Two adventurers are running across the United States in a gruelling six-month challenge.
Jan Dupree, 57, and Kurt Charnock, 50, flew out to San Diego on Friday to start their 3,500-mile adventure which will end in Florida.
Jan, from Wivelsfield Green, and Kurt, from Hove, will run through temperatures up to 44C for around ten hours a day across three time zones over the course of the challenge.
The two friends ran from John O’Groats in Scotland to Land’s End in Cornwall two years ago but Kurt wanted to do something even bigger this time around.
“Kurt has been dreaming this up for ten years, we have been poring over maps and working out routes, we bought an RV out in the States," said Jan.
“We have been packing away our lives, that has been the craziest bit. Packing away your life and business so you can go away for six months.
“I have done lots of marathons and shorter ultra marathons. Kurt is very experienced in adventuring, he has done a lot of crazy adventures.
“He has inspired me completely for years now, just from talking about our mindset and limitations but changing that to possibilities.
“I’m 57 and a grandma, I have never considered myself an athlete. I want to inspire my granddaughter. I want her to be able to say her granny ran across America.”
The pair will run around 30 miles a day on average. They are being supported by an American friend who is driving the RV motorhome and meeting them every ten or so miles for water and food stops.
Kurt said: “I have wanted to run across the USA for 20 years or so, I cycled across about nine years ago.
“You can pick the UK up and fit it inside Texas and have some miles left, that is how big those desert areas are.
“The hardest part of it has been packing our lives away. I love my girlfriend, I love my home, I love my sports friends, work and my neighbours.
“I’m going to put that all of out of my life for six months. I think that’s the hardest part.”
Kurt is looking for a small charity to raise money for with the run and wanted charities to get in touch.
Jan is raising money for St Peters and St James Hospice in North Chailey.
The rough route Jan and Kurt will be running
Kurt said: “The route is called the Southern tier which starts in San Diego and finishes in Florida. We are running across three time zones, we will start nine hours behind and finish six hours behind the UK.
“Predominantly the Southern tier is what we call high desert, it’s very dry and very hot. It rains about eight to ten days a year. The temperatures will range between 28C and 44C. The heat plays a big, big factor.
“When it is at the hottest, we will run in the middle of the night.”
For more information on Jan’s fundraiser, click here.
Jan is documenting her journey on Instagram @justbobbling and Kurt is documenting his journey on Facebook group Brighton Triathlon Race Series.
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