Petra’s Ultra Challenge!
Petra and Magdalena at their Ultra Challenge
Petra Cervantes took part in the London Summer Walk as part of the Ultra Challenges Series. She explains the long journey to the start line and why she chose to do it for CAFOD.
The story of why I chose to walk and support CAFOD started almost randomly, although God knows nothing happens by coincidence.
Last year in December I got a message from a friend asking whether I would like to join her for a half marathon winter walk in February. Until then I didn’t know you could walk a marathon. I immediately thought, “that’s a good idea.” I’m a mother of three little kids (2, 4 and 6 years old) and in the past 6 years I was doing a “marathon” only between the kitchen, kid’s room, school, and parks! So why not take a challenge and step out of my bubble? I went to get more information on the Ultra Challenge website and saw that with my walk I could support a charity. That was inspiring – not only will I do something good for my body, but it can have a broader reach and help those in need.
Often, we can get absorbed with our smaller or bigger difficulties in life, our daily struggles, and we don’t realise that someone out there in the world is living a life that is much harder. It’s beautiful that through charities working around the world we can bring a little hope and help where it’s so much needed.
Because I’m Catholic I wanted to choose a charity I believe in and that shares the same values. I found CAFOD and completed the registration. And then I entered a loooooong period of waiting for the event – it was originally scheduled at the end of February, but was cancelled and moved to March, and this was again cancelled and moved to June and renamed as the London Summer Walk. And then it did finally happen! The weather was beautiful, as if for God’s glory, and my friend and I finished the 21km track with 31,149 steps.
I’m very grateful to all the people who generously donated.
Summer FUNraisers!
Petra has done an amazing thing to help others and her own fitness. And she got to do it in the sun! Could you do an Ultra Challenge this Summer, or do your own Summer FUNraiser for CAFOD? You can choose your own active challenge and raise vital funds to support our sisters and brothers around the world.