‘This was the most trying charity challenge I ever took on’ – Daniel Abela

Philanthropist Daniel Abela on Wednesday shared that his 200-kilometre run in aid of the 1 Run 1 Childhood initiative was the toughest he “ever took on”.

Mr Abela, who is Executive Chairman at Business Ventures Group, together with Claudio Camilleri, ran for 35 hours between Sunday and Monday, completing 500 laps around a 400-metre track. The pair ran a total of 200 kilometres, to support the initiative organised by Children in Need Foundation, a charity supporting disadvantaged children’s physical, mental, social, and educational needs, which Mr Abela founded in 2013 and is also Chairman of.

Over the course of the challenge, the pair ran for stretches of 50 minutes, and then stepped for breaks of 10 to 20 minutes.

“This was the most trying charity challenge I ever took on,” Mr Abela said, yet remarked that he is “proud” to have completed it.

He also shared an image of himself following the run, remarking that the “picture says it all”.

After the end of the event, the management behind the 1 Run 1 Childhood initiative expressed gratitude to the crew, participants and donors who made the vent possible and helped “raise awareness and funds for the mental wellbeing of children in residential homes”.

“Let’s continue to work together to ensure that every child has access to the support they need to lead happy and healthy lives,” it said, before encouraging people to continue donating to the cause in order to “give every child the opportunity to thrive”.

Mr Abela has a long history of taking on such extreme challenges, including a rowing charity challenge from Sardinia to Malta back in 2013, where together with Ruben Vassallo and Neville Calleja, they braved harsh conditions to complete a 600-kilometre journey in aid of the same charity.

Mr Abela manages Business Ventures Group, a holding company which over the past two decades has launched and invested in a number of companies involved in various service industries. This includes Marketing Advisory Services, Moving Ads Malta Ltd, Redorange and D4n6, among others.