Zurich Marathon 2024
One first run. For something bigger.
In 2024, I ran my very first race: a marathon in Zurich. Not to chase a record, but to turn a personal challenge into hope.
The Faces of Hope (Cammino per la Speranza) is a movement that unites action and purpose. Step after step, together with over 80 people and companies, we raised funds to support cancer research. Because cancer research - like life - is not a sprint. Itโs a marathon. And itโs never about the finish line.
What is Zurich Marathon 2024?
The Cause
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Raised funds
A total of CHF 15,036 (JPY 2.75 million) was raised during the second edition of Faces of Hope (Cammino per la Speranza), thanks to the support of more than 80 individuals and companies.
100% of the funds were donated to a joint project by the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB) and the Institute of Oncology Research (IOR) in Bellinzona, Switzerland, supporting research led by Dr. Andrea Cavalli and postdoctoral researchers Dr. Concetta Guerra and Dr. Jacopo Sgrignani, focused on targeting proteins in cancer and rare diseases.
Zurich, 8:30 am
The start line. Nervous. Focused. First time ever in a race. First step for research.
Km 21 โ Halfway
My legs speak. My mind speaks. But I keep running-for those who canโt. As Murakami said: Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.
Km 34 โ The Wall
Every step hurts, but I think of those who believed in this project-and I keep going. Then the snow came. And the rain.
Finish Line โ 42.195 Km
3:47:46. Done. Exhausted. Grateful.
42 kilometers of sweat turned into CHF 15,036 for science.