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Briton begins his attempt to run a marathon a day

A 27-year-old English teacher from Britain began an around-the-nation run in Keelung yesterday aimed at raising funds to help patients of rare disorders in Taiwan and cancer patients in Britain.

Neil O'Maonaigh-Lennon, who has taught English in Taiwan for just over a year, launched his month-long run from Keelung's Chungcheng Park in the company of Keelung Mayor Chang Tung-jung (張通榮) and a group of foreign national and Taiwanese marathon runners.

Chang presented O'Maonaigh-Lennon with a "thank you" certificate and a donation as tokens of his appreciation for the compassion O'Maonaigh-Lennon has shown to the Taiwanese.

O'Maonaigh-Lennon, who tells people to call him "O'Neil" because his name is so long and difficult to pronounce, said he would attempt to run 42km -- the equivalent of a marathon -- every day in his bid to raise funds for the Taiwan Foundation for Rare Disorders and Cancer Research UK.

From Keelung, O'Maonaigh-Lennon headed to Jioufen -- a hilly town located near an abandoned gold mine that has become a popular tourist destination -- and Pingsi in Taipei County.

He will then run via Ilan, Hualien and Taitung, before arriving in Pingtung County.

From Pingtung's Kenting National Park -- located at the southernmost tip of the nation -- the runners plan to return north via Kaohsiung, Tainan, Chiayi and Yunlin counties, in that order.

After arriving in Taichung City they will continue north and plan to arrive in Taipei City on April 29, wrapping up the 30-day run in Guandu on April 30.

There are estimated to be between 1,000 and 2,000 people in Taiwan suffering from rare disorders and there are only about 15 doctors trained in the care of special diseases, the Taiwan Foundation for Rare Disorders said.

People interested in making a donation on the Web can visit www.justgiving.com or contact the Taiwan Foundation for Rare Disorders at 02-2521-0717.
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