Man runs 42km London Marathon for charity

After working for a charity for the past eight years, Nathan Farrugia felt the need to do something personal to help those in need - so he will be joining thousands of runners in today's 42-kilometre London Marathon.

Wearing a T-shirt displaying the logos of the two charities he will be assisting - Razzett Tal-Ħbiberija that supports people with a disability, and Aspire (UK) that works for people with spinal injuries - Mr Farrugia will join the marathon that starts in Blackheath and ends in front of Buckingham Palace, and is the largest single fund-raising activity in the world.

In so doing, Mr Farrugia, the chief executive officer of Razzett Tal-Ħbiberija, will be merging his passions for charity work and sport while helping to raise awareness on people with a disability.

Speaking to The Sunday Times a few hours before leaving for London, the determined first-time marathon runner explained that he has always been an active sportsman. He played basketball for the national team until an injury forced him to quit about three years ago. Since then he had done some basic gym work and played golf.

"As a personal incentive to keep fit I set myself the goal to run the marathon and, obviously, it was a great opportunity to raise funds and awareness about disabled people," Mr Farrugia said.

He started training for the London Marathon last October but had to stop for about a month because his knee was troubling him.

This injury, coupled with the fact that he had moved house, disrupted his training. "So I'm expecting to suffer," he laughed, adding that he was determined to crawl to the finish line if he had to.

Apart from the support of his wife - Deirdre, a former track record holder whom he describes as his "spinach" - Mr Farrugia will also be driven by people's pledges to donate more money.

"A couple of people who have already made donations said they would double their contribution if I run the marathon in four hours or less. So I hope to be collecting more off them directly."

Mr Farrugia has already reached his €3,737 (Lm1,604) target but hopes to keep collecting funds that will be divided equally between Razzett tal-Ħbiberija and Aspire, which he has picked to be his charities because he trusts that the funds will be put to good use.

"I have worked with Razzett for several years but the marathon is something personal and separate from my work there. For the past 18 months I have worked with Aspire in the UK on an expansion project. I think it's very important that one feels confident that the fund-raising you're doing is put to the right use," he said.

And since Mr Farrugia has funded his own flights and accommodation, all the money he collects will go towards the two charities. "Every single cent," he said, adding that, perhaps next year, he will join the 2009 marathon as part of a larger fund-raising team.

Mr Farrugia's fund-raising page ( www.justgiving.com/nathanseverest ) will remain open for 60 days after the marathon.

There, he encourages people to donate money to the two charities which help disabled people run their own marathons, every day.

Visit www.aspire.org.uk and www.razzett.org for more information.