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Storm In Hancock, Ma….. On My Way To See My American Hero!

Hi All!

There was an overnight storm in Hancock, Ma. which is about 8km/5miles from the NY state line. My Spot tracker has not updated in a couple of days. I am in the Appalachian mountain region. I believe there was about 50 cm/20 inches of overnight snow. The road is being ploughed well as usual but for me the ongoing concern is that the hard shoulder or as the Americans call it the break down lane may be neglected forcing me out onto the road and thereby being liable to being pulled off the road by the cops. Should I continue today I could find myself in no mans land.

 Last night I stayed in the loft of a workshop of the local Shakers 1910 museum, Shakers Village, Hancock.  Details of the Shakers sect press >> HERE I am being taken good care of by the museum workers. They are making coffee for me in between their snow removal duties. They are also allowing me to make phone calls and use their computer.

More details of Shakers Village press >> HERE

My good friend and biggest competitive racing rival John Geesler lives about 180km/110 miles in upstate New York. There is a picture of John  and me racing in the Across The Years 72 hour race in Arizona on the ABOUT  page.

As a result of our fiercely contested battles (4-2 in favour of John) over the years we have become great friends and arch rivals!. John’s running club the Kuyahoora Kickers have always followed these races online. As mark of respect a few years ago they sent me 2 framed photos both of which were signed by club members. The first photo was taken at breakfast after the above mentioned 72 hour race while John and I were discussing the race. The second photo was a club photo of  the Kickers outside their clubhouse.

The Kuyahoora Kickers made me an honorary life member, an honor I was proud to accept.

Two of my race reports from these encounters are linked on the ABOUT page.

 It was always a must that I pay them a visit to upstate New York. However as upstate New York is not directly on my route we are working on the possibility of getting me up there for a couple of days to visit. I will then return to my last location and continue on west towards Binghamton and northern Pennsylvania.

I have become firm friends with about half a dozen of John’s club members by email over the years. I would very much like to be able to pull off this side trip and wait out the storm. I would also like to avail of the invitation to give a talk about my adventures to the children in John’s local school.

For those of you that don’t know John. He is well respected in the ultra running world and is the holder of the American 48 hour record. A member of the USA  world 24 hour team for many years. He is an unassuming quiet guy that always gets immediate respect.

I would like to thank my friends here in the Shakers and those in the Kuyahoora Kickersfor your great help. See You soon :) Tony.

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4 Responses to “Storm In Hancock, Ma….. On My Way To See My American Hero!”

  1. Jason Bui Says:

    Good to hear that you are enjoying and weathering the good ol’ fashion New England weather just fine! :)

  2. stewart cochrane Says:

    HI TONY…GALD TO SEE YOUR SAFE…
    some snow here today but nothin serious
    just saying hello from newfoundland

    stewart

  3. John-Michael Says:

    Tony, it wasn’t hard for us to figure out that everyone who spends any time with you is now going to worry about you for the next 3 years! By the end of your trip you will have 5,000 mums doting on you.
    I managed to get the word out to some ultra runners in the Lee area, and a camping store in Lee put out the word about you on their website, but to no avail. My friend was searching rt. 20 for you on her way home, but that wasn’t until about 5 o’clock on Monday. I’m afraid we spoiled you something awful while you were here with those good meals. Hopefully it makes the sparse times easier to handle rather than harder.
    Thanks for glorifying Walker’s suspension in your blog… you made him proud… Carry on!

  4. EJ Says:

    Just got in from shoveling, I’m guessing it was about eighteen inches of snow here. Not fit for man nor beast, good thing you’re some kind of superhuman hybrid.

    Hoping this evening finds you warm and safe!

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About Tony

I have always considered myself to be an average runner. In school, I was even bullied for I was a sports wimp. Through hard work, dedication, perseverance, self-belief and a strong mind I succeeded in not only running around the world but breaking four ultra running world records during my competitive career. Having previously cycled around the world I didn't start running until I was almost 30. Then I had a dream of running around the world. For many reasons, I waited for over 20 years. One reason was to establish my pedigree as an endurance athlete. I started and finished my world run as the current World Record-Holder for 48 Hours Indoor Track 426 kilometres (265 miles), a record I have held since 2007. I also broke and still hold the World Record for 48 hours on a Treadmill 405 kilometres (251 miles) in 2008. When I retired from competition, more pleasing than any of my world, European or Irish records I had the respect of my fellow athletes from all over the world - in my opinion, sports greatest reward - an achievement I am most proud of. Then I finally put myself out to pasture, to live my ultimate dream to run around the world! This blog was written on the road while I struggled to find places to sleep and to recover from running an average of 43.3 kilometres or 27 miles per day for 1,165 road days. There were many nights I typed this blog on a smart phone, so fatigued my eyes closed. Many journalists and endurance athletes have referred to my world run as the most difficult endurance challenge ever attempted. During my expedition I rarely had any support vehicles, running mostly with a backpack. In the more desolate areas I pushed my gear, food and water in a cart which I called Nirvana, then I sent her on ahead to run with my backpack once again over altitudes of almost 5,000 metres in the Andes. I stayed in remote villages where many people had never seen a white person before. I literally met the most wonderful people of this world in their own backyard and share many of those amazing experiences in this blog. My run around the world took 4 years. There were no short cuts, I ran every single metre on the road while seeking out the most comprehensive route across 41 countries, 5 continents, I used 50 pair of running shoes and my final footstep of the run was exactly 50,000 kilometres, (almost 31,000 miles) I eventually finished this tongue in cheek named world jog where I started, at the finish line of my city marathon. I started my global run with the Dublin Marathon on October 25th 2010 and finished with the Dublin Marathon on October 27th 2014 at 3 05pm! Thank you for your support, I hope you can share my unique way of seeing the world, the ultimate endurance challenge! Read more...

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