Distance today = 48.75 km; Total distance = 13,711.01 km; Location = Wakefield – 41 26.011′ N, 71 29.016′ W; Start time = 0819, Finish time = 1547

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/237291192

Chook ran the first 25 km with me this morning – the furthest he has ever run. But there was action before that.

After only about one kilometre, while we were looking at an old house, we crossed paths. I clipped Chook’s heels and came a cropper. As I fell, my nose had a very firm encounter with Chook’s elbow. As some have experienced on the rugby field, when Chook goes the elbow, the other guy always comes off second best. The next thing I knew, I was lying dazed and confused on the road, with Chook saying “C’mon, we’ve gotta get you off the road”. There was claret flowing from my nose, but only some minor grazes from the road.

Anyhow, I recovered quickly and enjoyed running with Chook as we crossed over from Connecticut to Rhode Island, the 24th US state of the run so far.

Tonight we’re staying in Newport, RI, former home of the America’s Cup. We’re at the Jailhouse Inn, a great little hotel I’ve stayed at a few times before. Tune in tomorrow for a report on tonight’s activities. It could be a big one.

Distance today = 49.70 km; Total distance = 13,760.71 km; Location = Warwick – 41 45.158′ N, 71 26.081′ W; Start time = 0946, Finish time = 1749

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/237646252

We had a great night in Newport. I met up with Gregor Macfarlane from the Australian Maritime College in Launceston, Tasmania. Gregor and his team have done a lot of work for us, testing wave energy devices in their wave tank and basin over the past decade. He and I, along with Carmel, Don, and Roger, headed into town for a night of celebrations (just for the sake of it). It was great to catch up with Gregor in a very different environment.

Roger ran the first 16 km with me today. He has now run over 68 km in the past four days. He’s having a day off tomorrow, but will reach 100 km for the week, prior to me finishing the US leg in Boston on Tuesday.

The first half of today’s run was very pleasant, though the second half was a bit too busy. Chook and Don have headed up to New Hampshire for the night to meet up with a client. They’ll be back tomorrow night. In the meantime, I am hoping I don’t get too wet when Hurricane Sandy starts to impinge on the area tomorrow.

Distance today = 45.03 km; Total distance = 13,805.74 km; Location = Woonsocket – 41 59.533′ N, 71 29.092′ W; Start time = 0825, Finish time = 1532

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/238045222

I found out last night that Hannah had organised a fundraising event at our house in Sydney, assisted by Grace, with the proceeds going to my run charity, Oxfam. It was a big surprise to me. The event was well attended and raised over $1,000, with prizes donated by various local businesses. I would really like to thank the following:

DJ Spinal for DJing the event

Shona Joy

The Runners Shop

Sven’s Pizzas

Paddington Arms

A Touch of Genius salon, Maroubra

Glamourfied

Diageo

Pulse Hair, Maroubra

Jewellery by Vintage Nights

Lovage Magazine

Jewellery by Ilana Davies

Thanks also to everyone who attended, and a special thanks to Hannah and Grace for organising it, and to Mark and Janet Lawrence for running the BBQ.

Despite this, I had a bit of a hard day. For some reason, my feet ached all day. The day was a little shorter than normal, but that was simply due to the distance to the hotel. I’m sure tomorrow will be OK, although I’ll probably get wet and blown about by the hurricane.

Luckily I ran along the Rhode Island coast yesterday, as it is likely to be inundated by a storm surge tomorrow. As I passed through Narragansett yesterday, I was right on the beach and, for the first time since Los Angeles in February, I could smell the ocean. I have taken it for granted all my life, having always lived within a couple of kilometres from the coast. The past eight months have been the longest I’ve ever been away from the ocean. While it’s a nice respite, I’d better get used to being inland, as I still have a few continents to cross.

Distance today = 41.13 km; Total distance = 13,846.87 km; Location = Framingham – 42 17.899′ N, 71 26.793′ W; Start time = 0829, Finish time = 1523

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/238394754

Wow, what a way to conclude the US leg. Although I still have one day to run, today’s slog through Hurricane Sandy was certainly a change from the norm.

It wasn’t too bad when I set off this morning, but I started getting cold after about an hour, mainly due to the wind blowing on my wet clothing. I was joined mid-morning by a local runner, Charlie, who ran about 13 km with me. He found me via the tracker. Charlie just ran his first 30 mile race last Saturday, so he was doing well to be out again so soon.

Charlie headed home after we reached Hopkinton, where the Boston Marathon starts. I met Chook and Don there, but I was too cold to head off immediately. I changed my clothes in the car with the heater on full, and then recommenced the run with Chook. I had four layers on my upper body, the two outer layers being waterproof. Now I was warm, and I felt much better because of it.

Chook and I stopped to take photos of each other at the Boston Marathon start-line, and then headed straight into the hurricane. It had increased in intensity by this stage, and we were heading east, the direction from which the wind was coming. It was as wild as any weather I’ve run in, and we’re not even getting the worst of it. This is apparently the largest hurricane or cyclone ever recorded (by area) in the world – another piece of evidence supporting climate change. It is also behaving differently to any ever seen before.

Given all that, we actually had quite a good time, probably due to the novelty of the situation. We decided to have a relatively short day, and got into the motel unscathed. It was great to have a shower at the end.

We have run the first part of the Boston Marathon course, and I’ll finish the US leg tomorrow by running the remainder of the Boston course with Chook.

Important note: I am not sure whether I will get a chance to update the website and blog after tomorrow’s run. We are heading straight to the airport to catch a flight to South America (assuming there will be flights at all). Don’t panic if you don’t see an update for a couple of days.