Junel Malapad has been running on Boxing Day to raise money for the Siloam Mission homeless shelter in Winnipeg for seven years now.
“I’m going to run about 100 to 160 km, somewhere in between there,” he said.
He began running at 12 a.m. sharp on Dec. 26 and he won’t stop running until 12 a.m. on Dec. 27.
“It’s a loop that is 3.3-kilometer at which time I’ll stop once I have to. But my plan is always to run twenty four hours round the Forks area.”
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The avid long-distance runner stops limited to snacks, bathroom breaks, and interviews that are short
By 1 p.m. about 100 people came to join him on part of his treck, Malapad said.
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Over the past seven years, he has raised over $95,000 for Siloam Mission and has a truck to collect donations parked along his loop that is running at Forks.
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He told Global News the run began in order to avoid consumerism. The winter that is following he heard about an unsheltered person freezing to death in a bus shack and decided to help.
“Instead of spending money, we’re able to help out the community in this way,” he said.
“I’m out here in the cold, I will here be out for most hours because i wish to offer the those who don’t wish to be out here.
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“I’m very happy to use my energy just how i love to help them out.”
Malapad said he could be so grateful to really have the capacity to run also to manage to help to make a big change on the way.
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— With files from Global’s Iris Dyck
© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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