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Pole to Pole: One Man, 20 Million Steps
In a feat that ranks with the brave and inspiring deeds of Sir Edmund Hillary and Jessica Watson, famed Australian ultramarathon runner Pat Farmer did what no human has ever done: run from the North Pole to the South Pole. His mission: to raise money for the Red Cross to fund water projects in the world's neediest regions.
On the 21,000 km run, which took Farmer nearly a year to complete, he averaged an incredible 85 km a day. He faced freezing cold, polar bears and ice crevasses; searing heat and rattlesnakes; guerrillas and drug cartels; the stamina-sapping high altitudes of the Andes, and much more.
Pole To Pole is the story of his journey, told in his original diary format and accompanied by stunning photos.
On the 21,000 km run, which took Farmer nearly a year to complete, he averaged an incredible 85 km a day. He faced freezing cold, polar bears and ice crevasses; searing heat and rattlesnakes; guerrillas and drug cartels; the stamina-sapping high altitudes of the Andes, and much more.
Pole To Pole is the story of his journey, told in his original diary format and accompanied by stunning photos.
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
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56 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
March 22, 2015
Rare is the person who can perform amazing deeds and then write an extraordinary book on the subject; standout adventurer-writers include Jon Krakauer, Kira Salak, Antoine de Saint-Exupery, and Ernest Shackleton.
Unfortunately, ultra-marathon runner Pat Farmer is not among them.
If I were asked to rate Farmer’s accomplishments as an adventurer– spending 10 months running nearly 21,000 kilometers from North Pole to South Pole, with barely a day off during the entire journey, and with the noble aim of raising donations for the Red Cross – I would, without qualms, give him five stars.
But his book “Pole to Pole: One Man, 20 Million Steps,” which recounts the expedition from beginning to end, fails to satisfy. Told in the form of a daily journal, the book is dull and repetitive, the descriptions clichéd and forgettable, and the “insights” lacking in profundity. We read over and over again about Farmer’s sore knee, the type of road kill he encounters during the day, how much he misses his kids, how his journey is 90 percent mental – and not much else. It reads more like an interminable series of unedited blog posts than a proper book.
Farmer also demonstrates a disappointingly narrow view of the world. At one point he wonders “if the hospitality I’ve been experiencing [in Canada and the United States] will cease at the Mexican border.”As varied and vibrant as Mexico’s culture is, we learn virtually nothing about it once he enters the country. Instead, barely a sentence passes without some reference to “bandits” or “drug-runners,” and this obsession with negative stereotypes continues unabated all the way through the Central and South American countries through which he passes.
Farmer explains at the end that the book “reflects my thoughts and feelings each day as I ran from pole to pole” and that “I have not returned to revise my words.” It’s understandable that after spending all day running 80-plus kilometers he would have more blood in his legs than in his brain, but this is all the more reason to abandon the day-by-day journal format and pen a retrospective account into which he might have injected more analysis, heartfelt introspection, and “bigger-picture” insight.
But it’s also doubtful whether this alternative approach would have made for a more compelling read. As Farmer proudly writes, “I’ve never been a great reader, preferring to experience life first-hand rather than vicariously” – as if it’s not possible to balance both.As such, the book goes a long way toward reinforcing my belief that to be a good writer, it’s necessary to be a good reader.
Of course it’s possible that I’m underestimating Farmer’s genius as a writer. Perhaps his aim was to write a book that forces the reader to share the tedium of his adventure, requiring tremendous fortitude to continue turning the pages and slog all the way through to the end. If so, anyone who reads the entire book should feel proud that they made it all the way from one pole to the other. But I was able to do so only because I was using the book as bedtime reading, for which its soporific effect was just the ticket for drifting off into a good night’s sleep.
Unfortunately, ultra-marathon runner Pat Farmer is not among them.
If I were asked to rate Farmer’s accomplishments as an adventurer– spending 10 months running nearly 21,000 kilometers from North Pole to South Pole, with barely a day off during the entire journey, and with the noble aim of raising donations for the Red Cross – I would, without qualms, give him five stars.
But his book “Pole to Pole: One Man, 20 Million Steps,” which recounts the expedition from beginning to end, fails to satisfy. Told in the form of a daily journal, the book is dull and repetitive, the descriptions clichéd and forgettable, and the “insights” lacking in profundity. We read over and over again about Farmer’s sore knee, the type of road kill he encounters during the day, how much he misses his kids, how his journey is 90 percent mental – and not much else. It reads more like an interminable series of unedited blog posts than a proper book.
Farmer also demonstrates a disappointingly narrow view of the world. At one point he wonders “if the hospitality I’ve been experiencing [in Canada and the United States] will cease at the Mexican border.”As varied and vibrant as Mexico’s culture is, we learn virtually nothing about it once he enters the country. Instead, barely a sentence passes without some reference to “bandits” or “drug-runners,” and this obsession with negative stereotypes continues unabated all the way through the Central and South American countries through which he passes.
Farmer explains at the end that the book “reflects my thoughts and feelings each day as I ran from pole to pole” and that “I have not returned to revise my words.” It’s understandable that after spending all day running 80-plus kilometers he would have more blood in his legs than in his brain, but this is all the more reason to abandon the day-by-day journal format and pen a retrospective account into which he might have injected more analysis, heartfelt introspection, and “bigger-picture” insight.
But it’s also doubtful whether this alternative approach would have made for a more compelling read. As Farmer proudly writes, “I’ve never been a great reader, preferring to experience life first-hand rather than vicariously” – as if it’s not possible to balance both.As such, the book goes a long way toward reinforcing my belief that to be a good writer, it’s necessary to be a good reader.
Of course it’s possible that I’m underestimating Farmer’s genius as a writer. Perhaps his aim was to write a book that forces the reader to share the tedium of his adventure, requiring tremendous fortitude to continue turning the pages and slog all the way through to the end. If so, anyone who reads the entire book should feel proud that they made it all the way from one pole to the other. But I was able to do so only because I was using the book as bedtime reading, for which its soporific effect was just the ticket for drifting off into a good night’s sleep.
April 20, 2019
Obviously, the author's pole to pole run is an incredible achievement. But as a book, meh. I prefer my adventure books to be well off the beaten path, with big helpings of history and culture, and for the author to be self-reflective and immerse themselves in their experience. This book didn't have any of that.
The author was obsessed with the destination, not the experience. Constantly thinking about kilometres. He did not enjoy what he was doing, and as a result he spent most of his time trying to block out the experience because it was so horrible and painful. His hours spent running meant he had no time for discovering the countries that he ran through, except for the roadkill, which he logged carefully. He was literally running on state highways. So boring. And the diary format was pretty repetitive. He was pretty obsessed with the idea of bandits, drug - runners and kidnappers in Central and South American countries, and didn't bother to try and see beyond those stereotypes. Plus, he was doing it all for "the poor". Its a nice idea, but came across very paternalistic.
The author was obsessed with the destination, not the experience. Constantly thinking about kilometres. He did not enjoy what he was doing, and as a result he spent most of his time trying to block out the experience because it was so horrible and painful. His hours spent running meant he had no time for discovering the countries that he ran through, except for the roadkill, which he logged carefully. He was literally running on state highways. So boring. And the diary format was pretty repetitive. He was pretty obsessed with the idea of bandits, drug - runners and kidnappers in Central and South American countries, and didn't bother to try and see beyond those stereotypes. Plus, he was doing it all for "the poor". Its a nice idea, but came across very paternalistic.
June 7, 2012
Pat Farmer has created himself a global reputation for endurance running and ultra-marathon racing which has seen him break numerous world records and his most recent achievement is the pole to pole run where he unbelievably ran 21,000 kilometres.
Follow the link for my full review and interview with Pat Farmer here: http://skinnycapwithtwosugars.com/201...
Follow the link for my full review and interview with Pat Farmer here: http://skinnycapwithtwosugars.com/201...
Want to read
December 14, 2014I just met Pat Farmer, the author of this book at my children's school where he spoke for more than an hour. He'd just stepped off the plane from Vietnam where he is completing his next running mission. He had a great story to tell, and related it well to the young children he was addressing. He signed my copy, I'm very much looking forward to it.
June 7, 2012
I don't know how you could read this book and not be humbled and inspired by Pat Farmer. Love or hate his politics, this is a man who is willing to LITERALLY go to the ends of the earth to help people he'll never see in countries that have next to nothing. The sacrifice, the pain, the money, the wear and tear on his body, and his focus and determination to succeed despite all this left me feeling in awe.
The memoir is a little repetitive, but I think it is honestly written, and reflects the day-to-day raw grind of the run that wasn't shown in the media releases. I loved this, and it made me just wanna put my running shoes on and head out the door.
The memoir is a little repetitive, but I think it is honestly written, and reflects the day-to-day raw grind of the run that wasn't shown in the media releases. I loved this, and it made me just wanna put my running shoes on and head out the door.
January 4, 2015
Found it boring at times but the sheer tenacity of Pat to complete this arduous task is fabulous, he is a good person and was a good politician shame the rest of the politicians didn't have his integrity. The proceeds going to those who need it most was one of the reasons I didn't feel bad about buying this book as all proceeds went to the Red Cross to provide health, sanitation, water to people who need it most. We take our western lifestyle for granted while a tap in the centre of a small village could mean the life or death of a young child especially girls who are often raped on trips to obtain water from kilometres away.
January 3, 2014
A bit of a slog. It really did feel like reading an unedited blog at times. The adventure is, hands down, the most incredible I think I will ever bear witness to. That is, unless we send humans to Mars during my lifetime. Writing aside, what an accomplishment. I do question his motives given he had school age children, and was a single parent - but I don't want to detract from seizing his the seizing the moment mentality.
January 27, 2014
Raw emotion - brave to publish. Learnt lots about ultra marathon runners, the mentality, the sacrifices etc.
September 21, 2020
No puedo creer q tenga casi 4 estrellas, se merece 2 a lo sumo, pero le pongo una solo para bajar el promedio. Juzgamos el libro y al autor como escritor, no como corredor.
September 25, 2012
Amazed! What an achievement. I was a little disappointed that the book was in Diary form , but Pay explains this well at the end of the book. Maybe that explanation, of wanting to make the account raw and real would have been better at the front?
Read this on a couple of weeks, which is fast for me! Seriously inspiring and entertaining.
Read this on a couple of weeks, which is fast for me! Seriously inspiring and entertaining.
October 18, 2015
I started the book skeptical of the format, it is essentially the writers diary as he ran from Pole to Pole. But as I got used to the format I really started to appreciate it. It made you feel like you were there with the group, and since the author didn't go back to change things you see his feelings practically live and ago through the experiences with him.
July 3, 2012
Okay....whilst it was an amazing achievment, the book wasn't a page turner.
goodreadingguide-com
November 9, 2014JG to review @ www.GoodReadingGuide.com
January 15, 2013
Was inspiring, just not that keen on the diary format, got a bit repetitive at times .
June 15, 2013
Amazing achievement.
July 23, 2013
Phenomenal story, wonderful book. Meet extreme-marathoner Pat Farmer on The Halli Casser-Jayne Show, Wednesday, July 24, 3 pm ET. Listen online http://bit.ly/U4EEMd.
September 25, 2016
Really inspiring!
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews