What could possibly motivate four men with a combined age of 189 to embark on a 51km run, the longest distance any of them will have ever run to date?
Whatever these children wish, we will do our best to make their dreams come true
That is precisely the challenge that Steve Apap Bologna (45), Patrick Tabone (40), Tony Vella (51) and Peter Wirth (53) have set themselves by signing up for the Nivea Run 51.
All four have some running experience, each having a half marathon or two under their belt. However, the Nivea Run 51, which will be run on November 11, will be by far the longest run any of them has ever faced before. Which makes me wonder what could possibly have driven these four men to embark on such a challenge.
The answer is unanimous – an extremely worthy cause.
It all started when Steve decided to do something different for his next birthday, which he celebrates on November 11. He was attracted to the idea of giving something back to society and originally planned a sponsored run with the proceeds going to charity – he discussed it with his three running partners and they were soon on board.
“We just wanted to organise a fundraising run but the bureaucracy involved soon convinced us to set up own foundation from scratch.”
This is how The Ladybird Foundation was born as a registered NGO in April 2012, with the aim of raising an initial sum of at least €40,000. This money will be used to fulfill the wishes of children who are terminally or chronically ill, by sending some on a well-deserved holiday or granting the experience of a lifetime.
“Apart from those children who wish to go on holiday, others might want to meet someone inspirational like a sportsperson or their favourite team. Other children may want to do something special. Whatever these children wish, we will do our best to make their dreams come true,” Steve tells me.
The Ladybird Foundation will work very closely with a Belgian charity called Beyond The Moon – members of this charity have generously offered to aid The Ladybird Foundation with overseas trips, even offering to pay any expenses over the €4,000 that the Ladybird Foundation will fork out for each trip.
“We are keen to ensure that the Foundation is perceived to be trustworthy so all cases will be vetted by Dr Victor Calvagna. We have also sourced sponsorships from a number of respected organisations including Nivea, The Alfred Mizzi Foundation, Mediterranean Bank, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Defined Branding and Sciencesoft, a Scottish-based firm.”
The group’s motivation is laudable – however, wouldn’t a marathon or half marathon have served the same purpose?
“We wanted to do something out of the ordinary and opted for an ultra run,” Peter says. “An ultra run is considered to be any run of 50km or over and so we decided to run 51km to include a 1km children’s fun run along the Sliema seafront.”
The team have been preparing for the 51km trek for some months – the men each train separately during the week and then all four get together for a distance run on Sundays.
“We are aiming to build up to a distance of approximately 45km by mid-October and then run an average of 40km in the run up to November 11. Thus the first time any of us will attempt the entire distance will be on the day of the marathon itself,” Peter says.
“My favourite sport is actually squash but I have run the half-marathon a couple of times. As we near the day of the run, I am cutting down on the amount of squash I play and concentrating more on my running. I run twice during the week and then with the guys on Sundays. I keep telling myself it’s time to slow down, but then decide to take on another challenge – I just hope I can keep up with the other three and don’t hold them back.”
Steve has also completed the half marathon for the last three years and is spurred on by the thought of doing something he enjoys and which will also benefit others.
“I run three times a week including the Sunday run and enjoy myself immensely. On Sunday we have an early start, usually leaving Ċirkewwa at 5am, which sometimes means waking up at 3am to get to Ċirkewwa, do the warming up and be ready to leave on time.”
Despite suffering from a shin splint caused by the impact of running, Patrick has no intention of pulling out of the 51km run.
“I have had to adjust my training regime and now confine my road runs to Sundays, running 10km on a treadmill two or three times a week. I alternate between a hard run (10km at speed) and a soft run (10km at a slower pace) during the week and then run with the others on Sunday. In between I also do general fitness and strength training concentrating mainly on the core and leg areas.”
Tony is the most experienced runner of the four.
“I used to be a heavy smoker but have completely turned my life around by joining a running club and running four to five times weekly. I prefer to run early in the morning as I find this sets me up positively for the rest of the day.”
And that is how Tony, Patrick, Peter and Steve, supported by Antonello Gauci, a doctor, physiotherapist, as well as family and friends will find themselves pounding the pavement from Ċirkewwa to Marsaxlokk on the morning of November 11.
For more information about The Ladybird Foundation, visit www.theladybirdfoundation.org or www.facebook.com/TheLadybidFoundation. The Ladybird Foundation is a registered NGO.