A MAN who has relatives forced to flee their Ukrainian home stopped past Carlisle as part of a 2,500-kilometre run for charity.

In March, Tomasz Drybala started running across the United Kingdom, raising funds for UNICEF’s Ukraine Crisis Appeal.

Tom was scheduled to complete his run through Scotland on Tuesday, May 17. He now has over 1,000km still to run, which will continue across England.

 

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Some of Tom's relatives lived in the Ukrainian city of Lviv. Now they are in Poland, where Tom was born and raised.

Tom is running with a backpack, from hotel to hotel. The run through the UK is a part of the training to run the circumference of the Earth, 40,075 km, which he will complete by the end of 2025.

 

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He will also be building trauma-informed communities along the way of his running road and conducting scientific research with leading scientists from the University of Westminster.

Discussing his run, Tom shared: “I'm a father of two sons, and I can't imagine not being able to see them. I want Ukrainian fathers to know that we are taking care of their sons and daughters while they are fighting for land for their homes.”

“Being able to provide support and raise funds for critical care services is something I am passionate about for two reasons; firstly, my commitment to building trauma-informed communities, supporting child protection and education and secondly, because part of my family lives in Lviv in Ukraine and are directly affected by those events we are watching unfold on television.”

The runner is also encouraging others to take part in the campaign.

Those interested are urged to run as many kilometres as they can, whilst donating as much as they can, whether it's £5, £10 or £50 (all funds go directly to UNICEF Ukraine Crisis Appeal).

Runners are also encouraged to share with their community on social media and show love to Ukrainian kids by shaping a heart with their hands as they complete their run, sharing the #RunnersForUNICEF hashtag.

To track Tomasz’s progress, you can keep updated through his Strava Runner profile.

You can also donate to the cause by searching his ‘Runners for UNICEF’ page on JustGiving.

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