Get Inspired: An enduring hero

In January, 2012, Australia’s Pat Farmer accomplished one of the greatest feats in human history.  He’d 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.  Moreover, the driving force behind this run was neither personal glory or monetary gain, but Farmer’s determination to raise money for the Red Cross and their global clean water programs.

Pat Farmer grew up in Sydney, and began running from an early age.  In 2001, he became a member of the Australian Federal Parliament as a parliamentary secretary to the minister of Education, Science and Training under John Howard. 

Farmer has taken part in numerous national and international ultra-marathons, usually for charity, including one in which he ran all the way around Australia - over 14,660 kilometres in 191 days and ten minutes. 

In 2006 Farmer, along with Tony Abbott, ran up and down Sydney’s centre point tower for twenty four hours without stopping.  This is the equivalent of running up Mount Everest in one day!

Although Farmer stayed in parliament for nearly a decade, he was known as a humanitarian and aimed to support those in need.

In 2009, Farmer took his two children, Brook and Dylan, to an orphanage is Chiang Mai, Thailand.  Here they helped repair buildings and bikes for the children, and feed and clothe the babies. 

This proved to be a turning point in Farmer’s life, as he felt he had to raise money for children like this all over the world.  And so he began to plan a charity run of more than 21,000 kilometres, from North Pole to South Pole, with the aim of raising money to support the Red Cross.

Farmer’s epic adventure began at the North Pole in April 2011, and took him through Canada, the United States, and Central and South America, to his ultimate destination at the bottom of the globe, the South Pole.  

He ran an incredible average of sixty five kilometres every day, some days running up to 100 kilometres or more.  This heroic trek saw Farmer brave blizzards, nearly lose his life in the blazing deserts of Peru, and evade polar bears, crocodiles, armed bandits and rogue militias. 

He endured unimaginable pain, suffered numerous injuries, and destroyed his feet.  Perhaps the most gripping episode of this adventure was the time Farmer lost contact with his support team while attempting to take a short cut across a desert in Peru. 

He and crewman Juan Femet set off across the desert without mobile phones and without checking the battery level of their GPS or the fuel gauge on Juan’s motor scooter. 

Half way across, the fuel ran out and, with no communications, they were stranded.  Farmer opted to push on to reach the Pan-American high way ninety kilometres away, while Juan returned to locate the rest of the support team.  Fortunately, Farmer made it to the highway, where he met the crew.  But without food or water for twelve hours on a 42ᵒC day, Farmer had come close to dying.  As it was, he was severely dehydrated and thankful to be alive.

Farmer’s goal at the start of his run that took him through sixteen countries was to raise $100,000,000 for the Red Cross worldwide. 

In spite of all challenges, Farmer defied the odds, and although he under a third of his fundraising target, he remained optimistic, publishing Pole to Pole, a diary of his experience, in 2013.

Farmer also looks to the future, planning someday to run around Cuba, as well as a run down the entire length of India.  He is currently preparing for a run through five Middle Eastern countries, beginning on the 1st of May this year.  By encouraging others to run with him, Farmer hopes to promote unity in the desperately lacking part of the world.

Pat Farmer’s drive and determination to make a difference in our world by using his natural gifts to do good for others is what kept him going during the longest run ever made.  Whether you run or not, his life is sure to inspire, amaze, and motivate.