Record-setting endurance runner and former parliamentarian from Australia Pat Farmer commenced his “Spirit of India Run” on Tuesday, aimed to raise funds for girls’ education.
The 53-year-old Farmer is set to traverse the length of India, from Kanyakumari to Kashmir. He was given a reception at Kaliyikkavila, on the border between Tamil Nadu and Kerala, on Tuesday.
Farmer will cover the run’s first leg in Kerala as a guest of the state’s Tourism Department. The Kerala leg sees him start from Poovar near here and continue through Kochi and Kasaragod before crossing over into Karwar in Karnataka and later, into Goa, Maharashtra, Gujarat and beyond.
Farmer will cover 4,600 km from Kanyakumari to Srinagar over 60 days, covering an average 76 km a day across some 10 states. The run will end in Srinagar on March 30. The organisers said in a statement that the run also aimed at better relations between India and Australia and promoting India as a tourism destination.
School visits and interactions with girl students have been scheduled as part of the run. “It’s important that people, especially young people, are inspired and come to understand that problems can be tackled by ordinary people putting one foot in front of the other,” he said.
Deccan Herald is on WhatsApp Channels| Join now for Breaking News & Editor's Picks