Courtesy of Polly Letofsky/ Newcastle Productions
"The definition of walking around the world, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, is that you have to walk at least 14,000 miles, and you need to start and finish in the same place and walk across at least four continents, and they say that when you get to the end of a continent you can fly," Polly Letofsky explains in the film her brother P.J. made to document her journey around the world on foot -- the first completed by a woman.
The numbers speak volumes about the lengths Letofsky went -- 14,124 miles across 22 countries in North America, Australia, Asia and Europe. Walking at an average of 15 miles per day for 1,825 consecutive days, or five years, she fundraised more than $250,000 for 13 breast cancer organizations and burned through 29 pairs of shoes.
Born on March 1, 1962, Letofsky first heard of -- and became fascinated with -- a global walk at age 12, when she read about David Kunst's 15,000-mile, four-year trek around the world. In the film "Polly's Global Walk," Letofsky's mother, Rosemary Rawson, says that an eye problem initially delayed her daughter's first steps, but once she got glasses, "it was like she perked up and looked around and said 'Well, that's what the world looks like' and almost immediately she began walking."
In her 30s, after having traveled the world in more conventional ways, the urge to walk around the world was still "burning" in the back of Letofksy's brain. For two years she struggled to find sponsors, while working part-time at a hotel. One day, she says in the film, "In the middle of this stack of reservations I see this ... piece of paper and on the top of it, it says, 'Definition of commitment: When you find a way over every hurdle in your path and nothing but success is an option.'"
It took another year and a half before she secured enough sponsorships like New Balance Shoes and The North Face to provide products and services -- never money -- before she was ready to hit the ground walking. On August 1, 1999, at age 37, Letofsky started in Vail, Colo., and on July 30, 2004, after selling her condo to help cover the costs of the last leg of her trip, she returned, having accomplished her goal.
In an interview with AOL Health, Letofsky shared some of the hurdles and successes she encountered on her 14,000-mile-long path.
Click through the photo slide show below to see pictures from her travels and read the exclusive look inside Polly Letofsky's yet-to-be-released book. Note: You'll need to disable your pop-up blocker.
Pollys Global Walk for Breast Cancer Awareness
First Woman to Walk the World Shares First-Hand Account
Since completing her global walk, Polly Letofsky has written a yet-unpublished book, for which the working titles include "Little Steps, Big Feat," and "Around the World With BOB" (BOB is the name of the buggy, which was her constant companion on her walk, pictured left). Letofsky has shared an excerpt of the book with AOL Health. In it, she shares some of the surprising lessons she learned. Click to the next slide to read her story in her words. Plus, Letofsky's brother shares what inspired him to document her story on film.
Polly Letofsky/ Newcastle Productions
The world is a pretty good place -- despite what we hear on the 6 o'clock news. Of course there were difficult times, I knew there would be. But the bumps in the road were the fabric that made up this journey, and just like our trek through life, it's the tough times that make us who we are, the character builders.
Polly Letofsky/ Newcastle Productions
There's no greater education or means to personal growth than a walk around the world. Personally, I would like to see every political science, journalism and business major ditch their college thesis and instead spend their senior year walking across a country. Any country. Their assignments would be to talk to local farmers and businessmen, talk to locals at the "Ma and Pa" café, talk to local developers and mayors and the policemen that stop and ask what you're up to. When you're walking village to village talking to the local families, educators, politicians and road workers, and you sit around their dinner tables every night, you learn how various policies affect them, having to consider an entire set of elements that wouldn't be the case for the neighboring village, city or country. And incrementally you become a seasoned critical thinker.
Pictured: Walking on a highway in Malaysia with Lions Club members and breast cancer supporters, August 2001.
Polly Letofsky/ Newcastle Productions
I knew this journey would be an education, but I was thinking more along the lines of languages, geography, history, but who could've guessed I'd learn so much about mango farming, the international trucking industry, or become knowledgeable about city planning, architecture, and not just languages, but the history of languages. My brain is stuffed silly with useless information I may never use again. (An upside is that recently the New York Times Crossword had the clue, "Smelly fruit in Malaysia" and without missing a beat I filled in D-U-R-I-A-N. It would hardly get me a job -- and it was the only answer I got -- but I stood proud if even for a moment.)
Pictured: Polly walking on Curly Cove Road west of Flagstaff, Ariz., September 1999.
Polly Letofsky/ Newcastle Productions
People often ask how this walk has changed me. I'm sure these five years have affected me in ways I'll never fully comprehend, but there are obvious changes, like the way I bond with strangers instantly, the way I react to a seemingly overwhelming task, or how I compartmentalize a difficult situation and just keep putting one step in front of the other until I'm past it. But I've also noticed changes full of contradictions.
Pictured: Polly and breast cancer support friends (including breast-cancer survivors Debi Linker and Vicki Tosher, featured in the "Polly's Global Walk" documentary) running in to the Pacific Ocean at San Juan Capistrano Beach, California, October, 1999
Polly Letofsky/ Newcastle Productions
When people frequently ask, "What were the best of times? The worst of times?" It's my observation that they were the same things. For example, I loved learning the languages and trying out a new word, marveling that the funny sounds coming out of my mouth actually communicated an idea, a mood or an action. On the other side of that, there were nights when I was so tired and grumpy, I just wanted to ask where the campground was and understand the answer.
Picture: Polly and BOB on the Marlborough Stretch between Rockhampton and Mackay in Queensland, Australia, May 2001
Polly Letofsky/ Newcastle Productions
Likewise, meeting locals from around the world was priceless. Staying at their homes, hearing about their lifestyles and the issues of their day in their industry, their country. The other side of that is that sometimes at the end of a long day I just wanted to sit in a hot tub, turn on CNN and not answer the questions, oh God, the incessant questions.
Pictured: Malaysian breast cancer supporters and Lions Clubs members and their banner, August, 2001
Polly Letofsky/ Newcastle Productions
My biggest education by far, though, has been in my discovery of America. My patriotism surprises me because I don't recall giving two hoots about being an American or otherwise prior to leaving. But to travel through various cultures, particularly through what was this turbulent crossroads in world history, and discover the real meaning in freedom of religion, freedom of speech, free to be whoever you want to be, and to have equal rights protected by law, to discover my own roots and how this country helped shape who I am, those are my walk's greatest lessons.
Pictured: Polly returning to Vail, Colo., in July 2004.
Documenting Polly's Trek
"My reaction to first hearing that she was going to walk around the world was, 'I'm going to make the documentary,'" says Polly's older brother P.J. "I had no doubt that she could accomplish the feat knowing her athletic and world traveling background, and that she wouldn't just haphazardly say something like that without thinking it through."
P.J.'s background in making music videos, producing and directing, gave him the direction for the film, but like Polly, finances were an issue. "I wanted to do it right, [with] the highest quality [presentation], because I knew (and still know) that the story would last forever. I was unable to raise much money, and decided that if I was going to do it I better just do it, kind of like Polly's attitude taking on the walk."
The film premiered October 22 at the Parkway Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota, as a fundraiser for the Mayo Clinic (Women's Cancer Program and Breast Cancer Diagnostic Clinic) and Susan G. Komen for the Cure. You can view clips from the movie by clicking the link below.
Pictured: Polly at the film's premiere.
Polly Letofsky/ Newcastle Productions
Preparing to Travel the World by Foot
Polly Letofsky: It happened to coincide with the same time that I was discovering that the world expanded well beyond my back yard, and it intrigued me that someone could go discover the world using their feet as a mode of transportation.
AOL Health: What sort of preparations did you have to make for your walk?
Letofsky: I had always been athletic and in shape, so I was almost always ready physically. Emotionally, I prepared by camping alone, hiking through the mountains alone, reading first-aid books and reading books about people who had done similar projects and found out what being alone so much [would be like].
Additionally, I was 37 when I left, so one of the preparations I made was to make my life mobile. I sold 90 percent of my belongings, rented out my condo, quit my job, broke up with my boyfriend and I was ready to go!
AOL Health: Were you sad to leave all of this life behind, especially your boyfriend?
Letofsky: I say that sort of sarcastically, but when we got together he knew it would only last until August 1, 1999.
AOL Health: Do you feel you prepared enough?
Letofsky: Yes, [but] you can never fully prepare for a five-year journey. I was surprised at the amount of people who asked if I had all my accommodations booked. The very nature of a journey like this is that you have to be prepared to adlib, and you better be open enough to accept an opportunity that falls in your lap -- because they will.
AOL Health: Why did you choose to combine your life-long dream of completing a global walk with fundraising and raising awareness about breast cancer?
Letofsky: I knew that if I were going to do this walk I needed to have a focus, and I wanted to make it worth much more than just a personal goal. At the same time, a number of women around me were being diagnosed with breast cancer.
AOL Health: How did breast cancer patients and survivors respond to your walk and your cause?
Letofsky: They were always so supportive. I think sometimes they were relieved that I hadn't had breast cancer so they didn't need to live up to such a walk.
AOL Health: What were some of the successes and hurdles you encountered while trying to talk about breast cancer in countries that may have very different views about healthcare and very different views about women's role in culture and society?
Letofsky: In many countries -- particularly Muslim countries -- women will never go to a doctor. Most doctors are men, and it's socially unacceptable for men to look at a woman's body. Therefore, women would never even complain about a health concern until it's just too late.
One great success is that because the local [chapters of] Lions Clubs International got involved with my walk and my cause in every country -- and they are predominantly men -- they started talking about breast cancer. When the men started talking about it, it became okay for women to start talking about it, and they were urged to go to a doctor and get over the cultural shame.
Continued: Letofsky Discusses How She Maintained Her Health and Kept in Touch on the Road
