Help me raise €5,000 for the Tokyo Marathon Foundation.

My story starts in Mexico City

I grew up in one of the most electric, complicated cities on earth. Mexico City is alive in a way that's hard to describe — but for young people in many of its neighborhoods, that energy comes with real danger. The wrong crowd, the wrong moment, the wrong choice. I watched it happen to people I knew.

What kept me away from all of that? Sport.

Running, football, cycling, box — they gave me somewhere to be, something to train for, and people who showed up for me. Sport gave me structure when I needed it most. It gave me confidence. It gave me a future.

I didn't know it then, but sport was literally saving my life.

What happened next

I moved, I grew, I competed. Sport took me further than I ever imagined — from Mexico City to Ironman finish lines, from marathon start corrals to volunteer stations at the Olympic Games, the Paralympics, the European Athletics Championships, and the Pan American Games.

Volunteering at those events changed me. Supporting athletes from around the world — including para athletes whose resilience stopped me cold — showed me that sport is one of the most powerful equalizers we have. It doesn't care where you're from. It rewards work, courage, and showing up.

A few years ago, I ran the Frankfurt Marathon twice as a guide for a blind runner named Uwe Wittemeier. Tethered together, stride for stride. Guiding him was one of the most humbling things I've ever done. Running stopped being about my time or my finish — it became about making sure someone else got to cross the line too.

That's when I understood: every race is an opportunity to lift someone with you.

Why Tokyo. Why this charity.

I earned my place in the 2026 Tokyo Marathon through the Sports Legacy Program 3 — a charity slot that comes with a commitment: raise €5,000 for the Tokyo Marathon Foundation before race day.

I didn't hesitate.

The Foundation's four pillars — Sports Dream, Sports Foundation, Sports Expansion, and The Power of Sports — read like the story of my own life. They fund programs that get sport into the hands of children and communities who wouldn't otherwise have access. Programs that do exactly what sport did for a kid from Mexico City.

I'm not running to prove anything. I've finished enough races. I'm running because I want to be part of giving other children what I was lucky enough to find — safety, confidence, and a reason to keep going.

What your donation does

Every euro you give goes directly to the Tokyo Marathon Foundation's charitable programs. Their work reaches children and communities across Japan and beyond, building pathways through sport for those who need them most.

My goal: €5,000. Every contribution counts.

Whether you give €10 or €500, you're not just funding a marathon run. You're extending a hand to a child who might be exactly where I was — looking for a way through.

Will you run this with me?

I'll be covering the 42.2 kilometers through Tokyo on March 7, 2027. But the real distance we're covering together is the one between a child and their potential.

Donate now and help me reach €5,000.

No amount is too small. Your name will be with me at every kilometer.

Sampo Von Raesfeld — Ironman athlete, marathon runner, volunteer, and someone who knows exactly what sport can do for a life.

[DONATE NOW — Help Sampo reach €5,000]