Rahul Sharma, a 24-year-old former under-19 Hong Kong cricketer and current exercise physiologist based in Melbourne, is set to run the length of Sri Lanka in a week to raise funds for childhood cancer research.
Sharma plans to start his run on December 24 from Point Pedro at the northern tip of the island and finish at Dondra Head in the south by December 30. The challenge spans 574 kilometers (356.7 miles), requiring him to cover roughly 100 kilometers per day.
He arrived in Sri Lanka from Mumbai on December 18 and is undertaking the run to raise at least A$20,000 (approximately HK$101,470 or US$13,052) for the Children’s Cancer Institute, a Sydney-based organization focused on curing childhood cancer.
Sharma, an Indian national born and raised in Hong Kong, began playing cricket at age 10 and represented Hong Kong’s under-19 team between 2018 and 2019. He says this endurance challenge has never been attempted before and combines his passion for sport and charity.
According to his team, the Hong Kong-based charity Erase Poverty has pledged to donate HK$10,000 (US$1,286) if Sharma completes the run as planned. (Newswire)