taking the place of lakes in the scenery. I feel there are some hills ahead.

My "Bridget Jones Diary" moment for today: Wildlife - no reindeer, but one husky who ran 5 miles with me; Cigarettes - none; Alcohol - one alcohol-free beer to wash down my jar of pickled herring at the finish (protein, you know).

A slightly shorter 39-mile day tomorrow, followed by something of a gruesome "grand finale" of three days over 50 miles, before the 29-mile jog to the North Cape on Sunday. Feet don't fail me now!

Stage 58 - Enontekiö

Ah, Finland! Home of Nokia and, well, Finns. Mike from Austin is right - they manage to string together more letters than any other nation on earth here. Spelling tests in school must consume reams of paper...but anyhow, I digress.

The day started inauspicious with heavy rain as we were eating breakfast. We started the race on
the Swedish side of a river, and crossed directly into Finland. The rain poured, the wind howled, thunder and lightning boomed. Everyone was cold and drenched - sheer bloody misery for the first two hours.

Gradually it eased up, and as we left the main highway to cross a mountain range via a smaller road, the skies turned blue and the sun put in a welcome appearance. My running felt good today, helped in part by the knowledge that we only had 40 miles to cover, but also thanks to less painful feet.

Today's bombshell is that women's race leader Hiroko from Japan abandonned. (She also had to abandon after 44 days in the last 2003 edition of this race.) She has had bad leg problems for days, and finally was forced to quit. Again, this is so late in the game to have to drop out - very unfortunate. She's being a trooper, but is clearly very upset, especially because she was holding a huge lead over second place on time.

So, just 6 days to go for the rest of us, but 4 of them very long. Norway tomorrow, hopefully with kinder weather? But I'm less than hopeful - it's just started to rain again outside.

Reindeer lasagne

When I saw dinner set out tonight, I jokingly said: "Looks like we're having reindeer lasagne." It was in fact just that. And delicious. The rich meat and carbs were appreciated all round - the perfect multiday running food.

The food and the people in Sweden have been great. But the dismal weather, absence of wildlife (except mosquitoes), and the apparent lack of anything much to see or do has left it low on my list of "places I want to go back to". My expectations for Finland and Norway are not set any higher, but I will be delighted to see them both.

Stage 57 - Karesauno

After 24 days, we finally got to the end of Sweden today, with a shorter 34-mile stage to this border town. Next, a single stage through Finland, and then 6 quite lengthy days in Norway.

Finishing is not guaranteed, even this late into the race. Jurg König apparently had heart problems early in today's stage, and had to abandon. So sad and disappointing, with so much distance travelled.

I ran much of today with Christian Marti. Things started well, but we got dismally soaked for the last 10 miles, and I became quite hypothermic. The great news is that his wife Orsele met us at the finish line, and drove us to their hotel, where I was able to get a room for the night. The hot shower I just took was luxury, as was the jumbo-sized bag of potato chips I just ate. Now it's naptime in clean sheets....aaaaaah!

Stage 56 - Övre Soppero

Another "day at the office" completed - it really is beginning to feel like work! Weekend days like today are great - almost no traffic - and no rain either, so just cold headwinds, but much better than yesterday's trifecta of all three.

Fifty more miles disposed of, and nothing more than sore feet to complain about. Not too hilly either. I've opted to camp in the cold tonight, as the gym is cramped and therefore noisy. I'll take my chance with the Himalaya sleeping bag I purloined from my son, Tom (thanks, bud!)

Tomorrow is our last day in Sweden, before a brief sojourn through Finland. I suspect it'll be hard to tell the difference, with almost nothing but trees, lakes, and a two-lane highway. My reindeer count was one today, so no high marks for wildlife thus far.

A quick update on the French runner Fabrice Viaud I posted about yesterday. The staph infection in his hand was very serious. He immediately had one surgery in Gällivare, and will have another tomorrow to remove antibiotic implants. I understand they had to cut away small parts of his finger - a day or two's delay could've been much more serious. I heard he'll be in hospital for several more days. Best wishes to him for a speedy recovery.

Stage 55 - Svappavaara

Svappavaara - see what I mean about Scrabble hands? - and that doesn't even include the Lapp version of the name which is usually a few syllables longer!



Today's 47 miles is followed by yet another 50 miler tomorrow. Everyone's decidedly worn out, physically and mentally. It rained, and a strong, cold headwind kicked in for most of the day. Even traffic was surprisingly heavy. But only 9 more days to go!



The bad news is that two more folks had to abandon today. Mike Friedl had fought leg injuries since we arrived in Sweden, and finally couldn't continue. And Fabrice Viaud developed a bad infection in his hand, and has been hospitalized. Very bad for these guys after making it so far. Now 47 of the original 68 are still in the race - but this is a much lower dropout rate than I'd estimated.



And finally, today's wildlife count: zero.

Stage 54 - Gällivare

Another 13 hour funfest just completed, and we're now in the town of Gällivare. This is an iron mining center which had a huge collapse a few years back, right under a section of town. What has been put in its place since is not prepossessing.

In our 60 mile journey today on the E45, we passed through only one small town. That was it. This really is "the back of beyond". The day started with plenty of rain, then heavy, grey skies, and finally a huge downpour to suck any fun out of the last hour.

At the risk of turning into Bridget Jones' Diary ... I saw only one reindeer today, but he was a majestic beauty.

Extremely sore feet today, but they only have to hang on for ten more days. The MRI machine travelling with us has diagnosed them as "very inflamed but no structural damage". But seriously - ouch!

Aid stations

These little setups occur about every 6 miles. Each one feels like you've made good progress. The volunteers are marvellous, drinks are plentiful, but the food has become a little repetitive and uninspiring. Without refrigeration, I find the perishables by now pretty dubious, so to get the calories I need stick mainly to cookies, chocolate and cake. Not too balanced, and after this many days, it's really not as tempting as it might sound!

The race

Here's the incredible 29 year old race leader Rainer Koch from Germany blasting past me on the E45. He's a 2hr38 marathoner; here, he has averaged 3hr30 marathon pace the entire way. He is friendly and modest, and a deserving champion.

Hiroko Yohihama is still leading the women's race, but is struggling with bad leg injuries. It is painful to see her hobbled each day now.

I've moved up to 32nd place overall, which is where I'll likely remain if I'm lucky and have no big problems. This minor improvement is unfortunately not due to another gear I've found, but rather to injury problems of others who were once faster than me.

Stage 53 - Jokkmokk

About 5 miles before today's finish in Jokkmokk, we crossed the Arctic Circle. A Scotsman asked me to take his photo, and then reciprocated. The irony in the photo is the singlet I'm wearing. After freezing further south, we suddenly hit nice temperatures in the Arctic today! Mosquitoes were out in force too, but my repellent is thankfully working well.

Tomorrow is another daunting 60-miler to Gållivare; once we're past that, the last 10 day countdown begins. I confess that I'm ready to be done, as is everyone else I speak to. There are too many hours alone on the road each day when your mind turns to missed loved ones and creature comforts.

Stage 52 - Kåbladis

Well, that was a killer day. 95K - over 60 miles - in a little under 13 hours. Rain at the start, then lots of sun, then heavy rain and hail to finish off the day. I've learned to never hand over my Goretex at aid stations just because the sky is currently blue.

There are some very tired people in the gym tonight - and that doesn't include the slower runners who are still out on the road. The scenery is very fine here, and traffic much reduced. Despite that, there are some very long, straight grinds along the E45 - miles long at times - which are hard on the brain.

We saw more reindeer today. I will take my camera phone tomorrow, as we cross the Arctic Circle about 10K before the finish, and I want to record the moment. Hopefully I'll get to snap some reindeer too. I used mosquito repellent for the first time today, as they're just coming to life big time.

So twelve days to go - five more in Sweden, one in Finland, then six in Norway to the finish. Even though I'm desperately weary, and my feet are tenderized and sore beyond belief, my chances of making it to the North Cape improve with each passing day. Thanks again for all the support and good wishes - it has motivated me, and made a huge difference.

Stage 51 - Arvidsjaur

I slept badly last night due to raging heartburn, which lasted well into the first half of today's 53 mile stage. I've since discovered a couple of other folks complaining of similar symptoms, so maybe it was something in last night's dinner? That's always a very real fear, that some nasty bug will run amok through our weakened immune systems.

But otherwise, the miles ticked off quite well, and I was done in a shade over 11 hours. After aid station #1, I didn't see another runner all day, things have become so spaced out. What I did see though was my first herd of reindeer, about 100 yards off the road. Quite a thrill. The landscape has become more dramatic and interesting - implying, of course, hillier - but with reasonable weather like we had today (no snow!), it was nice to gaze upon.

Tomorrow's stage is an ungodly 60 miles, but at least everything's working for me. A 13-hour sufferfest, with the Arctic Circle crossing to look forward to the following day.

Stage 50 - Sorsele

Today's 45 miles will now be followed by two even longer stages of 53 and 60 miles. These are hellacious distances on fresh legs - in our weary state, they are really daunting.

I ran most of today's stage with my Dutch friend Ubel. He's a former 24-hour champion of Holland, so I have to work a bit too hard to keep up. We were mourning the abandoning yesterday of Jenni de Groot, who had developed a really serious and painful stress fracture in her hip socket. She is a very strong lady, and it was very sad that she was forced to stop after so long.

Like most of us, I'm hanging in there. "Only two weeks to go" sounds much easier than the reality of the distance and conditions ahead ... but the problem has to be tackled one day at a time.

Today's black humor - "How do you know it's summertime in Lappland? It only snows once a day." Yes, snow again - but little rain and less headwinds at least.

Stage 49 - Storuman

Seven weeks done - 15 stages left (7 of them over 50 miles). Today's 42 mile stage became 44 miles, because of a last minute change of accommodation, but worth it because ... it's a hotel! Only 3 of us sharing a room with a shower and toilet. Luxury.

Another very cold day, with rain, sleet and snow thrown in from time to time. Between my circulation problems and my now total absence of body fat, I'm really struggling with the cold. Despite being heavily dressed, I just can't manage to warm up. Even running harder doesn't make me warm. So I grit my teeth and push on. I've heard that the weather should improve in upcoming days, but I'll wait and see. "Arctic Circle" and "heatwave" seldom appear together.

Two things I've seen loads of here in Sweden - vintage American cars in wonderful condition, and trampolines (there's one in almost every other yard). It's odd what you notice when you have plenty of time to reflect.

Stage 48 - Vilhelmina

I think I'm starting to get the hang of this running thing! I made good time today, and had very few problems with my feet, legs and back. I guess all this practice is beginning to pay off?

The day started calm and sunny (by the way, the local paper said that sunrise today was at 2:31am!), but Sweden no longer fools me, so I retained all my warm gear. I was right. Within twenty minutes, the sky had turned dark and the wind started to howl down from the north-east again. There were huge rains all around, but I was lucky and managed to miss a soaking. I ran all day in ski gloves and liners, ski hat, and many layers, and never broke a sweat. The positive thing about this unusual cold spell is that it's delaying the onset of mosquito season, a miserable time especially for me who seems particularly attractive to the little monsters.

Impact on footware...

I said a while back that I'd refrain from posting ghoulish toenail / blister shots. Shoes and socks take a real pounding too. I can't wait to get back to wearing something other than cut up sneakers and vaseline soaked socks.

Stage 47 - Dorotea

Just before the finish of today's 46-mile stage, we officially entered Lappland. No reindeer or people in funny outfits, but at least there was a really big carved sign. Now it truly feels like we're way up north!

To give you a sense of how cold the weather has become, one aid station today was festooned with Christmas decorations - a nice touch! - and snow is apparently in the forecast.

The heavens opened as we went to breakfast this morning, but the rain slowly backed off after a soggy 6am start. As the day progressed, the bitter headwind became stronger and more blustery. Even running on occasional flat bits of road became very challenging. Most people who've finished agree that today's was the hardest stage so far. Tomorrow's stage is a little shorter, but weather is proving to be as important a factor as the number of kilometers.

A number of serious injuries are starting to surface, even this late into the race. Two of the top five in the women's race had terrible days yesterday, and they're not yet finished today. It's so hard to know what to say to them, after they've worked so hard and come all this way.

Stage 46 - Strömsund

Well, that was a very long, cold 50-mile stage we just completed. I layered up and even wore Goretex ski gloves, but biting northerly headwinds, hail and even a little snow made for a very testing and at times bitterly cold day. (One of the Japanese guys ran in a T-shirt - I was almost hypothermic - I just don't get it!) As I've done a lot recently, I ran most of the stage with Christian Marti from Switzerland. We finished in a little over 10 hours, and were quite pleased with our pace.

Last night in Lit was music filled. While we ate dinner, kids from the school performed on a stage - they were really quite good. Then, as we got ready for bed in the gym, a relative of one of the Norwegian runners started playing guitar and singing folk songs...and then switched to belting out some great Janis Joplin. It almost felt like Austin.

Only 7 days to the Arctic Circle! And no, passports aren't required to be shown as we cross European borders (per the Schengen agreement). Very civilized...and reasonable.

Stage 45 - Lit

Today's stage to Lit was a good one for me. The route took us off the E45 for most of the day, and instead we passed alongside a gorgeous lake with snow-capped mountains beyond. Finally we crossed the lake by bridge, to the town of Östersund, the geographic center of Sweden. We are now officially in the north.

The weather is as Mark Twain described New England's - if you don't like it, wait an hour! We had biting headwinds, strong tailwinds, sun, rain, hail, clouds, everything but snow.

The school we're staying at tonight has been very hospitable. I was invited to speak to an English class with a cool teacher, which was fun. One of the students, Richard, proved to be a very accomplished juggler, who entertained us in the gym.

Hackas - the view from our school

Lakes and snow-capped mountains in the distance - but not sure how well they show in the photo. It's beautiful here when the sun shines, but I can only imagine how long and cold the winters are.

I awoke at midnight last night, and it was still light. And we're still a long way from the Arctic Circle.

Stage 44 - Hackas

During today's stage we passed the 3,000 kilometer mark (1,860 miles) - a long way to travel on foot in 6 weeks. Balloons and the mayor of the Kommun were there to mark the occasion - after a quick break, we were soon back to work.

The road was not too hilly, and the sun not too strong; blustery headwinds were the only negative. Off in the distance to the west we could see snow-capped mountains again.

I was done with the 36 miles by 1:30pm. The gym's OK and the showers are hot. It's June finally, tomorrow's stage isn't too terribly long either, and now it's naptime - so life doesn't get any better!

Stage 43 - Rätan

A long, hot stage today. 54 miles more of the E45, and temperatures were very warm even as we started at 6am. They certainly reached the 80s today, with no significant shade or clouds along the way. I was very happy to be finished in a little over 11 hours. I've heard that very cold, wet weather is on its way - but not sure whether for tomorrow or Tuesday.

The very best thing mentally today (and you'll have to take my word for it that it is very hard to stay gung-ho and motivated after so much toil and so many miles) was that this was the last day of May. Every one of the remaining 21 days are in June, which somehow feels more like we're closing in on the finish. This is the kind of crazy stuff you think about ad naseum on the road.

The next two stages are a little shorter, as we head towards Östersund, the geographic center of Sweden. It's also where their national cross-country ski team is based. Shorter is good, by the way - very, very good.

Stage 42 - Sveg

Today was another hot one - not Texas hot, you understand, but certainly Sweden hot - high 70s, and not a cloud in the sky. "Only" 38 miles today, before a much longer stage tomorrow.

Weekends are always much nicer than weekdays, without logging trucks pushing us off the road. The road we're on, the E45, is the Inlandsvägen, the major inland south to north two-lane highway in Sweden. Sometimes we go 20 minutes without seeing a house or even a vehicle. It's almost spookily desolate. Strip logging is the only real industry - apart from that, there's nothing except vacation cottages, lakes and rivers. It might sound idyllic, but it's just so quiet. There are barely any stores or cafes. I can't imagine what teenagers would make of it!

Up front, Rainer Koch of Germany and Hiroko Yokihama of Japan continue to dominate the men's and women's races. These are incredible athletes and fine people. They continue to push hard each day, even though this could lead to injury and even potential withdrawl. Most of the rest of us are just busy trying to stay healthy (there's a nasty brochitis going around; at night the gym sounds like a consumption ward) and preparing mentally for some very long stages ahead.

Six weeks is complete - it's hard to comprehend, even for us - but there's still plenty of time for "the wheels to come off". Only yesterday, one of the top ten guys was forced to withdraw due to major knee problems which suddenly stopped him in his tracks.

Happy birthday from 2 Swedes'n'me

Happy birthday, Claire! Have a wonderful day - sorry I missed this one, but many more to come. See you in June!

Stage 41 - Västbacka

Today's beautiful weather more than made up for yesterday's misery - cold and sunny early, then just sunny blue skies until about 2pm, when it clouded over.

The course is now (and will be for another two weeks) straight along the E45. Well, not exactly straight - there are continuous and often very steep hills. I felt good for the first 30 miles, but started to feel very weary over the last 20, as the uphills and downhills took their toll on hamstrings and quadriceps respectively.

This morning's most priceless quote from a non-English speaker: "I run easy today...I can feel my hamsters already".

We're staying in cabins again tonight, then back to sports halls tomorrow (which I prefer - usually more space). Traffic was busy today - I think it's because June is Swedish vacation month, and lots of people were getting a jump on the weekend.

Stage 40 - Mora

Wow, forty stages done! It's hard to believe. I'm enjoying the best hour of the day - flat on my back, showered and changed, eating, drinking, and blogging.

Today's weather forecast was, let's just say, off the mark. It called for light breezes, some sun, and temps in the 60's. What did we actually get? Torrential rain all morning, bitterly cold headwinds all day, and after lunch hail. Fortunately I'd kept my Goretex jacket at the start; even with it, I was only a couple of degrees north of hypothermia. Note to self - ignore forecasts and dress warm. At least I fared better than some who took the T-shirt option this morning.

Most of the run felt good, but I did have a few spells when my hip, hamstring and sciatic nerve let me know that they didn't want to continue. Very painful. My cold is waning, so that's proving less troublesome. OK, enough whining!

My friend Mike has posted some video from his visit on Tuesday - check out http://www.youtube.com/russrunseurope. (I haven't been able to see it on my primitive technology here.) I wish him well for Saturday's Stockholm marathon.

Tomorrow is my Dad's birthday - have a very happy birthday, Dad! Thanks for everything, not least for the genes that are letting me get this crazy thing done! Have a great and restful day - I'll be thinking of you as we head slowly north.

Dinner in Vansbro

Dinner in the local school tonight was charming, with authentic Swedish folk music on hand. I dined on copious quantities of spaghetti bolognese, salmon and salad, with a coffee / cookie chaser. I'd appreciate it all that much more if I was less tired!

We were invited back to take part in the Vansbro 3K river swim (famous, apparently, in Sweden), but I don't think there were any takers. Maybe they'd have enticed more of this hardcore bunch if it had been a 30K swim instead?!

Stage 39 - Vansbro

A third day on the good ol' E26. This was the best of them, with much less traffic and practically zero population. There's almost nothing except logging going on in this area. Skies were very black today, but we received only a couple of light soakings. It was very cold and windy too. The absence of sunshine, and the many black lakes and rivers (due to peat washing into them), gave the place quite a depressing feeling.

The route was a shade over 40 miles, and I was happily finished before 3pm. Right now, I'm lying on my mattress eating beef jerky and macadamia nuts from my care package, washed down with alcohol-free beer. Ahhhh! 25 days left.

Sweden's E26

This gives you a sense of what we've been dealing with for two solid days, with more to come...

Lake on left side, plus trees, for scenic value. Volvo heading north, bus screaming south towards me. Narrow shoulder with slight camber.

It's OK for the first hour or two, but before long we become wistful about German bike paths, villages and canals.