COVID-19 Research: 103-Year-Old Belgian Doctor’s ‘Marathon’ Effort To Raise Funds

Brussels: Inspired by a British centenarian who walked miles to raise money for charity, a 103-year-old Belgian doctor is doing likewise to collect funds for novel coronavirus (COVID-19) research.

The only difference is that Belgian veteran Alfons Leempoels is walking a marathon around his garden, in stages every day.

A retired general practitioner, Leempoels started the 42.2 km (26.2 miles) journey in Rotselaar, near Brussels, on June 1 and his target is to complete the marathon by June 30.

He has been walking 10 laps of 145 metres daily — three in the morning, three at noon and four in the evening. He throws a stick into a bowl every time he completes a lap so that the counting is accurate.

Leempoels admitted that he got the idea after seeing 100-year-old World War II veteran Tom Moore raising more than $40 million for Britain’s health service workers by walking around his garden.

“My children said that I can walk at least as well as Tom Moore and on top of that I am 103 years old,” Leempoels was quoted as saying by 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,” said Leempoels who has thus far raised 6,000 euros.