د . إAEDSRر . س

Four Maltese Athletes To Face ‘The Toughest Footrace On Earth’ To Raise Funds For One Of The Most Inspiring Kids Ever

Article Featured Image

Jake Vella’s inspiring life story stole the hearts of millions around the world last year. The triathlon-running Maltese boy is only one of 75 people globally with the very rare condition ROHHAD. A number of people from all around the word have reached out to offer their congratulations and help to the Maltese boy, and now, four Maltese athletes will be taking part in a gruelling run in April to raise funds for him. And when we say gruelling, we really do mean it.

Steve Chetcuti, Daniel Agius, Ben Mifsud and Jack Schiavone will be competing in this year’s Marathon de Sables, a 250-kilometre footrace through the Sahara Desert. The marathon, which kicks off in Marathon, has been dubbed ‘toughest footrace on Earth’, and sees participants take on six different stages over seven days. One of the stages is a long stretch of over 80 kilometres. Each participant must carry their own food and sleeping gear, water is rationed, and runners who exceed that ration get a time penalty. Oh, and let’s not forget the 50°C+ temperatures. 10% of the runners last year pulled out, so this is definitely no walk in the park.

The Maltese athletes’ participation in the race is being supported and sponsored by GasanMamo Insurance, who thanked the four runners’ dedication and commitment.

Screen Shot 2018 03 02 At 15 02 35
Screen Shot 2018 03 02 At 14 57 00
Screen Shot 2018 03 02 At 14 57 32

Having participated in the Ironman Triathlon in Sweden last year, Steve Chetcuti will be crossing the Sahara Desert run off his bucket list. He’s actually aiming to finish amongst the first 100 participants. “I will do my best and give my all but will be very cautious at the same time as it is not going to be easy,” Steve said.

Daniel Agius, on the other hand, has been participating in long distance running and triathlon races for the past seven years. Together with Steve, Daniel has been training non-stop ever since the two decided to embark on the gruelling footrace.

Ben Mifsud’s racing adventure started when he wanted to lose 40 kilos back in 2013. After he managed to run a half marathon, Ben did not look back. 

Jack Schiavone actually admitted to not having trained as much as he wished ahead of the big race. However, Jack went on to say that his main inspiration was to collect money for a cause, and that he’ll do his utmost to cross the line and “collect as much funds as possible for Jake.”

A crowdfunding page has been launched ahead of the big race, which will be taking place from the 6th to the 16th of April. At the time of writing, over €1,000 of the €5,000 objective were already raised.

Screen Shot 2018 03 02 At 15 02 46
Screen Shot 2018 03 02 At 15 32 04

Share this post if you think these four Maltese athletes are doing something awesome!

READ NEXT: Malta’s Greatest Inspiration Jake Vella Goes Global

Lovin Malta's Head of Content, Dave has been in journalism for the better half of the last decade. Prefers Instagram, but has been known to doomscroll on TikTok. Loves chicken, women's clothes and Kanye West (most of the time).

You may also love

View All