An Australian ultra-marathon athlete who holds records for the fastest run around his own country and across its vast desert center yesterday launched a bid to run non-stop from the North to the South pole.
Pat Farmer, once dubbed Australia’s “Forrest Gump,” aims to raise US$100 million for Red Cross water and sanitation programs during his 21,000-km journey through 14 countries in the Americas.
“I believe I’m born with a gift,” Farmer, 48, told AFP.
“My gift is to be able to run long distances faster and perhaps further than any other person on Earth, so I figure I’d be a fool if I had this gift and didn’t use it.”
Though the trip has been some 10 years in the making, Farmer said it was a recent trip to southeast Asia that inspired him to dedicate it to the Red Cross.
“I saw children covered with needlestick injuries in a dump trying to break syringes down to sell the metal inside for bottles of water,” he said.
“It was a heartbreaking turning point for me.”
His 11-month voyage will take him from freezing tundra through the tropics, and Farmer expects to go through more than 40 pairs of shoes and 300 pairs of socks.
“This is by far the greatest challenge of my life,” he said, adding that he had been training “like a man possessed.”
“To be quite honest with you I don’t know if I can run from the North pole to the South pole,” said Farmer, who also served for a decade as an Australian government MP.
“But I do know that I can run for 80km, or 85km or 90km or 100km a day and I do know that I can get up the next morning and do the same thing the next day.
“I will take it one day at a time and I will achieve this enormous goal.”
Farmer’s run starts at the North pole in March and will continue through Canada, the US, Mexico and 10 South American countries before he arrives in Argentina to be airlifted to the final South Pole leg.(afp)
澳洲一位超級馬拉松選手，保有在自己國內廣大的沙漠跑得最快的頭銜，昨日對自己下新戰帖，將挑戰從北極跑到南極的壯舉。
派特•法爾莫曾被喻為「澳洲阿甘」。他的目標是透過這一趟兩萬一千公里，穿越美洲十四個國家的旅程，替紅十字會的水與環境衛生計畫募集一億美元。
四十八歲的法爾莫跟法新社說，「我相信我有個與生據來的天賦。」
「我的天賦就是能夠鍥而不捨，比世界上任何人能更快地跑很長的距離。所以我如果擁有這項天賦而不用的話，那我就是個笨蛋。」
雖然這項壯舉籌畫已有十年，法爾莫表示讓他下決定把它獻給紅十字會的，是最近的一趟東南亞之旅。
他說，「我看到孩童在垃圾堆裡，為了得到購買幾瓶水的錢，從注射器取下金屬針頭而將身體多處扎傷。」
「對我而言，這是個錐心之痛的轉折點。」
這長達十一個月的旅程，他將從寒冷的北極凍原，穿過南北迴歸線。而法爾莫預計將耗損四十多雙鞋，以及三百雙左右的襪子。
他說，「這無疑地是我畢生最大的挑戰，」又說他為了達成目標「著了魔似的」訓練。
曾經擔任澳洲政府國會議員長達十年的法爾莫表示，「老實跟你說，我不知道是否能從北極跑到南極。」
「但我知道我能一天跑個八十公里，或八十五公里，或者一百公里，而且也知道隔天早上起得來，並且能夠繼續做同樣的事情。」
「我會一天一天完成該做的事情，並且會達成這個巨大的目標。」
法爾莫三月將從北極出發，並且會走過加拿大、美國、墨西哥，以及十個南美洲國家，最後到達阿根廷，並搭飛機完成南極的最後一個行程。（法新社�翻譯：吳岱璟）
UK lawmakers voted on Nov. 29 in favor of assisted dying for terminally ill people in England and Wales, advancing the emotive and contentious legislation to the next stage of parliamentary scrutiny. MPs voted by 330 to 275 in support of legalized euthanasia in the first vote on the issue in the House of Commons for nearly a decade. The result came following an emotionally-charged debate that lasted almost five hours in a packed and hushed chamber, and as competing protestors made their voices heard outside parliament. The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill now progresses to the committee
In the world of DIY and crafts, creating terrariums has emerged as a popular trend. Whether you have a spacious garden or a compact apartment, anyone can enjoy the beauty of nature at their fingertips with these miniature gardens. But what are terrariums, and why have they taken the world by storm? A terrarium is a sealed glass container that supports plant growth without daily watering. This concept was first developed in the 19th century by Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward, an English botanist. While experimenting, Ward accidentally discovered that ferns could grow well in a sealed jar. This observation led
A: The 2024 BWF World Tour Finals just kicked off in Hangzhou, China yesterday. B: Only the world’s top 8 players and Olympic gold medalists are qualified for the annual games. A: Taiwan’s badminton duo, Lee Yang and Wang Chi-lin, won the Olympic gold. Did they qualify? B: Of course. This will be the “Lin-Yang duo’s” last dance. A: Taiwan’s badminton king Chou Tien-cheng, men’s doubles, Yang Po-hsuan and Lee Jhe-huei, and mixed doubles, Yang and Hu Ling-fang, will also compete this time. It’s sure to be awesome. A: 2024世界羽聯「BWF年終總決賽」，昨天已在杭州開打了。 B: 只有世界前8名選手，或奧運金牌才有資格參賽。 A: 台灣的李洋、王齊麟榮獲奧運男雙金牌，也可以參男雙賽囉？ B: 當然啦，而這次將是「麟洋配」的最後一舞！ A: 而台灣球王周天成，男雙楊博軒、李哲輝，混雙楊博軒、胡綾芳也將參賽，讚啦。 （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩）
A: Taiwan has won three golds at the BWF World Tour Finals in the past. B: Cool, who were the gold medalists? A: Badminton queen Tai Tzu-ying won gold in 2020 and 2023, and men’s double, Lee Yang and Wang Chi-lin, won the title in 2020 as well. B: It’s too bad that both Tai and Lee announced their retirement from badminton. A: Hopefully, Wang and his new partner — the 21-year-old, 189cm-tall Chiu Hsiang-chieh — can also perform well in the future. A: 台灣在「BWF年終總決賽」，曾3度奪金耶。 B: 真酷耶，是誰啊？ A: 戴資穎在2020、2023年度的女單，李洋、王齊麟在2020年的男雙都曾奪金！ B: 不過小戴、李洋已宣布，要從羽壇退休。 A: 希望王齊麟和新搭檔—21歲189公分的邱相榤—未來也能打出好成績。 （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩）
RSS