Luca Turrini, having participated in several 12- and 24-hour marathons, now sets his sights on the Spartathlon on 28-29 September, seeking a top-5 position and record for an Australian athlete.
Luca’s career in marathon running has been rather recent. Having moved to Australia in 2009, and not being successful in finding work in his first days here, it wasn’t until one of his neighbours spurred him to get out of the house and go out for a run to get his mind off things that Luca got into running at all. From that initial run, he began to shift into a better lifestyle, giving up his bad habits like smoking and getting into a more healthy diet.
The young Italian-born kept running short distances for the next few years. When he lost his mother to cancer in 2011, he pushed himself to run even further. As he says, it was his way of handling the situation. This event also urged him to create his not-for-profit organisation Outrun Cancer, through which he helps people battling with the disease. along with fundraisers.
Luca’s story will be part of The Meraki Project, a short film he is creating with a few associates that will tell the tale of how he deals with everyday life to reach the Spartathlon. Luca says he is crafting the film to help inspire other people who might be in a similar situation in their lives and could use the help.
Beyond Luca’s personal story, The Meraki Project will also speak about the ancient messenger Pheidippides, the importance of that historical figure, and how he ran from ancient Sparta all the way to Athens within a day and a half to request the aid of the Athenians in the war against the Persians.
The Spartathlon is an annual 246 km ultra-distance race held in honour of the run made by Pheidipiddes. Participants in the 36-hour race from Athens to Sparta are chosen according to very specific criteria. An athlete must have completed one of the following three requirements to be eligible:
· To have completed a 100-km race in 10 hours (for men) or 10 hours 30 minutes (for women)
· To have participated in a 200-km race and have completed it in 20 hours (for men) or 20 hours 30 minutes (for women)
· To have participated in one of the two previous Spartathlon races, reaching at least the Nestani checkpoint.
· Luca is currently seeking funding for the production of The Meraki Project which will begin shooting in July/August. It is slated to feature in next year’s national
Run Nation Film Festival, an annual film event that takes place in locations around Australia from August to October, and celebrates human stories told through running. Neos Kosmos wishes the very best for Luca.
Find out more about the Spartathlon at spartathlon.gr/en/
Follow Luca’s story at lucaturrini.com