Pat Farmer begins “Pole to pole Vietnam” run Pat Farmer and his Vietnamese running partner Mai Nguyen Dinh Huy started the first stage of their 3,000km journey from North to South of Vietnam in Quang Ninh northern province on December 9, 2012. Photo: Tuoi Tre Australian ultra-marathon athlete Patrick Francis Daniel Pat Farmer, who completed an incredible 21,000 km run from Pole to Pole early this year, today began another huge task: to run the length of Vietnam from north to south. The marathon run is aimed to highlight the 40th anniversary of the diplomatic relationship between Vietnam and Australia. At 9am on December 9, at Kilometer Zero at Sa Vi Cape in the northern province of Quang Ninh, Pat Farmer and his Vietnamese running partner Mai Nguyen Dinh Huy started the first stage of their 3,000 km Vietnam journey under the witness of about 3,000 people. Pat and Mai Huy, a new BA graduate from an Australian university, arrived at Dam Ha district in Quang Ninh province at 1pm the same day, finishing a 65 km run. On December 12, Pat Farmer and Mai Huy will go on the second stage from Dam Ha to Dong Duong also in Quang Ninh stretching for 64 km. At the opening ceremony, Pat presented his diary titled “Pole to Pole, One Man, 20 Million Steps” to event-goers including many elderly and children under 7. The book is about Pat’s experience as well as difficulties he had to encounter during the 10-month expedition from the North Pole to the South Pole to raise A$100,000 for Red Cross International. Pat Farmer, a former Australian politician and a Member of the Australian House of Representatives, will be running from the northernmost area of Mong Cai to the southernmost cape of Ca Mau to raise funds for the Red Cross project to provide clean water for underprivileged people in the country. Pat hopes that his footsteps will help bring clean water to poor people in Vietnam through the support of Australia Red Cross and Vietnam Red Cross. His 40-day Vietnam run is expected to end on January 20. "Each of us has a gift, a talent that makes us unique," Pat says. "My gift is to inspire a better world through my footsteps. Sadly, unsafe water and poor sanitation have claimed too many lives. Supporting my run this December is one small way you can help make a difference." 25-year-old Dinh Huy, who will run alongside Pat for the entire journey, recently told Saigon Tiep Thi Newspaper they will cover some 80 kilometers per day during the 3,000 km run and are expecting to receive A$300,000 in donations from Australian nationals via the internet or the Red Cross, plus those from other golden hearts around the world. TUOI TRE News