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Running across America |
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Running across America |
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Synopsis The book is based on Nick Baldock’s commitment in 1998 to raise money
for the Josie Russell Trust. It is a diary-based first hand account of what it is like
to run across America: a foot-slogging feat achieved by very few people. Running across America is a story of endurance,
pain, glory and joy. Though offering the reader insights into the many places visited, it is primarily an account
of how three people, previously unknown to each other, existed for
over four months in a confined environment under intense stress. As the project moved, agonizingly slowly, across small town America, in
one of the hottest summers the country had experienced in the 20th
Century, Nick recorded the emotional tensions that served as a backdrop
to the immense physical effort of running across a continent. But this is not just an account of one man’s determination to complete
the awesome challenge he had set himself. Because it was a run for
Josie, this is also a great human interest story. Everything that was
endured was done so for Josie Russell. Josie’s plight is well documented, and etched into the hearts of people in Britain and throughout the world. Running across America reflects the decision of a small team to support her after her mother and sister were murdered in front of her. |
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Nick
Baldock Nick Baldock was 43 years old when he decided to do the run. He
emphasizes that he is ‘Joe Average’ and, although an experienced road runner, is
certainly no serious athlete. With a daughter the same age as Josie, the
tragedy that had descended on her and Shaun, her father, inspired him to
accomplish something that had long been a deep-seated desire. Having made contact with Shaun in early 1998 and received his blessing,
Nick revealed to astonished friends and family that he was determined to
run across America: and set about the gargantuan task of making the
necessary preparations. Nick runs his own management training consultancy and spends many nights
away from home. The early part of the book therefore focuses on the
difficulties of fitting into a hectic work schedule the demands of
organizing a motor home, drivers, fuel, food, visas, publicity, support
etc. A full time job in itself! The few months leading up to the run were a whirlwind of activity. Only
three weeks before he was due to depart he had no drivers. With only one
week to go, he had no visas. The book centres on three principle areas:
The
West The real journey begins on a windy Californian beach at 4.45 p.m. on 1st May 1999. Nick is struck by sheer terror on that beach, contemplating the enormity
of the task ahead and the fact that so many others have failed before
him. For the first few days, much of the time is spent by the team getting to
know each other and establishing a routine. The air is one of excitement
as their route takes in the Napa Valley, Sacramento and the Sierra
Nevada Mountains. When the team reaches Reno and the outskirts of the desert, Nick writes
about the immense tiredness felt after running so far in a short period.
It is in these early days that the realization sets in that, although
hundreds of miles are behind him, there are still thousands of miles to
go. It is difficult for all of them. By the time the team surfaces from a
300-mile stretch of barren desert, huge cracks have appeared in their
relationship with each other. One driver leaves the project to go home to England, getting away to
raise more money. He rejoins the team at Salt Lake City, and they
set off to cover 450 miles over the Rockies. Daily life becomes a grind. The team fight and spit. Running becomes
harder as huge blisters, on both feet, require lancing each day. And
these dramas somehow seem more vivid because they’re acted out against
a backdrop of barren desert, rocky plateaus and picture postcard
snow-capped mountains. The
Mid-West By the mid-west, the project has run into one of the hottest summers of
the century, with temperatures spiralling to over 110 degrees. Heat
advisories on TV are warning people not to go out or do any exercise. Faced with a new problem of the project running out of money fast, Nick
has no choice but to run 30 miles each day: many days suffering badly.
By now, he is in despair at the sheer hopelessness of running when no
progress seems to be made. No matter how far he runs, he never seems to
be getting anywhere. There is serious talk of giving up, driven by the growing belief that
Nick will never get to New York. It simply doesn’t seem possible. And
he’s even beginning to think that he’ll never see England, his home
and daughter, again. These are dark days indeed. The driver who left has returned and left again - to relieve the tensions
in the RV. This not only makes the atmosphere better, it also improved
the finances. At one point, the project is down to its last tank of fuel and $5 in the
kitty. However, through the persistence of the project coordinator back in the UK,
further funds are secured and the run continues. For over 1,000 miles, in sultry, oppressive heat, Nick runs through
cornfield after cornfield. The scenery now is one of small farms, cattle
and enormous grain silos. After 100 days, the team struggles into
Chicago. The
East By now, the team has become hardened to life on the road and being
together. Individual foibles are ‘tolerated’, and the three men
learn to suffer each other. But four months is a long time, and the air is tense. They all long to
leave the RV, that seems to choke their natural selves. Nick has lost a tremendous amount of weight and is deep brown from
spending so many hours in the sun each day. In August, Shaun and Josie
Russell visit them in Ohio, and this brings the team together. They spend a fun-filled day in the RV, and it is a timely reminder to all
of them that they are going through this ordeal for a good reason. With days getting cooler and shorter, they realize that the fall is on
the way. By September, they are getting ready for the finish. The
journey takes a dramatic route through Pennsylvania before hitting the
New Jersey border. Increasingly, thoughts are now of home and loved ones. What started out as a thrilling adventure has
turned into a dreary and monotonous routine that all three are longing
to see come to an end. The mood changes, and excitement returns, when they reach New York. The
joy is enormous as Nick runs over the George Washington Bridge and sees
the Manhattan skyline for the very first time. Then, after a surreal run
through Harlem, he eventually reaches the end of his quest: the
welcoming embrace of New York’s Central Park and the warmth of
Josie’s smile. You
can purchase Running
across America
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