Another run across America underway - is it legit? Boots currently on the ground

I'm guessing that he won't make it, but sending this to their team on day four is not a good look. It reads very disingenuously. Let him do his thing.

Have his strava comments been turned off for the last two uploads? Doesn't seem like a good sign

I'm sorry, how do you think this is something appropriate to send to anyone?

I'd read this, assume the person sending it has special needs then delete.

But if it's gone it's gone, nothing to do with what day it is. Not my fault it became impossible so early in the piece. Day 2 was a worrying decline, day 3 a nightmare and day 4 is 33.2 miles in 7:37.

You're projecting on to me that I've called it early, when they're the ones claiming mission impossible and busting quickly. 75 mpd for 40? As one of our leading colleagues said, they may as well have claimed 100 for 30. Same thing.

And PK has put money on him not beating the leading gals, let alone him!

Anyone?! It's the crew chief, the guy directing the show! Often in the thick of it these folks don't realize it's gone. I've sent a dozen of these letters in these past, and they've always had the same response: "yep, I hear you, you may be right, we're looking at all options."

I don't want to see Paul get hurt, and I don't want him dnf'ing. I wanna see a magnificent effort of close to 50 days for which he may well be capable.

Lmfao so they do all think you have special needs then. What a polite response for a stupid email.

No, they seem fine

Agree to disagree. Of course he can just bin it. Two pillars of the scene have said: "Nice, that's the right tone." And another, "Very polite, but according to his crew chief updates everything is going great!"

You haven't actually denoted what's wrong with the letter. Is it the bits where I laud him for being authentic, talented, dedicated and us for all being grateful to have the Transcon back in the right hands after last year's horrors?

You start off the letter telling them that they're clearly gone and telling them to give up on their goal at day 4. Then you go on about them being authentic and essentially giving backhanded compliments after trashing someone else. Will cheated but you come off terribly in that portion and waste a paragraph talking about another's achievement and your axe to grind. Followed up by a paragraph of smarmy trash with a simple sign off of Will at the end.

If you received an email like that, would you ever think that person has something to add to your goals? It's not Pete writing to them, it's a guy named Will.

I'd say the 2 pillars of the scene were being kind in their feedback, not critical.

Rob and I have gone back and forth a dozen times and it's been cordial and pleasant. He knows exactly who I am.

You're shooting the messenger massively. It's grossly inappropriate for a rookie novice with no CV to say he'll be the best in history by 5% and it really harms our sport. He gets all the followers, endorsements, kudos, and glory, and tens and tens of thousands of dollars of backing and 16 free pairs of beautiful trainers for a mission that is clearly impossible. But because he spouted an ungodly amount of bullsh*t we're all supposed to bow down, kiss his feet, and lap it up.

The guy can run and trains hard, and is trying to raise a million bucks. So do it sensibly, in 52 days and raise as much as you can. If I've called it early it's because they've blown early. You can't be messing around on poles doing 7 hour marathons if you want to return one of the greatest multidays runs of all time.

This runfluencing is a huge talking point, and is altering the paradigm of the sport. The real heroes who dedicate the lives to running and have real ability for it are ignored in favour of those who bark loudest on Insta like Goodge and Johnson.

I'm just giving advice after 40 years in the sport: go for what you're capable of, not some made up number akin to Kipchoge going for a 1:46 marathon or Bolt an 8.40 for the 100.

Do we think PJ ever believed this was possible? Or did he always know it wouldn't shake out. Genuinely curious. Dunning-Kruger effect and all.

Thinking about all the people who told me, "Wait, you ran 1:59 for a half mile, what's stopping you from just doing it twice and breaking 4:00?" Well, quite a few things actually.

Lmao wow that is a whole lot of sanctimonious wanking. "They're bringing attention in the wrong way. Real HEROES!"

Don't understand the quote at all? Doesn't make any sense.

Anyway, this matter easily resolved, either by Rob's reply, or by them recalibrating, or by them sticking with it and succeeding [and my letter indeed goes down in flames, and I'll hold my hands up], or by them sticking with it and falling short.

Yes, he will have felt it possible and his intentions were honourable. Simply a potent mix of being a novice, delusions of grandeur and a misunderstanding so many share about the brutalities of multidaying. So many think it's much easier than it is. When Goodge started peeling off 55 minute 10ks deep into days, people on here would ask, "are we really getting excited about 9 minute miling?"

This is at the very heart of all my investigations of the last 7 years now. The Guinness record for Jogle being out by nearly a day, and Guinness simply won't capiche that it's impossible for a no hoper to be better than one of the best in history by 8%. It's like saying a 2:50 marathoner could beat Kipchoge by 6 minutes... ooooohhh, you never know! Or a 10 handicapper could shoot 58 at Augusta. These things would never be entertained, but multidaying is such a curious, nichy, misunderstood sport, that people like to give the benefit of the doubt.

It's also how Goodge is able to hoodwink so many about being one of the leading, most pioneering ultrarunners in the world and follows the likes of Patrick Stewart and Schwarzenegger onto Rich Roll. It's how Balenger is able to say he's faster than a Tesla, and it's why Mark Vaz said he did Jogle in 7hrs17 when the WR was a [legal] 10hrs2. Somehow Vaz thought he would be believed, and Guinness did warmly congratulate him and not tell him to get lost.

In short, those who know, know. And it's generally people who have done multidays, and know exactly what 50, 60 and 70 mpd feels like. Even Mike Wardian, an all time great, commented today that he found Transcon incredibly tough, and he was low 60 days or so.

I'll take your word for it that he's unlikely to make it, but getting jealous of a few pairs of shoes sounds really crackpot. For a fringe activity it makes sense for him to fundraise and solicit sponsors as best he can. Criticism of that just sounds like jealousy. Unless he is actually cheating you should stay quiet and watch it unfold.

It's not a few pairs, it's 16, and just because he in his delusion believes it, doesn't necessarily make it right. He could have taken expert advice, who would have all said the same thing: go for 50-55 days.

It is definitely sharp practice to say you're going to be phenomenal about something when there's no chance. These sponsors are part of the problem, in that they just adore his 302k followers, but he's only got them by spouting the line, "look at me! World record incoming!"

The sponsors don't really care about his quality, they just want the eyeballs of his followers. There is a level of trust involved that he's not a complete charlatan, and of course he's not. The 2:46 marathon tells us that. But his ultra and multiday CV is almost bare, but he keeps that part very quiet. People are going to be a little bemused to hear he did Mont Blanc in 37hrs to the winner's 19.

He's projected under 40 days now. Way to handle the naysayers!

Go Paul! Go Navy!

Anyway, a nice reply from Rob. Thinks they're on course for some very serious miles in the near future, which is great to hear. I replied:

Fantastic. File it for now, maybe look at it in a week. In short, if the wheels are coming off, recalibrate, don't hurt him. That is all. And thanks for all being great ambassadors to the sport.

I've been wondering the same. It's possible that the Johnson camp are a bit clueless about multiday running and think they have a genuine chance. But it's just as likely that they have just been bullsh*tting the whole time to make loads of money from sponsorship.

Johnson now has double the Instagram followers that Goodge has, so it's perfectly possible for him to now make a good living out of being an influencer. Even when he crashes and burns, most of his followers will laud him for his great effort and raising so much for charity. He'll win even in failure.