Run106Pietro - Roberto Andreoli's charity initiative.

Suunto is at the side of great sportsmen and extraordinary explorers, and more. In 2017, for example, it decided to offer support for a very delicate story, in which once again it is in the value of time and the rhythmic constancy of each beat, the medicine and cure for even the greatest pain. The story is that of a person we could define as ‘normal’, from next door, in other words. We are talking about Roberto Andreoli, born in Milan in 1977, who in life is the director of the Cloud and Enterprise Division of Microsoft Italy. Roberto has set up an important fund-raising project for medical research, in particular against neuroblastoma, a terrible disease that affects so many children every year, like his own Pietro, who died at only 6 years old. Here is his story and his new projects, those of a (special) Suunto charity athlete.

A small squeeze for a big courage.

 ‘Sometimes I think it was my little Peter who made me put on my first running shoes. I probably still have them. I certainly would never have imagined that with those or with others I would have covered all those kilometres. Difficult steps, sometimes hesitant, sometimes doubtful, but then always more convinced and smiling.

I ran the first few kilometres around my house, block after block. Every extra step was a small milestone. My first victory, the one that was making me win the most important challenge, the one with myself and with a life that I had to and wanted to start rebuilding. I owed it to myself, to my wife Enrica, to my son Riccardo, and to Emma, who in the meantime had arrived to illuminate our difficult horizon (later Michele would also arrive).

Sometimes one is faced with inexplicable things that a man and especially a parent should never have to experience. The death of a child destroys you, puts you to the wall. Pietro left us when he was only six years old due to an arteriovenous malformation at the base of his cerebellum. He fought hard, with naive and unconscious strength. The same strength that he sometimes managed to transmit to me and to which I clung to find the courage not to be swallowed up by that wall of despair.

And then it happens that you are able to start from there, from that ‘there’ that destroyed you, and from there you find the strength to get back on track, to be reborn as a Person and as a Man. I was at a crossroads. Lazy, severely overweight, smoking... well yes! I started following a dietary regime that soon made me lose the first kilos and I began to get up from my sofa, a pleasant companion of laziness for many, too many years.

My first bib was made of plastic. I remember it with tenderness. It was April 2012, and even though I knew I wasn’t ready at all, I signed up for the ‘non-competitive’ race in Milan, the Stramilano. The first ten kilometers, a lot of people, strollers, colorful balloons. And there I was, too, with my load of pride and emotion. It felt like everyone’s eyes were on me. Naturally, that wasn’t the case.

Perhaps, or rather, certainly, there were only two little eyes fixed on me. They were small and lively. But only I could see them. Pietro was there, with the same paper bib as mine, and when after almost a kilometer and a half I already couldn’t go on, he took my hand and ‘spurred’ me to keep going, not to give up because together we had to reach the first of many goals. And so it was… after what felt like endless kilometers, I arrived at the Arena di Milano, where my first small (but big) medal was waiting for me.

La maratona della speranza. 

“Subito dopo la mezza competitiva e l’anno dopo un’altra Arena. Questa volta lo scenario era un altro, era quello di Verona e i chilometri erano quarantadue e 195! La mia prima maratona. Il pettorale non era più di plastica ed era appoggiato alla mia maglia verde. Verde come la speranza, come i colori dei prati. Verde come i colori della società sportiva alla quale mi ero iscritto, la DiPo Vimercate. Avevo smesso di fumare, avevo perso più di 40 kg. Mi vedevo diverso. Ho cambiato taglia, modo di vestire”.

The fundraising campaign in support of medical research against Neuroblastoma.
"It’s really true… the sun rises again in our lives. Even when we can’t see it. Running had by then become a part of my life. The engine that could ignite me. After every training session, despite the fatigue, I felt energized and full of life. Each of us can put on a pair of shoes and start running. Each of us can set our own goals, big or small, and try to achieve them. I tried, and that’s how I ended up in the desert… Between December 4 and 11, 2016, Pietro and I, with our bib number six, participated in the ‘100 km of Namib Desert,’ a race in one of the most beautiful and ancient deserts in the world. From the very beginning, I wanted the #Run106Pietro project to be tied to a fundraising effort in support of research against Neuroblastoma, a cancer that unfortunately affects many children. The amount to reach was perhaps too ambitious, but I wanted, with the goal of 21,200 euros, to contribute to the research."

Going Beyond the "Extra Mile"
"The distance was actually 104 kilometers, but at the end of the final stage, I added another two, reaching the number six. Six, like the years I lived with Pietro. And so it was. He and I—together—completed all four stages, and once again, hand in hand, we stepped on the sand of one of the tallest dunes in the world, where you truly feel like you can touch the sky or even that the sky is touching you."

"And there, amid the sound of the wind, I no longer felt anything; the fatigue, the thirst, the heat that was at times unbearable, and even the pain in my leg—which had been with me for months—all seemed to vanish, numbed, finally making room for emotions and tears, this time of happiness."

"And it was with my heart and a gesture that speaks louder than a thousand words (now a symbol of my #Run106Pietro) that I and my adventure companions, hand in hand, crossed the finish line of a tough, challenging journey that truly gave me so much. There, the most beautiful medal was waiting for me."

"Believing Again" - The Speech at TEDxVarese
"Last June 16th, I participated as a speaker at the first edition of TEDxVarese, where the chosen theme was: 'Believing Again.' TED is an annual event that brings together the best minds and makers from around the world to spread important ideas across any discipline, from technology to entertainment, from design to science, and even to the humanities, business, and development. I spoke about my experience, for which I thank Suunto for the technical support they provided me during #Run106Pietro, which they will also provide for the Orobie Ultra-Trail® 2017 and for my new and important project this coming autumn..."

The New Challenge: Desert4KIDS
"So, we cannot stop; we must continue to contribute. For this reason, I have decided to challenge another desert, and in November, I will head to Oman. It will be a tough race, not only because of the 165 km but also because it will be self-sufficient, meaning the organization will not provide food, sleeping materials, clothing, etc.—only water to keep us from dying of thirst. This new challenge of mine is called #desert4KIDS."

"The desert is different, but the purpose remains the same: this year, too, I will support research against Neuroblastoma alongside the UNA-Milano ONLUS Association. The Association will support an experimental program (conducted at the Pediatrics Department of the National Cancer Institute of Milan) for a treatment targeting patients with Neuroblastoma resistant to conventional therapies. The program involves studying a high-dose therapy with radioactive tracers that selectively target cancer cells, combined with chemotherapy. The program will be carried out in collaboration with various centers across Europe that focus on the study and treatment of Neuroblastoma."

Correte con me!

Info Rete del Dono: https://www.retedeldono.it/it/roberto.andreoli/desert4kids