Leonardo Abedum de Lima Hanzawa

Hey! My name's Leo and I'm graduating in a month. Every day before going to school, I see the Lac Léman, which is this massive lake that sits in front of my university in Lausanne, Switzerland. Given that I'll only be able to see this view a couple more times before I leave, I thought the best way to say goodbye was to run around the lake. Yes. Run. That's 165+ km, and I plan to do it in 3 days from June 20-22.

You might be asking yourself, Leo, what's wrong with you? Why are you doing this? Well, I've always been one to take on a challenge, and the second I came up with the idea, I had to do it. So, I thought of a couple of strong reasons why:

1. Say goodbye to the place I've lived in for the past four years

2. Inspire my friends, family, and myself to get out of their comfort zone

3. Have a newfound appreciation for the simple things in life

On that last point, I wanted to run for a charity because I think this challenge should be targeted at something greater than just myself.

Soles4souls is a non-profit aimed at helping underprivileged people worldwide access something as simple as shoes. They've provided help to over 127 countries around the world and do things that really resonate with me, such as reducing waste, creating opportunities for those who need it, and encouraging sport. Through my run, I want to help them with their mission and remind people and myself that we should be grateful for things that we take for granted.

If you've made it this far, thank you for supporting the journey. I hope that, at the very least, I inspired you with this challenge and perhaps even made you think, "I wonder what I'm capable of?".