A quick update while in transit – I am currently in Sydney, flying out later today for San Francisco.

We decided to travel from Auckland to San Fran via Sydney for two reasons. One was because I received notice while in NZ that I required a small surgical procedure to remove a growth on the side of my face which had the potential to become a skin cancer in the future. Better to be safe, particularly with the amount of sun I’ll be seeing over the coming year or two.

The second, and the reason I didn’t publicise the fact we would be briefly in Sydney, was that we wanted to surprise some friends by turning up to a birthday dinner – happy birthday, Donna. We had a great time last night.

The North American leg of the run will be the longest, expected to take eight or nine months (I will be winding my way across the continent, rather than a direct crossing, taking in as much of the geography and culture as possible – this is, after all, the true purpose of running around the world – it’s a life experience as much as an athletic endeavour).

Because this phase will take so long, I am looking for a specific sponsor for the North American leg. If anyone out there knows of a corporate or other entity that would like to be involved, please put us in touch. The only requirement (besides the obvious ethical ones – for example, no tobacco companies), is that the sponsor is not involved in the digital/IT field. My major sponsor, Next Digital, will continue to be supporting me throughout my journey.

I am ahead of schedule and have no injuries at all, and I’m looking forward greatly to the upcoming months of running. The near term will see me running down the spectacular Californian coast, before heading inland toward the Grand Canyon. I know there will plenty of people eagerly anticipating Carmel’s photography during this period.