PRACHUAP KHIRI KHAN: Singer Toon Bodyslam will suspend his charity marathon for three days after suffering a severe pain on his left ankle shortly before reaching Hua Hin district on Tuesday night.
Toon, also known as Artiwara Kongmalai, was reported to have dropped to the ground in pain at 8pm, about 500 metres short of reaching the popular resort district. He was on the fourth stage of his Tuesday run, from Fort Thanarat Hospital in Pran Buri district to sports complex True Arena Hua Hin in Hua Hin district - a distance of 17km. It was his 23rd day of running.
Mr Artiwara reportedly dropped to the ground and was tended by a medical team, who asked him to stop for the day to prevent further injuries. He was helped to a vehicle and driven to his overnight accommodation.
Scores of people were waiting for him along the route. After hearing he had suspended his run, most said although they were disappointed not to see or be able to give their donations to the singer, they wanted him to rest and recover first.
As of Tuesday, the singer had run 1,063 km from Yala’s Betong district, the country’s southernmost point. This is almost half of his planned 2,191km marathon to Chiang Rai’s Mae Sai district to raise money to buy equipment for 11 public hospitals. He hopes to raise 700 million baht by the time he completes his run, scheduled for Dec 25.
According to the Kao Kon Lakao (everyone takes a step) website, donations have passed 355 million baht.
