Running Through the Middle East for Peace - Pat Farmer

Pat Farmer ran 13,000 miles pole-to-pole in 2011, from the north to the south, averaging two marathons per day, without a day off. He regularly had to run more than 70 miles per day through Central and South America to make up for lost time in the Arctic. The jaw-dropping feat is something that most people couldn't fathom; yet Farmer, a former member of Australia's House of Representatives, refers to his most recent Middle East Peace Run as his "greatest accomplishment." Farmer explains that the 900-mile run through Jordan, Lebanon, Israel and Palestine brought people of different religions and cultures together through their common enthusiasm for sports. While the run wasn't without tense moments, Farmer says that the goals of finding common ground across national and religious borders were fruitful and successful.