Just a Little Run Around the World: 5 Years, 3 Packs of Wolves and 53 Pairs of Shoes

by Rosie Swale Pope

After her husband died of cancer, 57-year-old Rosie set off to run around the world, raising money in memory of the man she loved. Followed by wolves, knocked down by a bus, confronted by bears, chased by a naked man with a gun and stranded with severe frostbite, Rosie's breathtaking 20,000-mile solo journey is as gripping as it is inspiring.

Rosie's solo run around the world started out of sorrow and heartache and a wish to turn something around.

Heartbroken when she lost her husband to cancer, Rosie set off from Wales with nothing but a small backpack of food and equipment, and funded by the rent from her little cottage. So began her epic 5-year journey that would take her 20,000 miles around the world, crossing Europe, Russia, Asia, Alaska, North America, Greenland, Iceland, and back into the UK.

On a good day she'd run 30 miles, on a bad day she'd only manage 500 yards, digging herself out of the snow at -62 degrees C, moving her cart inches at a time. Every inch, every mile, was a triumph, a celebration of life, and 53 pairs of shoes later Rosie arrived home to jubilant crowds in Tenby, Wales.

Rosie's incredible story is a mesmerizing page-turner of the run of her life. It will wake up the sleeping adventurer in you; it will inspire hope, courage and determination in you; but most of all it will convince you to live your life to the full and make every day count.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Biography, Adventure, Sports, Memoir, Book Club

341 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 28, 2009

Reviews

[Liralen · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a little startling to look Rosie Swale Pope up after finishing this book and to see just how much she's done—she has a hell of an endurance CV. In Just a Little Run Around the World, she describes running, yes, around the world after her partner died.

It's funny how much perspective changes when you're talking about a five-year run rather than, say, a five-hour run. Pope talks breezily about all sorts of things that in a shorter endeavour would be given entire chapters or more: being hit by a bus, serious illness, near starvation, swarms of mosquitoes making their way down her throat, being chased by unsavory sorts... But she has so much ground to cover, literally and physically, that she just sums up these otherwise Big Things in a sentence or two and moves on to the next thing.

The book's not a stunner as far as craft and so on go, but it's competent, and stunning readers with the prose isn't really the point here. You can't outrun grief, but you can do something with it, and Pope certainly managed that.

[Julia Sarene · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm absolutely in awe of what the author achieved! One hell of a journey - and who the hell cares about broken ribs... Off we go!

The book itself didn't really catch me as much as I hoped though. One reason is the prose and style of the author. It isn't bad - it just didn't fit my personal taste. The second reason is how so many things are just handled so quickly. "I ran away - I got away" and on to the next. With quite some situations I would have loved more time spent on them. It all flowed by so quickly I never got fully engaged with the story, but it felt more like "skim reading" to me, even though I did fully read it. I somehow always stayed on the surface of the story instead of sinking in.

All in all an interesting read and one amazing woman!

[Mark Glover · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those books that sneaks up on you very unassuming in much the same way as its author would appear to be, it details the incredible achievement of Rosie Swale Pope who set off at 57 to run around the world. I feel it would not be giving to much of the story away to reveal that the run itself was in tribute to the death of her partner who died of cancer, though this is anything but an exercise in self analysis and remorse. Rosie comes across as an amazingly inspirational person who chose these tragic circumstances to set forth on journey of discovery that is both personal and challenging, running around the northern hemisphere unassisted through largely inhospitable landscapes. To call the journey she takes danger filled and arduous would be understatement and as another reviewer noted you do almost wish that Rosie would make more of some of the challenges she faced, certainly if ever there was a journey worthy of having wider acclaim it is hers. But once you read the book you understand that it is in fact her ability to overlook the hardships and downplay the challenges that make her capable of achieving things that would seem to most an impossibility.

[Zoe Sunderland · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Initially bought as I wanted a book on running, but instead it's about endurance and survival in the most hostile of places and in the most emotional of times.

A truly uplifting story. Loved it.

[Shauna · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting account of a run around the world raising money for various charities. Starting out in her home town of Tenby in Wales, 57 year old Rosie Swale Pope sets out across Northern Europe, Russia and across Siberia to the USA and Canada, enduring some the coldest temperatures on the planet.
You cannot help but warm to Rosie as she faces the many challenges she meets with optimism and good humour. She has my respect and admiration for what she has achieved. This book would have been so much more enjoyable with a good map so that you could chart the journey and see for yourself the enormity of it.

[Moira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rosie is a force of nature. You read this book with your jaw slack ... poised somewhere between total admiration and the belief that she isn't quite sane. Both reactions are entirely justified. Even though you know she makes it ... there are times when her writing is so vivid that you feel a cold hand gripping your heart. The moment when her cellphone died, stranded in the middle (quite literally) of nowhere ... eccentric as the Mad Hatter but with the surivival skills of a street fighter, Rosie writes as she lives - at breakneck speed. Amazing woman. Amazing book.

[thereadytraveller · Rating 2 out of 5]

I so wanted to like this book as what was achieved is simply amazing. Running 32,000 kms around the northern fringes of the world over five years is so inconceivalbe that its impossible for us mere mortals to comprehend. And the sadess attached to the reasons for the author undertaking this epic journey due to the loss of her husband to cancer makes it all the more poignant. Unfortunately, despite having amazing material to write about, the finished product is far from great and I was limping well before finishing.

[James Kidd · Rating 3 out of 5]

An amazing journey, woman and story told in an unfortunately ordinary way.

[Marianne · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a true story about a woman who, after her husband dies of cancer decides to run around the world in order to raise awareness of cancer. It's an amazing story, and Rosie is an amazing woman but I think I was expecting to be more involved in her story. I think partially the problem was that the book spans the five year trip and the places she ran were so remote so the snapshots were exactly that and it was difficult to get a real feel for the journey at times. Running in -50, and dealing with Siberia, Alaska and Greenland amongst other places is awe-inspiring, but sometimes I don't think I really got that sense. It's maybe a harsh to judge because she's not a writer, but I almost wish it was a pure diary form where we got more of her emotional experiences, and found out more about the days where she wanted to give up, where the frostbite and the isolation got to her as opposed to the more sanitised 'this is what happened, I felt, I saw...' thing we got sometimes.

Regardless, my awe of the woman throughout the book never wavered. It staggers me that she never gave up, that she completed that journey despite it's length and tribulations. She was 57 when she started her journey, and although she wasn't a newbie at these mammoth feats after sailing the Atlantic single-handedly, it's still, for me, an almost unbelievable feat and although I was disappointed I didn't develop a more emotional connection with the journey, my admiration and awe was definitely something that wasn't ever in doubt.

[Lynsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably really a 3.5 but we'll go with 4.
I wanted her to go more in depth about some of her encounters, challenges etc. I felt like she moved from one bit to the next without much reflection but I think that was more down to the style of writing than her actually not doing it. Some parts of the journey got more detail - Canada and USA. Enjoyed reading this and loved her reasoning for doing it and her determination.

[Charlotte Crisp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspirational lady, what a staggering feat of endurance and perseverance. Amazing story

[Joe Bridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rosie is a real inspiration to anyone in the face of adversity regardless of whether they’re interested in running. Another good read for anyone interested in adventure/travel books.

[Richard J Lloyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant, really enjoyed it. What a woman! I stumbled upon Rosie in one of my kid's books about inspiring people, so I looked her up and found her story. Quite the role model for a little girl.

[Charlotte Simpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly epic journey, I found it difficult to put this down once I started reading it. Great fun and very inspiring!

[Edwin Setiadi · Rating 5 out of 5]

An adventure with a message: Early cancer screening saves lives

In 2003, at the age of 57, Rosie Swale-Pope began a journey around the world that would cover 20,000 miles (32,187 KM) in 5 years. Not by car, not by motorcycle, not even by bicycle, but by running. Her quest was to raise awareness and fund for the early diagnosis of cancer, a disease that had just recently claimed the life of her beloved husband.

Carrying all of her belongings in a backpack (and later on in various different small carts), she embarked on the journey from her own front door in Tenby, Wales, to London and Harwich, crossed the English channel by ferry to the Netherlands, then ran the vast length of Western and Eastern Europe to Moscow and all the way to the far end of Siberia, before crossing the Bering Sea. She then continued running through the wilderness of the far north of Alaska, head across to North America towards Nova Scotia where she crossed to Greenland and then north of Iceland, before finally ran down the length of Great Britain back to the doorstep of her home.

While there were quite a few that have attempted a trip around the world by land before, and succeeded, she became the only person in the world that have completed this solo challenge with no support crew following her, while running. So, who is she and why can she get so “crazy”? (with the best possible intention of the word).

Rosie had an interesting childhood. Born in Davos, Switzerland, her mother was suffering from tubercolosis while her Irish father was away on duty serving for the British Army, so Rosie was raised by the wife of a local postman. She was 2 years old when her mother passed away, and little Rosie moved to Ireland to live with her paternal grandmother, and later with his father and his new French wife who loves Rosie. She grew up loving animals and took care of 4 orphaned donkeys, 7 goats, and a pet cow named Cleopatra. She also often go out exploring the countryside riding a black horse named Columbine.

To say that she’s an adventurer may be an understatement. She hitch-hiked her way to India, Nepal and Russia when she was a teenager with almost no money. Trekked 3000 miles (4800 KM) alone through Chile on a horseback. She walked around the entire coast of Wales, and ran a lot of exotic marathon races alongside the usual ones including one in Siberia, Romania, Albania, Cuba, Nepal, South Africa, ran 151 miles (243 KM) at the Sahara Desert, ran 1000 miles (1610 KM) from Arctic Circle to Iceland’s capital Reykjavik, and at one point ran 27 marathon races in 27 days.

Moreover, she once sailed single-handedly across the Atlantic ocean on a small boat. In fact, it was during sailing in 1982 when she met her husband Clive. Together, they had a happy, loving, and adventurous life, including living in a boat at one period of time and sailed around the world, even giving birth on the boat on Italian waters. That is, until Clive was diagnosed of prostate cancer a little too late and he passed away not long after. Rosie remarked of her last few moments with him, “[t]ime generously stopped its bitter headlong race; and stood still, just for a little while. It was time’s gift that meant everything. Things last for ever, not in years, but in the moments in which they happen.”

The run around the world was her way of grieving, and her way of battling against the very disease and awareness (or the lack thereof) that could have saved her husband’s life a little sooner. And what a touching journey. In that 5 years period, she didn’t run continuously but had plenty of stops and was welcomed by a lot of strangers and supporters of her cause. All the people she met, all the many weird and wonderful encounters, occurrences and even tragedies all made the run such a memorable adventure.

There was the 25 KM “Rosie’s Run” organised by her supporters in Netherlands to run alongside her, there was this one occasion where she entered a stranded place in the middle of the woods in Germany and proceeded to be served a delicious breakfast, when she’s serenaded in Poland, invited home by a Polish family during Christmas Eve, and by a Lithuanian family during New Year’s Eve, waking up with 6 other people in a random house, getting 2 Russian god-granddaughters, got ill several times including getting a double pneumonia and hospitalised in Irkutsk and suffered from broken ribs in Alaska, being protected by old men in a dangerous mountain, rescuing a dog that was about to be shot dead and took it with her for a while before giving it to a little girl in the next town, being proposed to get married, twice, almost losing a toe due to frostbite, making friends with the Amish, waking up surprised with a snake with her in bed, and appearing in the Martha Steward Show while in New York, among many others.

And perhaps the craziest ones for me, in between the run around the world she stopped at Omsk to run a marathon race, and halted the run once more to participate in the Chicago marathon (and finished 14th place in her age category). Remember, at this point she’s 60 years old!

While the journey was hers, the lessons were for everyone. And they are profound. Rosie is an incredibly kind soul with a positive outlook on life whom sees the best in people. Now this doesn’t mean that she’s naive and ignorant of the nasty sides of people and the violence occurring around the world (she even encountered violence few times herself in this journey, including getting chased by a murderer). But through her story she shows us and teaches us that even in the poorest and most desperate corners of the world people are naturally nice, and those who are desperate enough to become violent can be softened if we approach them with kindness and care. Even the murderer.

This is reflected in the so many people that she met along the way during those 5 years, who have so little but want to share or help her, all the doctors that helped her nurse back to health (for free), and the many people across many small towns that helped her with her broken equipments and so very often took her home and spoiled her with food and comfy bed. She might be running solo, but she got help from strangers almost in every step of the way. Rosie concluded, “I believe animals and people everywhere don’t just make the journey, they are the journey. It’s true in Siberia, Alaska, Canada, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and the beautiful mountains of Pennsylvania. You never know what will happen next. The most enchanting encounters can end up startling you.”

It’s been years since this journey began and ended safely, and since then the British progressive rock band Big Big Train had wrote a song about this journey in their song “the passing widow”, she has since embarked on another charity-awereness run from England to Nepal, and Rosie received an MBE honour from the Queen of England in 2008 for her charity work. She’s simply an amazing human being.

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a phenomenal, almost unbelievable true story of a woman of 57 who runs through frozen northern wastes in isolation in temperatures down to minus 65C. Its a truly moving story thats puts us ordinary folk to shame. I cried through much of the book and can relate to much of the story. The only issue I have is that the book was rushed. I would have preferred a much longer, epic book about her 5 year trip. If anything this book understates her achievement which I think is a shame. I would have wished for longer, deeper descriptions, more daily detail as often 6 weeks at a time are just skipped. Also too many acknowledgments. I am happy to read about characters who support the heroine but their names, childrens names and pets was too much information. I would have liked the book to have been more tedious! Each day of survival must have been difficult and painstaking, especially in Siberia in minus 30, yet the narrative breezes through 4 weeks of solitary running and living in a tent as matter of fact. I think a ghost writer could have given a larger perspective on this feat. It makes her adventure shockingly ordinary because of the style with which she has written it. I would thoroughly recommend it though. I won't grumble at having to leave my comfy chair to put the kettle on again!

[Martinxo · Rating 3 out of 5]

The sections on Siberia and Alaska are thrilling and one is struck by the sheer courage and determination of Ms Pope. Sadly the book (for me) became a little dull after Alaska and I skimmed much of the last quarter of the book. One major downside: No map! How can you have a book on a run around the world without a flipping map of the route!!??

[Very Casual · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I read this entire book like this: O.O (with my mouth agape).
How Rosie Swale Pope was not killed, mugged, or frozen to death is beyond me. If there is one word I'd use to describe this story, it's 'EPIC'. In every sense of the word.
If anyone reads this & doesn't feel an urge for travel and adventure afterwards, check them for a heartbeat.

[Bonnie_blu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book! It is a study in courage, grace, and humanity. Loved it!

[Choopie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a remarkably gutsy woman. You would have to read it to believe it. Would have loved to have heard how she managed with her ablutions in -56deg weather.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it . . . I am in awe of this lady !

[P.G. Glynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply brilliant! Rosie Swale Pope's true story of her run around the world is both humbling and extraordinarily inspirational. Her achievement and mindset are awesome.

[Hazel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really interesting read.

[Swapna · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's like being on the run with her!
Shows the bright, positive, caring, good side of world.

[Anne (ABC) · Rating 5 out of 5]

True story about a 57 year old woman who ran around the world after her husband died of cancer. Cannot imagine how she had the courage or strength…….an incredible story - surely movie material???

[Lydia Kozar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible story, incredible woman!

[Ian Highland · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having met Rosie I can safely say she must have written every word of this book. The narrative is erratic and every sentence is filled with exuberance and joy. She writes exactly as she speaks.

The book is a factual account of why, where and when through the 5 year plus journey. There are some amazing stories here that I really wanted explaining further but had she had done it would’ve involved more volumes than the encyclopaedia britannica (google it millennials).

It seems churlish to critique a book like this on its content and Rosie’s writing prowess, so I won’t it’s so much more than a written account. It inspires and fills your heart so much more than any read of greater written quality, and who am I to judge on that score.

I have to admit that I got lost keeping track of every name mentioned and really needed a handy reference guide at the back, along with a map charting her course and main stops. It’s credit to her that she made a point of mentioning every single person that helped her as they were so important to her progress and achievement.

She’s an amazing person and this is an inspiring book.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Book would have been so much better with a map included. I googled her journey and there were no good maps on line, even on her web page. A serious lack in my opinion. In the end I googled mapped her journey - every time she mentioned a place I put it into the map and got at least a sense of where she was going/the route. Although sometimes it seemed non sensical or she was going well out of her way to go from one place to another, which was weird.

Like other reviewers the journey was too epic for 1 book. It sadly took away from the adventure being so minimalist. You never really got a sense of place. Especially in the later half of the book. It was almost like all she wanted to write about was Russia/Siberia and then by the time she crossed America (why did she go to USA when she could have just crossed Canada?) it became a list of names of towns/cities.

I did finish it, but it really didn't draw me in, and I wouldn't really recommend it as a travel book to be honest. I think it would have been better written as at least 2 books - Europe and Asia and then the Americas/Iceland.

[Tim Palfreman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the account of an incredible adventure, a run/ walk round the world over nearly 5 years. It’s a tale of ridiculous hardship and resilience in the Siberian and Alaskan winters. I really don’t know how Rosie survived. She’s really tough, but doesn’t always seem well prepared. Much of her success seems to be due to her ability to connect with many people along the way, who go out of their way to help her time after time. She acknowledges this throughout the book. The last 100 pages get a bit repetitive, but I can understand her desire to mention and thank so many people who have helped her.

Rosie is no stranger to big adventures, having undertaken several previous sailing and running challenges. I was a bit disappointed that by the end I still didn’t feel that she’d really told us what drives her. There didn’t seem to be any periods of doubt, introspection or assessment of her own character, though it was a heck of an adventure and an inspiration for others.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rosie Swale Pope is the sort of person who makes you feel you have been nowhere and done nothing with your life. Following the death of her second husband she decided to highlight the importance of early diagnosis in the treatment of cancer and to raise funds by running around the world. It took her 5 years to complete the run. She spent winters in Siberia, Alaska and Iceland coping with deep snow, freezing temperatures and howling gales and summer days in Europe and America. She broke ribs, got frost bite , faced up to wolves and got knocked down by a bus. She also met great kindness and generosity. It is an inspiring story. I heard Rosie speak at a WI meeting recently, totally bonkers, but amazing . It's a bit like a boy's own adventure for the present day.