Adam Saltarelli is just 18 years old, but he is taking on a challenge that would be daunting for even the most experienced endurance athletes.
Saltarelli stopped at the Canadian Tire store in Cobourg Friday as he continues his 550-mile run around Lake Ontario in support of Canadian Tire Jumpstart, a program that helps children and youth overcome financial barriers to participating in sport and physical activity.
A number of Canadian Tire employees came out to meet Saltarelli, who has been running approximately a marathon a day as he makes his way around the lake.
Canadian Tire Cobourg General Manager Matt Espey spoke with Saltarelli about the journey and how he was holding up after two weeks on the road.
“It’s been going good,” Saltarelli said. “We just crossed week number two, so I got one week left.”
Saltarelli said his body has been holding up well and that he was particularly impressed with the scenery as he made his way through the Cobourg area.
“I was just running down the road there a little bit and I got to say, like, this area is beautiful,” he said.
The 18-year-old is running approximately 42 kilometres a day for 21 consecutive days, taking on the entire Canadian shoreline of Lake Ontario. His journey began in Niagara-on-the-Lake and will finish in the Thousand Islands.
The challenge is being completed solo and is self-supported.
Saltarelli came up with the idea after completing a 100-mile ultramarathon earlier this summer in support of Jumpstart, raising $2,500.
“I thought, you know what, if I can run 100 miles, I can run around the lake,” he said.
His goal for the current journey is to raise at least $5,550 for Jumpstart.
For Saltarelli, the cause is personal.
He has participated in a variety of sports throughout his life, including running, football, martial arts, MMA and jiu-jitsu. He said financial pressures once forced him to temporarily give up something he loved.
“I mean, when I was younger, I was training martial arts,” Saltarelli explained. “I had to save for my car and stuff, so it was kind of hard.”
He said his parents did not pay for his expenses, meaning he had to learn to manage his own finances.
“I had to stop doing martial arts for a little bit, which was a huge passion of mine,” he said.
That experience made him think about children whose families may not have the financial ability to pay for sports at all.
“There are kids younger than me that their parents don’t have the money at all,” Saltarelli said. “They can’t ever do that again because they have to go get a job.”
That was when he realized the impact a program like Jumpstart can have.
“You have a charity like Jumpstart that is able to go and do that for children,” he said. “I’m like, man, I’ll go run around a lake. Heck, if that helps it, then sure. Why not?”
Espey said Saltarelli’s determination has impressed the Canadian Tire team.
“We haven’t seen anything like this,” Espey said. “Adam, I just want to say what you’re doing is fantastic for the community. The families you’re helping and the money you’re raising is amazing.”
Canadian Tire Cobourg contributed $1,000 to Saltarelli’s fundraising effort.
The store also held a 50/50 draw with staff to raise additional money for the cause and presented Saltarelli with a Canadian Tire goodie bag containing merchandise, including a hat, water bottle and hoodie.
Saltarelli joked that the hoodie couldn’t have arrived at a better time.
“It was actually perfect this morning,” he said. “I got up, it started to get too cold out and I was like, you know what, a hoodie would really be good.”
While the physical challenge is enormous, Saltarelli said running itself isn’t necessarily the toughest part.
“The hardest part isn’t the running,” he said. “It’s the errands afterwards, like trying to make sure my cooler’s good, my body’s healthy, all that stuff.”
Because he is completing the journey alone, all of those responsibilities fall on him.
Saltarelli has also been taking time to experience the communities along the route.
He said one of the most enjoyable parts of the journey is seeing places he has never visited before and meeting people along the way.
“I’ve never been here before in my life,” he said of Cobourg. “I mean, one, you guys are super welcoming, so it’s awesome. But then two, it’s just a really beautiful place.”
He also mentioned that he spotted Olympus Burger and might make a stop there during his time in the area.
Saltarelli said the support from friends and family has helped him through the journey. His uncle recently drove to meet him along the route, while friends continue to follow his progress.
The teenager will also be heading to Brock University in the fall, but decided the summer was the perfect opportunity to take on the massive challenge.
For Saltarelli, this won’t necessarily be his last long-distance fundraising adventure.
“Jumpstart has been fantastic for supporting people,” he said. “I’m going to do more stuff like this. This won’t be the last time.”
After two weeks and hundreds of miles, Saltarelli still has another week of running ahead of him — with the finish line and his $5,550 fundraising goal in sight.
And he hopes his journey will encourage others to support causes that make a difference in their communities.
For those who wish to donate click here.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
