June 12, 2004

The Gazette 
Colorado Springs, CO

The Home STRETCH
-- After 5 years, walk around world ends

By Bill Radford The Gazette

For five years, she has walked.     Through 22 countries, on four continents, she has walked.     Now Polly Letofsky is almost to the finish line, her 15,000-mile walk around the globe nearly complete.     On Aug. 1, the 42-year-old Coloradan plans to walk into Vail, the same date and place she began her journey in 1999. She walked west, across the Rocky Mountains, through Arizona, across the Mojave Desert to the California coast. She flew to New Zealand, walking the length of that country. Then she went on to Australia, Asia and Europe. In April 2003, she flew from Ireland to New York and continued her trek west, toward home. She crossed the state line from Kansas to Colorado on May 29.     Early this week, sitting in a McDonalds in La Junta before heading out into the blazing sun for the day's trek to Rocky Ford, she reflected on her adventure and contemplated what awaits her at journey's end.     She had nursed the dream of walking around the world since age 12, since reading the adventures of a man who had done just that.    She was fascinated, and she's  still fascinated to this day, that all you have to do is "put one foot in front of the other and that's your transportation across borders, through these different cultures," she says.     Growing up, she held on to her dream. It wasn't a matter of putting it off, she says, but waiting until the right time presented itself.     At age 34, shaken by cases of breast cancer among her circle of family and friends, she went to the doctor and requested a mammogram. Her doctor told her not to worry, that she was too young and wasn't at risk since it didn't run on her mother's side of the family.     "So I left the office that day thinking, 'how great, I can't get breast cancer.' "      A friend soon set her straight. Most women who develop breast cancer have no known risk factors. And although the risk increases with age, about a quarter of women are diagnosed before age 50.     Suddenly, Letofsky had a mission, a purpose to wrap her dream around: breast-cancer awareness.     "I loved the idea of walking for women," she says. "I loved the idea of this being an international problem. It's not just in my town or my country, it's all over the world."     For three years, she planned. She sold her clothes and her CDs and other trappings of everyday life. And she lined up sponsors that would provide her with products and services. Lonely Planet, for example, has supplied phrase books, maps and guidebooks. A Minnesota company gives her vitamins.     Her way of life has become life on the road, talking to media and organizations along the way about breast cancer. She generally walks about 15 to 20 miles a day, pushing Bob, a custom-made stroller crammed with maps, water, food, clothing and other gear.     She has braved lightning in the Rockies, an earthquake in the Mojave Desert, snow in Scotland, 110-degree temperatures in Thailand and India, flooding in Australia and, most recently, hungry gnats in southeast Colorado that have covered much of her body in bites.     But the greatest challenge has been adjusting from culture to culture.     "When you're always moving," she says, "you're always learning and you're always being stupid. You're learning by trial and error."     In Thailand, for example, she learned not to point with her foot.    "You"re like, how often does that happen? But, in fact, you'd be really surprised how often that does happen. And, boy, they're really insulted by that."     Sometimes, the rewards and challenges are different sides of the same coin. She loved, for example, learning the languages she needed to get by. But at the end of a long day, when she just wanted a simple answer to a quick question, it could be a struggle.   "It's wonderful and then it's awful, depending on the circumstances."     She was rarely worried for her safety and has been touched, she says, by the kindness of people. The Lions Club has been of immense help, with members in various countries "adopting" her and putting her up for the night. Motels commonly provide her free lodging after managers hear of her mission. Motorists frequently stop to ask if she needs help.     "It happens so much that now I expect it," she says with a laugh. " 'How dare you not stop and get me a cold water.' "      Next week she'll pass through Colorado Springs, staying with friends for a few days of rest before the final push to Vail.     Letofsky, who has worked in radio broadcasting, advertising and the travel and hotel industries, isn't sure what she'll do when she gets home, but she hopes to write a book about her adventures.     For five years, the open road has been her office. She's worried about plugging back into a more conventional life.     "I have to get a job. I have to get a place to live. I'll have to pay bills."     At the same time, she's ready to be done. She looks forward to having a place to call home, to not having to consult a map every day or plan where she'll spend the next night.     "To have a stove and a fridge, oh my God, I'm so excited.'     CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0272 or  comics@gazette.com     THE DETAILS For more about Polly Letofsky's walk around the world, go to www.globalwalk.org. As Letofsky nears the end of her walk in Vail, a welcome-home celebration will be held at noon June 26 at the Palm Restaurant, 1672 Lawrence St. in downtown Denver. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Money goes to Sense of Security, a nonprofit organization that aids breast-cancer patients. To order, call 1-303-669-3113 or go to www.Blacktie-Colorado.com.     BY THE NUMBERS About 1,800 : Number of breast-cancer survivors who have joined Polly Letofsky on parts of her walk. About 1,600: Number of those women diagnosed younger than 40  28: Most miles walked in a day  27: Pairs of shoes she has worn out  $200,000:  Approximate amount of money she has helped raise (in eight currencies) to fight breast cancer  Nine: Number of languages in which Letofsky can ask, "Where am I on this map?"  About 15,000:  Number of photos taken  Six: How many times men have proposed to her on her journey  15: Number of Bibles she has been given  One: Number of cows named after her in New Zealand ***** SOUVENIRS: Polly Letofsky's stroller is covered in patches from the 22 countries she has walked across. LONG DAY'S JOURNEY: Waving back at the conductor of a passing freight train, Polly Letofsky, who has walked across the globe, makes her way along the shoulder of U.S. Highway 50 near La Junta. The Vail resident has conquered 22 countries on four continents by foot as she has worked to raise awareness about breast cancer. Letofsky will walk through Colorado Springs next week on her way to Vail. PHOTOS BY KRISTY ANN MANN, THE GAZETTE

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