THIS week Australian-based CurraNZ ultrarunner Luca Turrini is undertaking a mammoth trans-Continent ultra-run for charity.
The Outrun Cancer Sydney charity fundraiser will team up with some of the best endurance runners in the world to run a 500km charity relay from the north to south of Uganda in just five days, to raise AUD$100,000 for the Love Mercy Foundation.
Luca is undertaking the challenge with four others, including Pat Farmer (left), one of the world’s leading ultra-runners, who has raised millions for charity, broken world records and has set some of his own.
Luca, himself a Guinness world record holder for running the farthest distance – 261.18km - in 24 hours on a treadmill, and Pat are no strangers to gruelling events.
They have chosen this challenge to raise funds and awareness for an incredible cause.
The Love Mercy Foundation is an important Ugandan-based charity that builds maternity wards, health infrastructures and empowers communities with micro-loans to women to cultivate the land.
Luca, who swears by CurraNZ for muscle recovery, says: “We’ll each be running 100-125km a day, and the final run will be a local race sponsored by Nike, where I'm sure we will get smoked!
“We are not attempting any records this time, but I am hopeful I can "upgrade" my daily distance if the team is okay with it! We will produce a documentary, with the objective to raise awareness and funds for this amazing cause.”
But first, Luca also has the small matter of running the ‘Purple Marathon’ in Sydney, to raise funds for Pancreatic Cancer.
Luca will be joined by other CurraNZ runners, including Andrew Heyden, around Sydney which will finish in front of the Opera House.
He says: “This run is in honour of Dean, the fantastic guy we ran with two years ago, he was on a wheelchair, for Pancreatic Cancer Day and passed away few months later.”
