Patrick Francis Daniel Pat Farmer, the Australian ultra-marathon athlete, is scheduled to run through 30 of Vietnam’s provinces and cities beginning this weekend, in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the opening of bilateral diplomatic ties between Vietnam and Australia. The 50-year-old athlete, renowned worldwide for completing national and international ultra-marathons, successfully completed the world's longest ultra-marathon, a "Pole to Pole Run" from the North Pole to the South Pole between April 2011 and January 2012, raising A$100,000 for Red Cross International. His 40-day Vietnam run, titled “Pole to pole Vietnam,” will start on December 8, and is expected to end on January 20. Farmer, a former Australian politician and who was a Member of the Australian House of Representatives, will be running from the northernmost area of Mong Cai to the southernmost cape of Ca Mau to raise funds for the Red Cross project to provide clean water for underprivileged people in the country. Mai Nguyen Dinh Huy, 25, a new BA graduate from an Australian university, will be running along with Farmer, Saigon Tiep Thi newspaper reported. Huy said they will cover some 80 kilometers per day during the 3,000 km run. “We are expecting to receive A$300,000 in donations from Australian nationals via the internet or the Red Cross, plus those from other golden hearts around the world,” he told the newspaper. People who want to accompany Pat Farmer can send their application to poletopolevietnam@gmail.com.