Long endurance runner, Corey Cappelloni, decided to run 218 miles to see his “nana” who was stricken with the coronavirus during the pandemic.
It took Capppelloni 7 days to run from his home in Washington, D.C. to Scranton, Pennsylvania, to see his 99-year-old grandmother, Ruth Andres, at her nursing home after she was diagnosed with COVID-19, per the Associated Press in a piece published Thursday. He started out on June 12 and arrived on June 19. (RELATED: Here Are The Members Of Congress Self-Quarantining After Meeting Person With Coronavirus At CPAC)
WATCH:
The man noted that he would not be able to go inside his nana’s nursing home to see her, but wanted to inspire her to keep fighting after hearing how afraid she was. (REVIEW: ‘Westworld’ Focuses Heavily On Maeve In The New Episode The Winter Line’)
“Why I decided to do this was to show my grandmother that I’m here for her and that I really care for her, ” Cappelloni shared. “Because she has always been there for me from when I was born.”
As he noted in the great clip, each day he spoke to her along the 200 plus mile stretch to uplift her spirits.
On one of the days along the trip, he learned some “great news” that his grandmother had “fully recovered from the coronavirus.”
“Nana, you’re a strong person,” Cappelloni told his grandmother from a cellphone after finally reaching her nursing home. “You’re going on 99, and you still have many more miles.”
As Corey looked up at the window outside his grandmothers room, he could see a banner that read, “I Love You Corey.”
The 7-ultramarathons to nana was also used as a fundraiser to generate awareness for seniors and those who care for them during the pandemic. At the time of this publication, the “Run for Ruth Challenge” had raised more than $24,000.