Lake Project
Date: 25 April 2026
Location: Lac Léman, Switzerland
Objective: Run 180 km in 36 hours, the last 42 km barefoot, and raise €10,000
Total raised: €20,313.69
Use of funds: Five associations each received 20% of the total raised: Dreams of Kathmandu, EMI Afrika+, Mundu Nobu, APAV – Associação de Apoio à Vítima and Corro Pela Maria.
Lake Project – A modern-day epic. On 25 April 2026 we marked the 1st anniversary of the Run for Peace epic and the 11th anniversary of the Kathmandu earthquake. To mark the date, I decided to embark on another great humanitarian adventure: this time I set out to run 180 kilometres around Lac Léman in Switzerland, door to door from the International Olympic Committee in Lausanne, with the last 42 kilometres, the distance of a marathon, run barefoot.
Science can explain a lot. The book “Flow”, by the Hungarian author Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, is one of my references when it comes to describing a state of mind in which we feel complete. The most memorable moments happen when we stretch our limits, in a voluntary effort to achieve something we thought was impossible. It is the happiness we feel when we finish a marathon or reach the top of a mountain. It is when we are rewarded for a tremendous physical and mental effort.
In the process of pushing myself physically and helping others, I feel a deep state of pleasure, creativity and belonging. Euphoria takes over and the pain fades into the background. The physical body becomes irrelevant and, in that space, I feel myself transcend, in control of my own destiny. My awareness becomes so bold that I anticipate the future and the choices it requires with complete naturalness.
The first time I felt this was in the aftermath of the Kathmandu earthquake. For a month, I stayed awake 22 hours a day to carry out and report on the Obrigado Portugal Mission. Volunteers, finances, press, transport, food, building materials, among other things. I felt I was saving the world and sleep was not a priority. On Everest and in the 100 marathons project I felt the same. Going to bed is not important when we are already living inside a dream.
What science cannot explain is how pain can turn into such a great feeling of love for others. The Lake Project was born in me with the aim of raising awareness. I wanted to feel “normal” again and to bring people together around extraordinary causes.
Was it worth it? Yes, running 180 km in 36 hours, 42 km of them barefoot, was memorable. Because this is, and always will be, the secret of the humanitarian adventures: standing up for the dream and having the courage to make a difference. For a fairer, freer and more humane society.
Thank you to everyone who got involved, whether by running, spreading the word or donating. Together we raised €20,313.69, which will make a difference in the lives of many people! Every word, message and transfer of yours is a breath of hope in times like these. Together we are stronger!! Thank you!
Image gallery
