Ultrarunner on 500km+ trans-Continent challenge using CurraNZ

THIS week Australian-based CurraNZ ultrarunner Luca Turrini is undertaking a mammoth trans-Continent ultra-run for charity.

The Outrun Cancer Sydney charity fundraiser will team up with some of the best endurance runners in the world to run a 500km charity relay from the north to south of Uganda in just five days. Luca and his team are hoping to raise AUD$100,000 for the Love Mercy Foundation.

Luca (above) is undertaking the challenge with four others, including Pat Farmer (left), one of the world’s leading ultra-runners, who has raised millions for charity, broken world records and has set some of his own.

Luca, himself a Guinness world record holder for running the farthest distance – 261.18km - in 24 hours on a treadmill, and Pat are no strangers to gruelling events.

They have chosen this challenge to raise funds and awareness for an incredible cause.

The Love Mercy Foundation is an important Ugandan-based charity that builds maternity wards, health infrastructures and empowers communities with micro-loans to women to cultivate the land.

Luca, who swears by CurraNZ for muscle recovery, says: “We’ll each be running 100-125km a day, and the final run will be a local race sponsored by Nike, where I'm sure we will get smoked!

“We are not attempting any records this time, but I am hopeful I can "upgrade" my daily distance if the team is okay with it! We will produce a documentary, with the objective to raise awareness and funds for this amazing cause.”

But first, Luca also had the small matter of running the ‘Purple Marathon’ in Sydney on Wednesday, in aid of Pancreatic Cancer (pictured, above) ahead of World Pancreatic Cancer day on November 21.

The event was staged over 40km, or one minute for every person who will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in Australia in one year.

He says: “This run is in honour of Dean Goddard, the fantastic guy we ran with two years ago, he was on a wheelchair, for Pancreatic Cancer Day and passed away few months later.” 

With the powers of CurraNZ taking care of his recovery between the Sydney and Uganda endurance challenges, we look forward to following Luca's progress - and wish him all the best. 

To donate, go to https://500km-in-uganda.raisely.com/