Day 485 – US – Montana [Townsend to Three Forks]


02/08/21

56km

  From Townsend (Montana) to Three Forks (Montana)

North America


An unexpectedly hot morning followed by wind and rain – adjusting is key!

Out of Townsend at the crack fo dawn

I had prepared myself for a long day on the road under what should have been perfect weather conditions. The weather forecasts read that temperatures should remain in the 20s (Celsius) and with an overcast sky. Well. It went differently! The first 20kms went fine, then I found myself struggling under a crushing heat, literally. Km 20 to 40 were not fun at all, let’s put it this way.

1410m elevation and the skies are getting angry

I was confident that I did have enough quality food last night, a good night of sleep and I was keeping myself hydrated correctly. Therefore as all the signals went south, I did not try to fight it. I went along with whatever my body needed, whether it was frequent breaks, walking bouts, I just followed. Then at km 42, something happened! I reached the highest point of the run at “Hilltop Road” 1410m+ and a mighty wind started to blow. I looked up, clouds gathered and it started to appear very dark. The temperatures went down a few notches.

Towards Three Forks under menacing skies

And as if by magic, I found my running legs again. It was going downhill, sure, but I was going against the wind which was really strong. Then the Sheriff’s car stopped by my side. We had a chat and he informed me a major storm was coming our way, with warnings for flash floods. I made sure I kept on running the same pace towards Three Forks and I made it just on time to avoid the deluge! I guess we could all use a good rain here, and hopefully the temperatures will be a little more bearable tomorrow.

And here’s a podcast I have recorded with Simon Willis of BBC Scotland for “Always Another Adventure” just before I started the US crossing (recording date 02nd Jul 2021). I apologise for the very thick french accent (it seems to only get worse with age!) https://tinyurl.com/23d6cp2b

Check out today’s flyover video: https://www.relive.cc/view/vE6JpmJ3ngv



Check my daily run GPS data on or

Here is the map of today’s run: