Distance today = 53.87 km; Total distance = 13,157.35 km; Location = Nazareth – 40 43.177′ N, 75 17.252′ W; Start time = 0839, Finish time = 1715

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/233536108

A huge milestone today – I reached 13,116 km, which is half the distance I’ll be covering on my run around the world. That means I’m now half way around the Earth.

But it was not a good day on the roads. They had little or no shoulders, steep cambers, and were very busy – a running nightmare. The roads did improve a bit near the end, though, and I knocked over nearly 54 km.

I finished just outside the town of Nazareth. Believe it or not, there is also a Bethlehem just down the road. This used to be one of the biggest steel producing towns in the US, but closed down some decades ago. It’s right next to Allentown, and this closure is the subject of Billy Joel’s song, Allentown.

The town of Nazareth is actually very nice, with lots of well kept buildings that originate from as far back as the mid 1700s. And the hotel we’re staying in tonight, the Towne Place Suites, is as good as any we’ve been in during the run. They also gave us a good discount – thanks!

Tomorrow I will run into the state of New Jersey, on my way to Princeton.