The latest run by rock star Artiwara “Toon Bodyslam” Kongmalai for seven hospitals in the southern region reached its halfway point on Friday evening with donations at 18 million baht.
Artiwara and his running mates are on the second day of a four-day campaign covering more than 300 kilometres. It started at Rajamongkol beach in Si Kao district of Trang on Thursday and will end on Phuket island on Sunday.
Toon and five friends covered all 114 kilometres on the first day to Muang district of Krabi, running for 12 hours straight. His girlfriend, Ratchawin “Koy” Wongviriya logged 80 kilometres. The runners were in Krabi on Friday night.
Donations can be made to the rocker’s Kao Kon La Kao Foundation and will be used for better medical equipment for patients. The funds will go to Maharaj Nakhon Si Thammarat Hospital, Saiburi Crown Prince Hospital in Pattani, Trang Hospital, Krabi Hospital, Phangnga Hospital, Takua Pa Hospital in Phangnga and Vachira Phuket Hospital.
Toon has stressed his interest in seeing people pursue better health as it will ease the workloads of doctors and nurses in all hospitals. “I personally believe that if each of us is strong, our society will be strong and the country will be strong,” he said in a video promoting the latest event.
The lead singer of the rock band Bodyslam said before starting his run on Thursday that he hoped to reach at least 60 million baht in donations.
Toon and his team ran for two days for eight small hospitals in the northeastern region in June and collected 101 million baht from donations that closed on Aug 15.
In late 2017, he embarked on his first run, covering 2,215 kilometres from south to north and raising 1.34 billion baht for state hospitals.