Hospital Beatriz Ângelo (HBA) was the stage, last Sunday, May 9, of an unprecedented event in its history: a 12-hours marathon around the building, led by the triathlete and ultramarathon runner, Rui Martins . The challenge was set to HBA by the athlete himself, who proposed it as a symbolic way to pay tribute to everything that health professionals have accomplished this last year, with their effort . Since HBA teams are already used to demanding experiences, they accepted Rui Martins challenge and about 50 “athletes” of the Hospital participated in the run, accompanying him along the 12 hours of the marathon. Carolina, who works in HBA’s non-clinical support services, was one of the first to arrive. The rain and wind that greeted the morning did not deter her. And although confessing not usually doing this kind of exercise, she thought it to be important to participate in the initiative: “This hospital and its professionals have had to make a tremendous effort. Therefore, participating is also a way of showing our appreciation for that effort”, she said before starting the run alongside Rui Martins. Vanessa, Beatriz, Pedro, André M. and Marcos are already accustomed to join and share challenges: they are all nurses and are all part of the first HBA’s inpatient service, that received patients with COVID-19. So, this was just one more run they did together, they confirmed. “These are excellent initiatives. They distract us a little bit… Because, after all, there is life besides Covid”, said Pedro Freire, the nurse-coordinator and leader of this “team of athletes”. On its turn, Rui Maio, the director of HBA’s Department of Oncology, shares the same opinion: “I believe this initiative is extraordinary. It’s an excellent way to pay tribute to all people that work here”, he declared to the journalists, before starting the half an hour run around the HBA building, alongside the marathon runner Rui Martins. “This is what I do best. Therefore, this is how I pay tribute to the work of these health professionals and all those, all over the country, who made every effort for us during the pandemic”, explained the athlete to the journalists present, confessing: “And I was not expecting so many people to show up. I am very happy that the Hospital personnel embraced the idea and came along!” Rui Martins completed 118 km in the 12 hours he ran around the HBA building. Between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., groups of Hospital collaborators joined in – sharing at their own pace the challenge with the marathoner. Some opted for walking, but others kept a good pace alongside the athlete. That was the case of Nuno Queirós, an element of the Hospital’s security staff, who completed 50 km in about 5 hours running. As for Ricardo Abreu, HBA’s administrative services officer, who is also guide-athlete of the Paralympic Jorge Pina, started the run at 8 a.m. and completed 25 km nonstop, always side by side with Rui Martins. Sunday was a working day for Ricardo, but he did not miss the opportunity: so, at the end of his shift, he put on his running shoes again and went back to the track, accompanying the marathon runner along the last half-hour. Rui Martins is a triathlete, ultramarathon runner and trainer. At 16, he had a knee cancer, a situation that was overcome and, since then, he keeps up the spirit, trying to overcome other physical difficulties, namely concerning running and marathons, sometimes with the goal of raising funds for different institutions. In 2020, for instance, he did a 200 km solidarity ultramarathon, along a course that started in Odivelas, Ferreira do Alentejo, and ended in the other Odivelas, in the region of Lisbon. With the sponsorship of several entities, each kilometer completed corresponded to a specific amount of money, to be offered to the Lisbon Association of Cerebral Palsy (where he does voluntary work as trainer). Hospital Beatriz Ângelo thanks all its collaborators who have accepted one more challenge. And gives a special appreciation to Rui Martins for his dedication, effort, and engagement on behalf of all health professionals. Thank you, Rui!
