CHUMPHON: Rocker and charity runner Artiwara Kongmalai - aka Toon Bodyslam - on Sunday ran from Surat Thani to Chumphon, the last southern province before entering the Central Plain, where he developed painful symptoms that doctors believed were manageable.
Toon - and several hundred people running after him - left Tha Chana district of Surat Thani early Sunday morning and entered Chumphon in Lamae district.
The run in Chumphon was divided into three phases that were 60 kilometres altogether. The third phase was concluded in Thung Tako district.
Crowds of local residents, ranging from hundreds to thousands, waited for him at rest areas along the route to donate to his fund for public hospitals and give him moral support. Toon was gaining his memorable experiences on the 730-km journey he had made so far since its start in the southernmost Betong district, Yala, on Nov 1.
The celebrity fundraiser stopped over at Ban Duat School, where he awarded scholarships and presented a donation altogether worth 70,000 baht. Teachers and thousands of students gave him a warm welcome and regaled him with a deafening rendition of Saeng Sud Thai, his hit song about true love providing the inspiration to overcome difficulties.
Toon happily took photos and sang along with the students. He asked them to study hard and contribute to society.
During the third phase of the run in Chumphon on Sunday, Toon suffered pain in his neck, temples and head, and at one point appeared to be close to collapse. He took a brief rest in his team's recreational vehicle.
His doctor, Dr Samitda Sangkhapho, said the symptoms resulted from tension, extremely hot weather and the runner's frequent bows while receiving donations along the route.
Dr Surawit Suboon, who is also an actor, joined Toon's running squad on Sunday and said he talked with Dr Samitda. She was confident that Toon's strong body and spirit would allow him to accomplish the 2,191km run to the northernmost district of Mae Sai, Chiang Rai late next month, he said.
Sunday night his charity run raised about 284 million baht.
Toon's itinerary keeps him running through Chumphon until Thursday, when he is scheduled to enter Prachuap Khiri Khan, the southernmost province of the Central Plain.
