Granny Runs Around the World

Next time you feel like complaining about a tough workout, keep Rosie Swale Pope in mind. The 61-year-old grandmother is wrapping up a four-year run around the world—a charity effort that she started after her husband, Clive, died of prostate cancer in 2003. On Wednesday, she made her way into Great Britain for the first time since the start of her trek, claiming to be “the luckiest woman alive,” according to the New Zealand Herald.

Pope, who began her journey to make people aware of the significance of cancer screening, kicked off her several-year long dash from her home in Wales. She took a ferry across the English Channel where she took off running through Europe, Russia and parts of Siberia. Those trails led her to a boat that took her to Alaska, where she ran through Canada, Chicago and New York before voyaging across the Atlantic by way of Greenland and Iceland.

She went through 45 pairs of shoes while hauling an iron cart during the entire journey. Her trail has been smattered by run-ins with friendly wolves, a man with an axe who claimed to have fallen in love with her and a near-death experience after being hit in the head with a log. Bagpipers greeted her in Scotland on Wednesday before she took off for the last 1,000 miles of her run. Pope plans to be finished with her inspiring tour by August 25th.

OK, you might not be running around the world, but surely you've found ways to use exercise as inspiration for yourself and others. Share your story here! [CNN & New Zealand Herald]