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Cypriot athlete will run 250km in the dessert to support the Cyprus Alliance of Rare Diseases

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A Cypriot athlete will participate in a 250-km ultra-marathon dessert to support
the Cyprus Alliance of Rare Diseases, the organisation announced on Tuesday, February 28, World Rare Disease Day.

Specifically, Andreas Djakouris, a 42-year-old Cypriot athlete, will participate in the 37th Marathon des Sables, which will take place in the Sahara Desert in Marocco in April. The 250km seven-day ultramarathon, is one of the hardest races in the world, demanding extraordinary physical and mental stamina.

With his participation in the Marathon des Sables, Andreas decided to support the Cyprus Alliance of Rare Disorders (CARD) both financially and to raise awareness about how rare diseases can affect patients’ and their families’ lives. Patients with rare diseases very often face many challenges because of society’s ignorance.

Participating in an athletic event of this scale can offer opportunities to advocate for rare diseases, including cystic fibrosis. A condition little Stefanos suffers from and the reason- Andreas decided to dedicate his race to this cause as Stefanos belongs to Andreas’ close family environment.

Andreas’ effort, primarily aims at financially supporting the Alliance’s programs and services that concern awareness and education as well as the provision of aid to patients with rare diseases and their families.

Djakouris has participated and was awarded in the past in Pancyprian and International races such as The IRONMAN triathlon, the 100km Mount Olympus Mythical Trail in Greece (fourth position, 2020), the 130km Sea to Sky race in Cyprus (second place, 2021) and more recently the 170km UTMB Ultra Trail Mont Blanc that took place last September in Chamonix, France.

However, it is the first time he will take part in a race that only a few people in the world can complete. Andreas will run for hours alone in the desert just like patients with rare diseases often have to do when battling their daily struggles.

This rare mission dedicated to rare diseases would not be possible without the support of its sponsors.  The gold sponsor of the mission is Hellenic Life, a Life Insurance Company, a member of the Hellenic Bank Group. The rare mission is also supported by AON, Cablenet, Chr. Capodistrias & Sons, ECCOMBX and KPMG. Get fresh is the mission’s fuelling partner providing among other things healthy and nutritious meals throughout the athlete’s training period. AWOL, Synergy and RYL are Andreas’ long term supporters.

Learn more about #raremission at the link: https://gogetfunding.com/RareMissionForRarePeople/  and about the valuable work of the Cyprus Alliance for Rare Diseases at the organization’s website https://raredisorderscyprus.com/

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