What to know
- Adam Saltarelli, 18, is running 550 miles around Lake Ontario to raise funds for Canadian Tire’s Jumpstart program, which helps kids access sports.
- He’s taking on the challenge solo, running a marathon a day for 21 days.
- Saltarelli was inspired by his own experiences facing financial barriers in youth sports.
- His goal is to raise at least $5,550 and inspire others to support charitable causes.
At just 18 years old, Adam Saltarelli is lacing up his running shoes to tackle a 550-mile journey around Lake Ontario to raise money for kids who want to play sports but can’t afford it.
Having grown up as a runner, football player, as well as an MMA and jujitsu fighter, Saltarelli has been in the world of sports for as long as he can remember.
“Running for me is almost like freedom in a sense. Like I’m able to go wherever I want, and it’s one of the ways I express myself,” he told Now Toronto.
Saltarelli explained that his own experiences playing sports have emphasized the importance of children having access to sports. As such, he is embracing a 550-mile run to raise funds for Canadian Tire’s Jumpstart program: a charity focusing on helping children overcome barriers to accessing sports.
“It’s a sad thing that many people can’t do sports because of financial limitations… If I can help another person out, then that would make me happy at the end of the day,” he explained.
Despite not using Jumpstart himself in the past, Saltarelli has felt financial constraints as a student. For that reason, he believed that Jumpstart was a good outlet for helping others in similar situations.
Saltarelli has, in fact, seen Jumpstart fund his coach’s travel.
“He fought in other leagues, so he had to travel all around… Jumpstart was a huge help in funding him. It’s been something that I enjoy giving back to because I know it’s helped someone that I care about as well,” he shared.
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Why 550 miles?
Saltarelli has been running hundreds of miles for the last few years for charity. His first charity event was the Terry Fox Ride of Hope, where he biked 200 miles for the Terry Fox Foundation. Last month, he completed a 100-mile race for another Jumpstart charity event, raising $2,500.
“People were giving out donations, people were there to support, and I was able to raise a lot of money for that. So after doing that race, I thought that I [have] got to go big,” he said.
So, he set his sights on running 550 miles around the portion of Lake Ontario’s shoreline that is in Canada. He’s starting in Niagara on the Lake and will wrap up in the Thousand Islands.
How is he planning to accomplish such a goal?
So how has the athlete been preparing for such a monumental task? Running, lots of running.
“I’m just running a ridiculous amount of miles a day. I got to run a marathon a day in a few weeks, so I’ll be running all the time,” he said, explaining that this week he’s aiming to run over 130 miles.
Saltarelli shared that while he is taking on the challenge to raise money for charity, the mission is a solo one that is self-supported.
What’s his goal?
He explained that his goal is to run the equivalent of one marathon, about 42.2 km a day for 21 days.
“I always love going to Canadian Tire, and I appreciate their charity. I’m doing it for them to raise money for children. That’s what drives me,” he said.
For him, success would be hitting or surpassing his $5,550 donation goal, and ultimately, he’s hoping to inspire others to contribute to charity causes, too.
“To [accomplish] big goals, it has to come from a place beyond yourself… I’m doing it for a bigger cause than myself, and I hope people take this as an inspiration,” he explained.
His journey is scheduled for August 8, and you can make a donation through his personal website.
