UrbanUltra Women

There can be fewer more inspirational women in the world than Rosie Swale-Pope. She is an incredible lady of iron-will and more guts than I have witnessed – male or female.

This was the challenge she set herself …

On 2nd October 2003 my 57th birthday, I’m going to set off to run around the world. Making my dream come true and practical necessity, go together. I shall be solo, self supporting and on a very low budget. I couldn¹t afford back up teams, luxury, or flights to different continent and stages across wide oceans.
My dearest wish anyway, is just to do a complete circle of the earth, planned to keep me on as much land mass as possible, This is also the coldest, hardest, most fascinating way, and includes almost 7,000 miles of Russia and Siberia. I shall go across Europe through Holland, Germany, Poland and Moscow, before hitting the Trans Siberian Railway route. Then go on to the Bering Straits, Alaska, America, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Ireland, Scotland and England, before returning to the start and finishing line at Tenby, my home in Wales. It will be my world voyage on two feet.
Many years ago I sailed to Australia and back around Cape Horn with my young family in a catamaran, and later solo across the Atlantic in a 17ft boat. The magic of sailing, is that the vivid images of trees mountains, villages, town, faces; people you love as well as those you only imagine come to mind when you are quite alone at sea. It has led me to longing to explore the land as well. So the legs that come free from God, have taken the place of hulls as a way of passage making!
Running can take you to places that do not exist if you travel in any other way. Maybe even more than walking, because you can get so exhausted, almost fail so every often, and are vulnerable and shaky. Sometimes when you are weakest, you can feel things the most strongly. This is when those you meet in the midst of their own difficult lives and situations, are not fearful of you. You treading gently through someone. else¹s land; Part of the life going on all around you. Part of the people, places, sunrises, storms, terrors and joys; seeing, feeling, laughing, crying, in happiness or despair.
The death of my husband Clive from prostate cancer last year, taught me more than anything about how precious life is; How short it can be, that you HAVE to grab life, do what you can while you can, and try to give something back. I’ll be trying to raise awareness of the following very special small charities – to represent the world:- The Prostate Cancer Charity, The Siberian Railway Cancer Hospital at Omsk. The Kitezh Community for Orphan Children Orphanage, the hope of the future of European Russia through its children. The Nepal Trust that achieves so much with almost no money, in the Hidden Himalayas.
I am extremely grateful for the generosity of my family and friends, without their help and faith I could not succeed.

Regards Rosie.

Rosie has now successfully completed her five year long, around the world run. For various charities and to highlight the importance of cancer awareness and early diagnosis. It is not new news, I know. But the book about her adventure is new to me. I urge you to pick up and copy. and read about her truly inspiring journey.

Just a Little Run Around the World: 5 Years, 3 Packs of Wolves and 53 Pairs of Shoes: 5 Years, 29 Marriage Proposals and 53 Pairs of Shoes is a must-read.

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.

‘Somewhere between Jilly Cooper and Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Rosie Swale-Pope is an archetypal British survivor, the sort of woman to break both legs, think, “Bugger this”, and carry on marching.’ Sunday Times

Share this Post