Fighting cancer with 40 marathons in 2016

Thomas Alm celebrates his 40th anniversary with 40 endurance races

In 2010, Thomas Alm’s life changed dramatically. His beloved mum passed away in cancer and to handle the sorrow, Thomas put on his running shoes, and as he put it, he just “ran, ran and ran”. The same year he completed his first marathon in New York (3:45:22). For Thomas, long distance running has become a great therapy and also great a passion.

15 km a day

Today, six years later, Thomas run at least 15 km per day and has completed more than 25 half, full and ultra-marathons. In his track record you find some of the toughest races in the world – for example Trans Scania and Comrades marathon. His philosophy is to enjoy the race and focus less on being the fastest runner, having the fanciest gear or the coolest looking running shoes. Despite, or maybe thanks to his mindset, he has got several great placements. In 2014, Thomas ran 150 598 meters in the Bislett 24H Indoor Challenge. Being injured did not stop him from crossing the finishing line as number 6 in the 35-39 age group.

A year dedicated to fight cancer

Fighting cancer has become a mission for Thomas. Both his grandmother and mum died of the decease, and many close friends and family members have been diagnosed with various forms of cancer. 2016 is therefore going to be a year dedicated to “running against cancer”. Thomas has set a target to complete 40 long distance races and raise at least 4 000 euros to cancer research. To complete the mission, he sometimes has to run a two full marathons on the same weekend. He also has to battle any jet lag or exhaustion for travelling to the starting line when joining marathons in Asia and USA. Thomas has an active life and works as a professional tennis coach and a personal trainer. He enjoys motivating others and pushing their boundaries. This year he will certainly also push his own. So far, he has successfully completed five races; Sandsjöbacka trail (44 km/27,5 mi), Dubai marathon, LPM marathon, Los Angeles marathon and Malta marathon. So 35 races lie ahead!

Follow Thomas 40@40 challenge

At Worldsmarathons.com you have the opportunity to follow Thomas’ journey and gain his insights straight from the running tracks. He will also give recommendations to fellow runners who consider signing up to the same race and also share his experiences from being a hard-core marathon tourist. The latest research shows that endurance sports do not only lower the risk of cancer but also kicks of a few years from your age. So Thomas is actually celebrating his mid-30s with the curiosity and drive of a guy his 20s.