Running Across America – Mimi Anderson

Running across America: I have been incredibly privileged taking part in races all over the world, from the sub-zero temperatures of the Arctic to the dense Jungles of South America, I have seen it all and had some amazing adventures.  In 2008, I ran from Land’s End to John O’Groats, setting a world record for the fastest female, a record I held for over 10 years, and ran the female World Record for running the length of Ireland (345 miles).

I have achieved what 36-year-old Mimi never thought possible and my ultrarunning career has been extreme and wonderful!  Running across America beckoned.

Planning 

Two years planning the trip soon rolled into three, when I was forced to postpone the challenge by one year to undergo knee surgery. I had spent so much energy, time, focus and money on planning the run across America that, when the time came, I was more than ready to take on the USA!

Digging into the logistics and scrutinizing every fine detail, I was promised one of the most phenomenal adventures of my running career.  Los Angeles to New York. My dreams starting to take on life as the route loaded on Google Maps before my eyes. An idea and an internet connection married to help plan the navigation across America!

At the earliest stages of research, it became clear that the routes would not be as straight cut as Google GPS had made them appear. It was never going to be that black and white. As an example, the quickest way from Kingman to Flagstaff in Arizona was along the I-40, the equivalent of a motorway in the UK, which unfortunately you could cycle on but it was illegal to run on. Working under Guinness guidelines to set a world record and being acutely aware that they disqualify criminality, the flat tarmac would have to take on trails and a necessary diversion to make it across adding additional unwanted miles to the run.