Onlookers will be forgiven for doing a double-take next Sunday, when spotting a tall, pink figure zooming past.
But they need not worry – because this is likely to be Murphy, the BRND WGN mascot who will be taking to the University ring road to raise money for Hospice Malta.
Fundraising has already kicked off on local crowdfunding platform ZAAR where an online €1,000 target has been set.
The history of the University Ring Road Race dates back to the early 1980s when the fittest students would run around the ring road. The Malta University Holding Company Ltd reintroduced the event in 2013. This year it is being held in conjunction with BRND WGN.
“Murphy will definitely take the concept of running for a cause to the next level,” said Hannah Pace from the MUHC.
“The sight of a person in a pink morph suit running around is bound to catch people’s attention. As always, we hope to raise as much money as we can.”
The MUHC has chosen to raise funds through ZAAR to give people the opportunity to donate conveniently online.
ZAAR is a project spearheaded by the Foundation for the Promotion of Entrepreneurial Initiatives, set up jointly by the Malta Business Bureau and the University.
“We like the idea that ZAAR is locally owned and its effective website structure caught our eye,” Ms Pace added.
“We wanted to create a funding page that was accessible to Maltese residents since foreign platforms often are not. With more consumers turning to e-commerce, we believe it is a necessity to have a local crowdfunding platform, and ZAAR certainly provided that.”
“The Murphy Project has set the bar quite low, with a target of just €1,000. But we hope to raise much more than that,” Ms Pace said, adding that the first 20 people to donate €30 or more will receive a jam-packed goodie bag.
“This is a great incentive, but I hope people will understand that the reward for this initiative will come from having supported Hospice Malta, which carries out sterling work with patients and their families trying to cope with serious illnesses.”
Check out the crowd-funding video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3y__H21IEY
Visitors are invited to click on the ‘Murphy Runs for Hospice Malta’ page on Zaar.com.mt to learn more about the project and cause.
Readers are also invited to visit http://www.zaar.com.mt/projects/murphy-runs-for-hospice-malta/ or to like the ZAAR page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/zaar.com.mt).