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The greatest true adventure book of the decade - the incredible story of Pat Farmer's inspiring run from the North Pole to the South Pole.
In a feat that ranks with the brave and inspiring deeds of Scott of the Antarctic, Sir Edmund Hillary and Jessica Watson, famed Australian ultramarathon runner Pat Farmer did what no human has ever done: run from the North Pole to South Pole. His mission: to raise money for the Red Cross to fund water projects in the world's neediest regions.
Setting out from the North Pole in April 2011, Farmer ran 21,000 kilometres through 14 countries including Canada, the United States, Mexico, El Salvador, Colombia and Chile. In the run, which took him nearly a year to complete, he averaged an incredible 85 km a day - that's two marathons every day, with no days off.
On his epic adventure, Farmer faced freezing cold, polar bears and ice crevasses; searing heat and rattlesnakes; guerrillas, drug cartels and killer highway traffic; humidity and dangerous wildlife; and the stamina-sapping high altitudes of the Andes. He suffered injuries, collisions and saw first-hand the brutality of life in some of the most dangerous places on earth. He cheated death time and again.
The raw and honest chronicle of Pat Farmer's run from Pole to Pole is a deeply personal diary accompanied by stunning photography. Share in Farmer's triumphs, challenges and despair as he runs and runs and runs from one end of the earth to the other.
About the Author
Pat Farmer commenced his passion of ultra-marathon running while working as a motor mechanic in the late-1970s. In 1992 he married Lisa Bullivant and they bought land in Catherine Field, where they began building their family home. They went on to have two children, Brooke and Dillon. In 1998, Lisa, aged 34, died unexpectedly of Mitral Valve Prolapse and Farmer was left to raise his two children on his own. During this period, Farmer set a number of ultra-marathon Australian and world records, which placed him in the elite of the sport. Before becoming a politician in 2001, he raised over $3 million for Diabetes Australia, Lifeline, Careflight International and the Westmead Millennium Institute for Medical Research. Farmer is perhaps best known for his record breaking 14,964 km Centenary of Federation run around all of Australia in 1999, taking 191 days. This event raised considerable funds for charity. He was named Achiever of the Year at the Australian of the Year Awards 2000.
After running from the north to the south poles - the equivalent of 600 marathons back to back - Pat Farmer's incredible feat of endurance will go down in history alongside the great adventurers of our time.
He's run 21,000 kilometres, he has faced two alligators, one black bear, crashed two Winnebagos, been robbed twice, been lost 26 times, he's consumed nearly 3,000 litres of water. Pat has had aching legs, infected toes, frostbite, sunburn, windburn, dehydration, exhaustion and altitude sickness and he has run Pole to Pole to raise funds for the American, Canadian and Australian Red Cross.
This really is Shackleton, Heyerdahl and Hillary territory. Pat was previously already a huge achiever in the political, sporting and philanthropic arenas. Now that the run is complete, you can read his whole incredible story. There is never going to be another one like it.
| Foreword | p. vii |
| Preface | p. ix |
| Warming up | p. xix |
| The Arctic | p. 1 |
| Canada | p. 47 |
| United States | p. 67 |
| Central America | p. 123 |
| South America | p. 185 |
| Antarctica | p. 269 |
| Finishing the job | p. 297 |
| Acknowledgements | p. 311 |
| Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved. |
ISBN: 9781742377841
ISBN-10: 174237784X
Audience:
General
Format:
Paperback
Language:
English
Number Of Pages: 352
Published: 1st March 2012
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Dimensions (cm): 23.4 x 15.6
x 2.8
Weight (kg): 0.542
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