The President’s Fun Run, held on Sunday, can only be described as an innovative idea and a great success.
President George Abela has embarked on a mission to change the way funds are collected for charity in Malta, with much more emphasis on participation, rather than prize winning.
The Fun Run was a prime example. Thousands of people literally thronged the streets to join one of two groups. One was led by the President which ran 6 kilometres from San Anton Palace to the President’s Palace in Valletta, while the other was a larger group, led by Mrs Abela, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, Kate Gonzi and Michelle Muscat, which set off on a walk/jog from Santa Venera to the Palace.
The PM presented the President with a donation of e10,000 while the Labour Party presented a donation of e1,000. On top, each and every person who participated ‘donated’ e10 to take part.
Let us look at it all bit by bit. The President managed to get about 5,000 people off their backsides on a Sunday morning – bright and early – to get some much needed exercise.
For some runners it was merely a stroll in the park. But for many others who had not kept up with exercising on a regular basis – it was an eye opener. Many people took part thinking that they would run from San Anton to Santa Venera and join the walkers. But these were very few and far between. The leisurely jogging pace set by the President and the encouragement of all participants and bystanders willed everyone on.
People stopped to help one another, some joked along the way, others offered words of encouragement. Many people could not believe that they found the stamina to complete the run – but complete it they did.
Dr Abela managed another ‘impossible’ feat. As we have mentioned, there were people who took part in the run who had not exercised for years and years. It is a feat indeed when one considers that the Health Department has almost gone blue in the face in trying to get people to exercise.
One hopes that President Abela can continue to come up with novel ideas and also that the public continues to support him. No one can deny that classical-cum-rock concerts and mini marathons are infinitely more enriching than a food blender in return for a donation.
One must also reserve a word of thanks to all those who helped ensure that the fun run was safe for all those taking part.
But this brings us to another point we have to make. Malta’s roads, as we know, are not the best in the world by any stretch of the imagination. But one can only truly appreciate what a bad state they are in if they actually walk/run on them. Cracks, uneven surfaces, holes, gravelly bits, soft bits and bad cambers are the order of the day. In taking part, it was very clear that the majority of stoppages were not due to overexertion or breathlessness, but rather injuries resulting from the state of the roads.
Before any bright spark decides that we are blowing this out of proportion, we have one retort: You had to be there to know. Malta perhaps suffered the largest amount of twists and sprains one day – it is unacceptable. We know that we are making the point only for it to be ignored but it must be said – our roads are in a shameful mess.
One more comment to close. There were a number of people who complained about the traffic arrangements to accommodate the run and we have only one thing to say – grow up and next time take part.