Jan Dupree, 57, and Kurt Charnock, 50, embarked on a gruelling 3,500 run from San Diego in the West and are now just one week from reaching their finish line on the coast of Florida.
The pair are burning up to 4,000 calories a day on the run which has ranged from 41C desert plains to the Sacramento mountains across three time zones.
Jan, from Wivelsfield Green, and Kurt, from Hove, are currently on their 20th consecutive ultra-marathon – which is classed as anything over 26.2 miles.
Jan on their 113th day of the trip. They have now reached Florida (Image: @justbobbling on Instagram)
“The biggest challenge for me is missing my family, being away from home for so long”, said Jan.
“I want to see my mum, I have missed family birthdays. It is never ending at certain times but now we are at the beginning of the final week. Simply seven ultra marathons left and our final day.
“You just get out and get on with it, be in the moment and realise this is a privilege to choose this challenge not a task.
“We are both very strong with the endurance running every day. Our bodies are acclimatised to it now. Mentally the hardest section was Texas because it’s so massive. It appears to be endless, you can see the whole day in front of you.
The pair have been running the Southern tier route across the United States. Pictured is Kurt Charnock (Image: @justbobbling on Instagram)
“Physically going through the desert when it’s 41C by midday. You can’t go ‘it’s a bit hot today’ because you have a week left of doing that. Sand gets in your shoes and makes huge blisters.
“It has been amazing, we have been a really strong team. We have needed to look after each other the whole way. That has been so important.”
Jan has been raising money for St Peter and St James Hospice in North Chailey, raising more than £2,600 so far.
Jan pictured on the 44th day of their run at the end of November (Image: @justbobbling on Instagram)
Since starting in mid-October, they have only had around eight rest days out of their 114 days so far. Jan said some were to recover from shin splints or fix mechanical problems on their RV motorhome.
They have been supported by an American friend who is driving an RV and meeting them along the way.
They are due to reach the finish line in St Augustine on the East coast on February 9.
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