Day 515 – US – North Dakota [Sterling to Dawson]

01/09/21

43km

  From Sterling (North Dakota) to Dawson (North Dakota)

North America

Toughest day of the US crossing so far, with an almighty wind in my face the whole run

Sunrise, out of Sterling, ND

The day started off rather well. I had read the weather forecast and knew that it would get very windy by mid-morning. There was not much I could do about it, I had left at dawn, hoping for the best. Out of Sterling the sun rose above the horizon beautifuly and I thought maybe that’s an omen for a perfect day on the road. Wrong!

Windswept lakes and swamps by the side of the road

Halfway through the run, the wind (which had been building up gradually) reached its constant speed today, which was between 30-40 k/ph. And that was mostly coming in front (headwind) of me and from the side (crosswinds). The gusts were incredibly violent. Today was like trying to run a marathon, pushing 30kgs of gear ahead of me, being constantly pushed in the face or from the side by some invisible strong hand. It was really hard to keep going! The final 13km on the gravel road to Dawson were the worst.

With Keith, his wife and Pastor Marvin

I got welcomed by Keith and his wife who run the cottage I am staying at – in fact I got the whole barn to myself! They also had reached out to Marvin the Pastor who freelances for the local paper. We all meet late afternoon for dinner at the Lakeside Saloon for a nice meal and drinks. Thank you again to the local community, not only for the meal but also the company and the warmth of the welcome I receive.

Check out today’s flyover video: https://www.relive.cc/view/vKv2ygRW94q

Check my daily run GPS data on or

Here is the map of today’s run: