Just a Little Run Around the World

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.

Reviews

‘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

About the author

Rosie Swale Pope took up marathon running when she was 48 and has run across Cuba and Romania and even done the gruelling Marathon des Sables in the Sahara. In the 1970s she sailed to Australia and back with her husband and young daughter, giving birth to her son on board. When she is not on her adventures, Rosie lives in Tenby, Wales. She was awarded an MBE in 2009 for bravery and services to charity.