Marco Queirós on the verge of completing 100-day endurance run to Auschwitz memorial site
Portuguese Runner Pedro Queiroz Nears Completion of 100-Day Marathon Challenge
Pedro Queiroz, a 44-year-old amateur athlete, is on the brink of an extraordinary feat. He is running a marathon every day for 100 consecutive days, aiming to cover 100 marathons in 100 days from Lisbon, Portugal, to Auschwitz, Poland, with the goal of raising 100,000 euros for peace-related humanitarian causes.
The run, which started on April 25, 2025, has already raised more than 46,000 euros for the construction of a school in Nepal, and Queiroz intends to allocate an additional 50,000 euros. The total amount raised will be disclosed on August 15, on Portuguese soil.
Queiroz believes that undertaking a marathon, whether it's four or 100, requires great respect, focus, and concentration, both physically, in nutrition, and in recovery. The route from Lisbon to Auschwitz covers a vast and varied terrain across several countries, presenting numerous challenges.
The target of 100,000 euros is aimed at supporting efforts related to peace, reconciliation, and humanitarian aid, given the symbolic and historical significance of Auschwitz. The race is scheduled to finish on August 3, 2025, at Auschwitz, a location historically associated with the Holocaust, thus emphasizing the themes of remembrance, peace, and the fight against hatred.
Queiroz's journey has faced physical, emotional, and logistic challenges. He has encountered tendinitis in his right Achilles tendon and emotional distress due to his family being detained in Tehran. During the 27th run in Madrid, he even fainted due to extreme fatigue.
Despite these challenges, Queiroz's humanitarian purpose renews his will every day. He aims to deliver 25,000 euros to Combatants for Peace and another 25,000 euros to Hand in Hand, organizations that aim for peace between Israel and Palestine. Given the war in Gaza, with over 60,000 deaths, including over 140 from malnutrition and hunger, Queiroz considers the support for these organizations as more urgent.
Queiroz's daily routine includes completing the marathon between 05:00 and 11:00 local time, selecting overnight stays, washing clothes, going to the pharmacy for essential medications, and consuming 5,000 calories while staying within a daily budget of 50 euros. He carries a backpack that weighs about 2.5 kilos, containing a change of clothes, pills, and other necessary items, during his run.
Queiroz has completed marathons in Portugal, Spain, France, Switzerland, Italy, Slovenia, Austria, Slovakia, and Poland, with the first four in Poland yet to be completed. He plans to complete the distances he has left, arriving in Kraków on Saturday and in Oświęcim (Poland) on Sunday, where he will complete his 100th solidarity marathon.
[1] Source: Various news outlets reporting on Pedro Queiroz's 100-day marathon challenge.
- In the midst of his 100-day marathon, Queiroz reflects on the challenges, acknowledging that even French cafes, a common respite during his journey, serve as silent witnesses to his arduous endeavor.
- News sources worldwide have been covering Queiroz's marathon run, noting how it intersects with global affairs, as discussions regarding war-and-conflicts, politics, and general news often emerge during his daily sports analysis alongside discussions about his physical progress.
- As the world follows Queiroz's tale of perseverance, sports enthusiasts and casual observers alike ponder the parallel between this endurance endeavor and past instances of resilience during war-and-conflicts, relating Queiroz's story to historical accounts of sports and its impact on morale during trying times.
