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We are running the Waterford Viking Marathon on Sunday 23rd of June to raise funds for the people of Ukraine.

Our team of five runners hold the cause close to our hearts, consisting of three Ukrainian guys: myself (Dan), Paul, and, Zachar, and our close friends: Ewan and Sam, who will be running with us in support. All of us have close family and friends who have been deeply affected by the war, some of who have been killed, some who live in fear for themselves and their loved ones and some who have uprooted their lives in search of safety in other countries as refugees.

Dan: I'd like to mention my friend "Vasyl's" (I won't disclose his real name) story which sheds light on the reality of war. Vasyl is 24 years old and has lived in a small countryside village in Zhytomyr, Ukraine his whole life. His house is only a few doors down from my Grannys and we would spend our Summers together when we were younger when I visited my family. Two years ago, Vasyl was conscripted into the Ukrainian army to fight in the Dombass Region leaving his single mother. He has served on and off over this period, sustaining a severe back injury as a result of a mine explosion while travelling in a military vehicle between army campsites, which required major back surgery. He has since recovered and is now back on battleground defending his country and risking his life everyday. His mother who was in the same year in school as my own mum is home alone, sick with cancer, and with no one to take care of her. Everyday she waits for Vasyl to come home, facing the likely possibility that we will never see her son again. Devastating but true, this is the distrubing reality of war which millions of Ukrainians are facing today.

Knowing people like Vasyl and many others with similar stories like this, has inspired our team and I. Today we feel that it is only right that we do something to help these people whatever way we can. This January we decided to do so by running a marathon in aid of the cause and have been training continuously since. Each of us had little to no experience in long distance running when starting our preparation, meaning our training has been challenging. We have been through the lows of injury, pain, and aches and the highs of improvement, progress and pride in ourselves. Now, we are ready with the full strength of the Cossack spirit and with our families supporting us closely with each stride to tackle this marathon and do something special.

We hope you can appreciate our efforts that have gone into helping those affected in Ukraine and could help us to raise our target goal of 5,000 euro for Медичний батальйон 'Госпітальєри' (Medical Battalion 'Hospitallers'). We chose 'Hospitallers' after researching various organisations and believe that they could use our funds best to make the greatest positive impact in comparison to others. More information about the organisation can be found on their website in the link below.

https://www.hospitallers.life/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR17cVWB2dqiBfCEkJ1vTcfiX3eOZf_AyszfHY0KqpfuZVhkbAjiT6z7BB4_aem_AV6F2HukQSlMEbxJ8zLcjp9L15bg83REMQWhCCnzNgBPUNOs46jBR-ugN_9QVG_hvd7U5voYWImaCEFAwwLvHfzk

Any donation no matter how big or small will be truly appreciated.

Sincerely,

Our running team,

Dan, Paul, Zachar, Ewan and Sam

Слава Україні

Peace in Ukraine