VietNamNet Bridge – Pat Farmer, an ultra-marathon athlete, motivational speaker, and former Australian politician, will run the length of Vietnam to raise money for clean water programs for the nation’s poor.

Pat Farmer, Australian ultra-marathon runner and hero - Photo: Official website of Pat Farmer

The 50-year-old will run through 30 cities and provinces in Pole To Pole: Vietnam, starting from Sunday and he finishes up on January 20 – a 40-day slog with no days off. He will run an average 80km per day from Mong Cai in Quang Ninh Province to the southernmost province of Ca Mau. The 3,200km-long marathon will help the Red Cross provide clean water for poor people. This is the first time that a foreigner has attempted such an extraordinary journey in Vietnam. He will also take 3 days to Jet-ski along the Mekong Delta back up to HCMC Harbor (Ben Nha Rong) during the trip.

Farmer, who was a Member of the Australian House of Representatives from 2001 to 2010, said: “Ordinary people can do extraordinary things if only they have purpose and belief in themselves and there can be no greater purpose than to change lives and in some cases save lives through bringing the most basic of needs, clean drinking water and clean sanitary conditions to those in need.”

Farmer will be joined by Vietnamese-Australian Huy Mai for the grueling journey. The event will highlight the 40th anniversary of ties between Australia and Vietnam.

A film crew will cover the entire journey on land and sea, with Pat doing regular interviews on Australian TV, and other forms of media.

In January 2012, Farmer accomplished one of the greatest feats in human history. He arrived at the South Pole after the longest and arguably most dangerous run ever made, a physical and mental triumph that put him in the company of the world’s greatest adventurers.

The 21,000-kilometer Pole to Pole Run, dedicated to raising funds for the Red Cross, began at the North Pole in April 2011 and took him through Canada, the U.S., Central America and South America to his ultimate destination in the Antarctic, the South Pole. The route took him from the North Pole to the South Pole over 10 months and 13 days.

According to Australian Red Cross, the world still has 880 million people who cannot access clean water. Every day, 4,000 children under five years old die due to diseases related to drinking dirty water. Some four million people die every year caused by sicknesses related to lack of clean water and poor sanitation conditions.

For registration, send an email to poletopolevietnam@gmail.com, or contact Ms. Tuong Vi on 0974771281, or Mr. Van Bay on 0903695983. For further information, check out Pat Farmer’s official website at http://poletopolerun.com.

Source: SGT