Pre-Run Entry May 1st, 2025

Running across America in 2021 was life-changing in more ways than I can count. With COVID as the backdrop, nothing was normal. And when Lucky was given a terminal diagnosis, things got even darker. Then I got word that Grammy — my 103-year-old Iron Grandmother — had also reached the end of her line.

But as wildfire burns down everything in its path, the sun still rises. And with it, life returns — trees, flowers, color, hope.

So it was with the loss of my loved ones. Out of that grief, I woke up to a new world — one etched with the memory of their grace in death, and their fight to live every moment.

Now, standing on the edge of this next big run — one that nearly mirrors the U.S. journey in distance (2,950 miles vs. 3,300), scope, and scale — I’m not feeling the electric nerves I usually get before something big.

In fact, I feel kind of… blasé. Like it’s just another run.

Albeit, the first run of a hundred days.

Maybe that’s a good thing. We’ll see.

A year’s worth of logistics are settling into place.

Today, Jax got his EU Pet Passport, which lets him move freely through the 12 EU countries we’ll cross — and eventually, back to the States. He also gave blood for a rabies titration test. Once that clears in about 30 days, Monica will secure his entry papers for Turkey — our final destination, and a country outside the EU.

The last big item is finding a vehicle for the full 100 days. Turns out, that’s no small task. Most rental agencies cap their contracts at 28 days, and while you can technically renew, they require you to return to the original rental location — which gets trickier with each passing border.

Tina, my crew chief and sister-in-law, has arrived in Portugal. She’s taking a week to visit her daughter, Anna, in Lisbon before we officially kick off in exactly 1 week…