Alfons Leempoels from Brussels, Belgium is walking a 42.2 kilometers (26.2 miles) marathon in his garden to raise money for research into the coronavirus to find a cure to the deadly virus.
But what could be so special about this?
Leempoels is a 103-year-old!
A retired general practioner, Leempoels walks 10 laps of his 145 metres by covering three laps in the morning and afternoon and four in the evening. He started off with his inspiring journey on 1st June 2020 in his garden in the municipality of Rotselaar, north-east of Brussels, and plans to reach his goal by the end of June.
He intends to donate the money to the University of Leuven, where researchers are working to find a cure in the form of a vaccine for COVID-19.
So far, Leempoels is very much on track, covering one-third of the distance. He has also raised over 6,000 euros in the process.
And how did Leempoels embark on this journey? Who worked as an inspiration for him?
British World War Two veteran Tom Moore, who walked laps of his garden to raise a whopping $40 million towards the NHS.
“My children said that I can walk at least as well as Tom Moore and on top of that I am 103 years old,” he told Reuters.
“So they suggested that maybe I should do something. My granddaughter had just run a marathon and as a joke I said: I will run a marathon.”
These gestures by such senior citizens reinforce that nothing is impossible and that age is just a number. We wish Doctor Alfons Leempoels the very best for his endeavour and hope that thousands others across the world are inspired to do their bit to bring an end to this pandemic.
What do you think of this superhuman effort by Doctor Leempoels? Share your views with us in the comments section below.
1