Pat Farmer safely returned to Sydney on Thursday 23 February, following his successful endurance run from the North to the South Pole.
Pat has completed a gruelling world-first 20,919-kilometre run to raise awareness and money for Red Cross water and sanitation programs around the world.
Pat was met at Sydney airport and welcomed back to Australia by family, friends, a large media contingent and Red Cross CEO Robert Tickner.
To start the run, Pat was dropped at the North Pole in early April by a Russian helicopter. From the North Pole Pat then ran through Canada, the United States, Central America and South America eventually reaching the South Pole. To complete the 20,919km run Pat covered an incredible average of 80km every day, without a rest day. Throughout the run Pat suffered from dehydration, stress injuries and pushed daily through unimaginable pain.
Pat's superhuman effort was about much more than breaking records or personal glory.
His purpose was to raise awareness and money for Red Cross water and sanitation programs around the world, a cause about which he is extremely passionate.
Unsafe water and poor sanitation have claimed more lives worldwide over the past century than any other cause; and some four million people die each year from diseases associated with the lack of access to safe drinking water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene.
Show your support for Pat's achievement by donating to the Pole to Pole Run for Water Appeal.
Funds raised by Pat have already been used to fund a project in Timor-Leste connecting a school and a clinic on the outskirts of the town of Com to the settlement's clean water supply. The money will also be used to build extra latrines at the school and fund hygiene education for the students and teachers.
The local village chief says the new infrastructure will make a huge difference to the health of the people in Com.
Donate now to the Pole to Pole Run for Water Appeal.
For more information on Pat's journey, visit the Pole to Pole Run website.
Money raised for the Pole to Pole Run for Water Appeal through the Pole to Pole run will be used to deliver clean water and sanitation projects, with a focus on addressing the millions of children globally who die each year from a lack of access to safe drinking water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene.
Funds raised will be managed by Australian Red Cross and applied to projects, in collaboration with individual Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
Any interest earned on donations will be invested back into the appeal. Australian Red Cross will not deduct more than 10% of any donation to cover administration and appeal costs. In the unlikely event that the funds raised exceed the amount required, Australian Red Cross will direct the excess funds to other public health projects within the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement.
If you are an Australian resident for taxation purposes, you should ordinarily be entitled to a tax deduction for a donation of $2 or more to the Pole to Pole Run for Water Appeal.
If you are a non-resident of Australia for taxation purposes, you should seek your own professional advice in respect of the tax deductibility of your donation to the Pole to Pole Run for Water Appeal.