YO YO YO! Cpl Lloyd ‘Crazy’ Fenner  here reporting from West Virginia USA the Gumpathon.

My task is to write a blog for the website, How am I feeling? What is it like? Best Bits?  Worst Bits? Funny Bits?, And everything in between. Where to start? How about today? It’s day 13 and we are approximately 670 miles into our journey.  I’m on my rest day which happens periodically for all the runners every 4 days, so happy joy for me, at this point I’d just like to say thank you to my friends family and my dearest Caroline for their support and understanding so far.

Marine answer to last four days is ‘Easy, no problems, feeling  great’  the truth about the last four days is a little different,  crossing the Alleghany, Appalachian and Blue Ridge Mountains was difficult. We climbed to 4000ft and have now descended again, ‘what goes up must come down and all that’

I think it is fair to say that every member of our team got to feel the full benefit of those mountains and were all very glad to see the back of them.

Highlights so far would have to be the people we have met along the way, such a huge spectrum of accents, personalities and tradition as we have progressed from state to state, the police in particular have been fantastic helping out where ever they can  and providing escort for us as we travel along.

In terms of scenery the difference can be unbelievable, from the concrete jungles of New York and Washington to cornfields and rolling countryside to mountains and valleys each very special in their own way, I’m really starting to appreciate just how big and varied this amazing country really is.

Now for the team, ’How are we all feeling?’ I hear you ask, honestly we are good, tired but good, as the terrain is now evening out I expect everyone to be firing on all cylinders again the next few days.

As any soldier who has served in Iraq and Afghanistan will tell you, the concept of time becomes blurred and the days merge into one, the focus simply becomes getting the job done, that’s how I feel right now, ‘get the job done’.

Soldiers go where there government sends them but the real reason they do what they do is for their friends. I’m here for my friends that are no longer with us, and friends that no longer have the ability to walk any more, the pain of running 20 miles a day for 63 days is a privilege and honour in comparison .

I want to end by sending my thoughts and prayers to all those soldiers serving in Afghanistan now, I truly hope you all return home safely to your friends and loved ones.

All the Best Crazy