ABBOTT SLAM 2025
ROMAIN CARETTE
A crazy idea!
Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, New York: running these six marathons, known as Major Marathons, is every runner's lifelong dream. Doing it in a single calendar year seems crazy. However, this is the challenge that I have set for 2025, with the probable entry of a seventh race into the dance: Sydney. This running challenge will be accompanied by fundraising for four associations.
7 cities - 7 marathons
About me
Originally from Tourcoing, in the North of France, I have been involved in sports all my life. I started with basketball at the age of 5, before switching to running at 20. I ran my first marathon in Rotterdam in 2015 (2h27min37sec). I fell in love with the distance, and after 8 years of pursuing it, I recently shattered my personal record in Valencia, Spain (2h22min37sec). For my 35th birthday, in 2025, I plan to tackle the six (seven?)-stars medal challenge,... but it had to be done my way: thus was born the crazy idea of running all of them in a single calendar year!
From a personal standpoint, I have been living in Toronto, Canada, with my husband Andrea since June 2021. I work there as a Presentation Designer for Stinson Design. I joined a LGBTQI+ running group, the FrontRunners, who have become friends, and I have partnered with a new coach, Steve Boyd, who has been accompanying me since September 2023.
Sport is a true passion for me. It allows me to forget the everyday troubles, starting with Von-Hippel Lindau disease, a rare genetic condition that affects several members of my family, including myself. It's an extremely rare hereditary condition with an incidence of 1 in 36,000 births. It causes highly vascularized tumors in one or more parts of the body (benign for the brain, spinal cord, and retina. Malignant for the kidneys and pancreas). We have been living with a battery of annual exams (MRI, eye exams...) and, unfortunately, some necessary surgical interventions.
Thank you for being here (and for reading this long presentation). Do you want to know how you can have a role in this project? Keep scrolling. I'll explain everything!
VHL Alliance
Who are they? What do they do?
The mission of this association is to improve the quality of life of patients and families affected by Von-Hippel-Lindau disease (VHL) with inclusive community building, connections to excellent education and treatment options, and advancements in medical research.
Why this association?
As explained above, I've been diagnosed with VHL when I was a kid. My sister and myself got it from my mother. Since then, I had to deal with annual checkups on kidneys, eyes, spinal cord, brain and testicles. The three of us have had several invasive surgeries. I have hope that VHL Alliance can find treatments that will help reducing the tumors when they appear, avoiding the big surgeries and making our life easier.
Action Protection Animale
Who are they? What do they do?
This association leads several battles simultaneously with the sole objective of improving the well-being of animals, of all animals.
Why this association?
I’m a pet owner. I really consider my cat Lilly and my dog Mighty as members of my family. And I can't stand animal cruelty. Action Protection Animale works to help animals and prosecute abusive owners. They need donations for transportation, equipment, veterinary care, animal housing, justice, etc.
Rainbow Railroad
Who are they? What do they do?
This is a global not-for-profit organization that helps at-risk LGTBQI+ people get to safety worldwide.
Why this association?
As a gay man, coming out to family and friends was difficult, but I received all the support and love I deserved. Not everyone is so lucky. That’s why it’s important to me to help at-risk LGBTQI+ people find safety through emergency relocation, crisis response, cash assistance, and other assistance.
The Ocean Cleanup
Who are they? What do they do?
This association develops and scales technologies to rid the oceans of plastic.
Why this association?
I am a lover of the sea and the ocean. Seeing them destroyed and polluted by all this plastic makes me sad, especially since all these microplastics can end up in our food and deteriorate our health. I sincerely believe that donating to an association dedicated to cleaning the oceans is a vital investment in the future of our planet.
If, for whatever reason (injury, disease, logistical or financial problem, etc.), I fail in my challenge of running the 7 marathons in one year, the money collected will whatever happens be donated to the associations mentioned above.
Blog
My partners
.png)
Follow me on Strava !
