Run for Peace

It is still hard for me to believe that this project became a reality. I really did run the 100 marathons in 100 days and, in the end, we even managed to exceed the goal of €100,000 in donations. More than a physical challenge, it was a testament to hope, unity and solidarity.

It was on 3 August 2025 that, surrounded by my closest family — literally holding hands with Ghazal and Vicente — and by a huge group of friends from Portugal and Poland, I arrived at the gates of the former Auschwitz concentration camp. That is where the Run for Peace epic came to an end, in a moment that is hard to put into words: the end of an immense journey and the confirmation that every step and every metre had been worth it.

Behind me were 100 days of sun and rain, of suffering, perseverance and many tears on the roads of Europe. Behind me, too, were the hundreds of people who ran by my side, the cold and painful early mornings, and the gestures of support that gave me the strength to keep going. This adventure taught me that when we walk alongside the right people, united by a greater purpose, even the impossible seems closer.

Deep down, I always had faith that I would make it. Even so, until the very last moment, I carried the fear of not reaching the end. After all, 100 marathons are 100 marathons: an almost unimaginable distance, conquered day after day, kilometre after kilometre. When I finally stopped, I realised that the real victory was not just reaching Auschwitz, but all the lives touched along the way.

(Below is the Run for Peace presentation text, written on the day it was launched)

Do you feel what I am feeling?

Today I am here to launch a new humanitarian challenge, the biggest one to date. After having reached the top of the world, I propose to travel in the opposite direction, to the place where humanity hit rock bottom.

On April 25, 2025, the date on which the tenth anniversary of the Kathmandu earthquake is marked, I will set off on foot from Praça do Comércio in Lisbon, and cross Europe for 100 days to the former Auschwitz Concentration Camp, one of the greatest symbols of the Holocaust.

There I intend to pay tribute to all victims of war and hatred, regardless of the country where they were born or the God they believe in, warning of the dangers of intolerance and remembering the importance of each one of us being involved in building a more just society, not by remaining silent or pretending not to see the suffering of others, but by raising our voices in their defence.

Run for Peace is the name given to this initiative. A manifesto for peace with the purpose of raising awareness against inequality, racism, xenophobia and violence. History will not repeat itself.

On the route I intend to follow, I will complete a total of 4,200 kilometres, running and walking. The equivalent of 100 marathons in 100 days, with the aim of raising €100,000.

My goal is to collect donations to support two noble causes:

• €50,000 to build a new school in Nepal, in partnership with the project Dreams of Kathmandu.
• €50,000 to support organisations committed to promoting peace between Israel and Palestine, namely Hand in Hand and Combatants for Peace.

Dialogue and education are the only path to peace. Run for Peace aims to generate a global movement with thousands of people running all over the world. A testament to the present for future generations. Ordinary citizens can make a difference, and I intend to prove just that. Unite and build bridges, rather than divide and segregate.

See you on the road?