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103-Yr-Old Belgian Doctor Walks Marathon In His Garden To Raise Funds For COVID-19 Research
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India, 11 Jun 2020 4:50 AM GMT
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Alfons Leempoels, a retired general practitioner, has raised over 6,000 euros and has covered about one third of distance of a marathon.
In an attempt to contribute his bit to the research into COVID-19, a 103-year-old Belgian doctor is walking a marathon around his garden and raising money for the research.
Alfons Leempoels, a retired general practitioner, is inspired by a centenarian who has clocked up the charity miles with a walking frame.
The man started his 42.2 km journey in the municipality of Rotselaar, north-east of Brussels, on June 1 and aims at completing it by June 30.
He walks 10 laps of 145 metres every day, three in the morning, three at noon and four in the evening. He also throws a stick into a bowl every time he completes a lap to make sure that he does not lose count.
The 103-year-old doctor has raised over 6,000 euros and has covered about one-third of distance of a marathon.
Leempoels said that the idea struck him when he saw World War two veteran Tom Moore who is 100 years old, raise nearly $40 million for the country's health service 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. 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," the retired doctor shared.
He aims at raising funds for the hospital near the University of Leuven, where researchers are constantly working to find a cure for the COVID-19 pandemic.
"As a doctor, you feel touched by this and that's why I was happy now that I might be able to contribute something to fight the coronavirus," he said.
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