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Record-setting Australian endurance runner and former parliamentarian Pat Farmer began his run, starting from Kanyakumari to Kashmir with the primary goal to raise funds for the education of girls.
The run also aims to cement relations between India and Australia; encourage tourism with a view to create awareness on India as a tourism destination and showcase it as a progressive nation in Australia.
Farmer will run a distance of 4600 km from India’s southernmost point to Srinagar over a period of 60 days, covering an average of 76 km a day – or roughly equivalent in length to two marathons – across some 10 States.
The first leg of the ‘Spirit of India Run’ will see Farmer running through Kerala – as a guest of Kerala Tourism – from Poovar to Kochi and then to Kasaragod, before crossing over to Karwar in Karnataka. He will then take the western coastline upwards to Goa, Maharashtra, Gujarat and beyond. A Kerala Tourism branded vehicle and a liaison officer are accompanying the run. Kerala Tourism has already accounted for the run’s logistics in the State, including accommodation for the crew at each halt. The nine locations to be covered in Kerala are Poovar, Varkala, Harippad, Kochi, Guruvayoor, Feroke, Vadakara, Payyanur and Kasaragod.
“I feel very privileged to be here in this beautiful State. I love the palm trees, I love the fact that it’s close to the ocean because my home in Sydney is close to the ocean as well,” Farmer said. “I look forward to showcasing the best that India has to offer,” he added.
The two-month-long run hopes to highlight the fact that “Education of the Girl Child” can be achieved by taking it one step at a time.
Pat Farmer hopes to raise Rs. 4.8 million through his run in India. “It costs about Rs. 0.0024 million to educate a girl in a year. The message is getting across. I’m confident we’ll get there.”
Besides the financial contribution, Farmer hopes that his efforts will help promote bilateral ties between India and Australia. The run already enjoys strong support from the Ministry of External Affairs, the Ministry of Tourism, a number of state governments and the various Australian High Commissions in India.
