The Kinder European Endurance Challenge which is seeing Maltese athlete Nathan Farrugia is running 27 marathons in 27 days, across 27 different EU countries is now in its eighth day.

38-year-old Nathan is running 42.2 kilometres every day and by the end of it he will have covered a total distance of approximately 1,140 kilometres. That is equivalent to running in a straight line from Birmingham to Milan.

Through his challenge, he aims to spread a message of solidarity while raising funds to support charity projects in Malta as well as every other country that is providing local support along the way.

After running for about four hours every day, he joins his two-man crew as they drive their motor home to the next country for another full marathon the next day.

Meanwhile, a back-up team in Malta is looking after general logistics and raising awareness and support mainly through the web and social media.

The first and second marathons, in Malta and Finland, were uneventful.

But on September 13, the third day, the team’s motor home was broken into in Tallin, Estonia.

Thieves stole vital navigation equipment and a digital camera, which had to be replaced that same day losing precious time.

However, encourages messages on Facebook and the steady flow of donations lifted the team’s spirits to put the mishap behind them and move on to the next marathon run in Riga the next day.

Sponsors include Ferrero, Garmin Malta, Urban Sports, The Fitness Centre and Ice Watch.

Detailed information and maps of each marathon route are available at: http://www.27challenge.com/the-event/countries/

The local charities supporting this challenge will keep 75 per cent of the funds raised by people in that country while the remaining 25 per cent will go to the overall cause – children with disabilities and children in long-term hospital care in Malta.

The Maltese charities chosen by Ferrero are Inspire and the Daniel Delicata Memorial Association.

Other charities include the Ronald McDonald House Charities, DPS Wadowice, Ciniclowns, The Children’s Society and Enable Ireland.

http://www.27challenge.com

The challenge - 27 marathons – 27 countries - 27 days

1.      11 Sep 2011 MALTA Mdina

2.      12 Sep 2011 FINLAND Helsinki

3.      13 Sep 2011 ESTONIA Tallin

4.      14 Sep 2011 LATVIA Riga

5.      15 Sep 2011 LITHUANIA Vilnius

6.      16 Sep 2011 POLAND Warsaw

7.      17 Sep 2011 GERMANY Berlin

8.      18 Sep 2011 DENMARK Copenhagen

9.      19 Sep 2011 SWEDEN Malmo

10.   20 Sep 2011 NETHERLANDS Rotterdam

11.   21 Sep 2011 BELGIUM Brussels

12.   22 Sep 2011 LUXEMBOURG Luxembourg

13.   23 Sep 2011 FRANCE Paris (Roeun)

14.   24 Sep 2011 UNITED KINGDOM London

15.   25 Sep 2011 IRELAND Dublin

16.   26 Sep 2011 PORTUGAL Lisbon

17.   27 Sep 2011 SPAIN Barcelona

18.   28 Sep 2011 ITALY Alba

19.   29 Sep 2011 SLOVENIA Ljubljana

20.   30 Sep 2011 AUSTRIA Wien

21.   01 Oct 2011 CZECH REPUBLIC Brno

22.   02 Oct 2011 SLOVAKIA Bratislava

23.   03 Oct 2011 HUNGARY Budapest

24.   04 Oct 2011 ROMANIA Timisoara

25.   05 Oct 2011 BULGARIA Sofia

26.   06 Oct 2011 GREECE Thessaloniki

27.   07 Oct 2011 CYPRUS Limassol

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