Tomasz Sobania, a 23-year-old from Silesia (Poland), started running on August 29th and will hardly stop again until October 3rd. This journey will take him through five countries and three European Capitals from Jasna Gora (Poland) to Rome.
During this unique event, the Ultramarathon runner will cover a distance of roughly 1,500 km in 36 days. This means he will run the equivalent of a marathon (42.2km) every day until he reaches the finish line in Vatican City.
This particular ultramarathon challenge that will take him to the door of St.Peter’s, was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, which for various reasons made traveling across country borders difficult.
However, after months of planning and safety checks, the event was allowed to go ahead roughly a year after it was supposed to.
Throughout this inspiring journey, Tomasz is accompanied by a support vehicle crewed by a team of three people managing Tomasz’s nutrition, recovery, and logistics.
As part of this, after each grueling day, Tomasz is aided in his recuperation by the essential work of INDIBA Activ Poland (Salveo Medical Care). They provide CRET (capacitive, resistive electric transfer) treatments that help Tomasz recover for the next day. These treatments stimulate blood flow, delivering more oxygen to tired muscles.
This spectacular athletic undertaking is all to generate funds for a little 8-year-old girl named Hania Zając, who underwent complex surgery to remove a tumor on her brain. Hania was diagnosed with medulloblastoma in February 2021, receiving surgery, chemotherapy, and INDIBA to eliminate the growth shortly afterward.
The money raised will be spent tackling the various side effects caused by the intricate surgery, including Hania’s loss of speech and her inability to walk or swallow.
Before the surgery, Hania Zając was described as a cheerful girl with a love of animals and art. She also aspires to take singing lessons, as she has a passion for music.
Every donation to Tomasz will go to the Iskierka Foundation, a non-profit charity organization, which since 2006, has been providing financial, psychological, and social support to children with cancer and their families.
Their facilities care for over 700 children undergoing various cancer treatments all over Poland including Hania.
To donate to Hania’s recovery, follow this link.
If you want to find out more about the Foundation, click here.
To follow Tomasz’s story, follow him on his Facebook page here.