Distance today = 57.22 km; Total distance = 1225.39 km; Location = Palmerston North –  40 22.212′ S, 175 34.827′ E; Start time = 0824, Finish time = 1630

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/144191498

I started today feeling strong, but the heat of the afternoon reversed the situation by the time I finished. I still managed 57.2 km, which was pleasing.

I was able to get off the main national highway this morning. Although the road to Palmerston North is still quite busy, it is a lot less so than Highway 1. This helped immeasurably. I passed through the main potato growing region of NZ, although I did see lots of corn too.

The support crew were there at various stages today and luckily so. There was a 24 km section this afternoon with nowhere to get a drink or food. Carmel and Libby provided me with a top up of my drink bottles during this section.

I have mentioned already that the reason I am able to churn out these 55 – 60 km days is because of the support crew, as well as the ideal weather conditions. I’ve got it easy. If you want to know about a real man of steel, have a look at the web site of my friend, Tony Mangan, at www.theworldjog.com. Tony is also running around the world, but via a course of his choosing – one that is more comprehensive than mine is some respects.

But Tony does not have a support crew. He must get all his gear from point to point, and often has to sleep in the open on bare ground. He is currently in Colombia, running in extreme heat and humidity, carrying his daily gear on his back. Whenever I think I’m having a hard day, I think about how I’d cope if I was doing it Tony’s way.

BTW, Tony is also the first person to have ever run consecutive days of over 200 km per day  – a total of 426 km in 48 hours. This is mind-boggling stuff. He is a much better ultra runner than me (although I’d probably beat him over 100 metres).

More on another world runner, Jesper Olsen, in a future edition.

Finally, a big thanks to the Awapuni Motor Hotel in Palmerston North for tonight’s accommodation. As always, we are very appreciative of the generosity of such establishments.