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bit in the searing heat. I certainly know I'm alive, and I'm grateful for
that.
Bernie's van blew two tyres while I was running, and we got sep-
arated. As he and Chris were doing the repairs, Katie strapped on a
backpack with bottles of water in it and ran to find me. She knew I
would need water, and fast, because the temperature on the road was
48 degrees and I would soon dehydrate. When I realised the van was
not bringing up the rear, I found a clump of trees and stood in the
shade. I could have caused serious damage to myself if I'd run on being
as parched as I was.
Katie didn't have a clue where I was, but she kept on running down
the highway. A car pulled up behind her and the driver called out, 'Hey,
do you know where I can find a bloke named Pat Farmer? He's an ultra-
runner and I heard he's in these parts.' Katie couldn't believe it. She'd
been corresponding with this guy, whose name was Juan, on Facebook
as he stayed in touch with the run. She told him who she was and what
had happened, and he told her to get in. They soon caught me up.
A few minutes later, Bernie and Chris, the van tyres repaired,
joined us. A potentially terrible day turned into a great one. Brooke
told me a guardian angel is looking after me, and, right now, I believe
she's onto something.
The only thing spoiling my mood is that the generator in my van
has broken down and inside it's 40 degrees, even nearing midnight.
I'm bone-weary, but the heat is too intense for sleeping. We've left the
door open tonight but won't be able to do that in Mexico, for fear of
being robbed or attacked. Maybe the money Leslie and Kate saved me
on running shoes can buy a new generator.
July 26
I can tell we're nearing Mexico, because the road signs and advertis-
ing hoardings are increasingly in Spanish. It's still very much Texas,
though, as the 10-gallon hats, bull horns on the front of cars and sheer
number of gun shops that we see attest. Guns are clearly too easy to
buy in some parts of the world, and this state of affairs hit home today,
as we learned of the July 23 massacre in Norway. Thank goodness, I
thought, that we have strong gun control back home.
A good friend and one of the sponsors of the run, Martin Frost
