Hailing from the beautiful country of Italy, today, we spend 5 minutes with Andrea Campi.
Andrea has been part of the Davey Black Tri Club for a long time, and has faced many races alongside the group. With his family, he has brought joy and happiness into the group, as well as inspiration to his fellow athletes.
Besides his love for the sport, Andrea has taken on a challenge much bigger than himself, trying to reach others while pushing himself to the limits of his own physical and mental abilities.
Besides his love for the sport, Andrea has taken on a challenge this September, trying to reach others while pushing himself to the limits of his own physical and mental abilities. He originally signed up to walk 10,000 steps every day during September to help send a message of hope for those with Cerebral Palsy. To make sure that his message goes even further though, he has decided to make it more interesting and average a 10km run per day. This is truly a mighty challenge.
We had the chance to share a bit with him, and asked a bit about his love for the sport and the big challenge he has set himself.
NESTOR: The first question is, how did you get into Triathlon? What brought you to do this?
ANDREA: After my first marathon, I realised that I would have enjoyed the experience more with some professional coaching. I started to look for running groups, however I’ve always loved swimming. Then I also bought a $250 bike and then I’ve met Coach Steve.. and that’s about it. I ended us joining a triathlon training program and I have never looked back.
NESTOR: The next question goes into what is beyond the sport. What is it that you see in the sport that attracts you to it? What brings you joy from this sport?
ANDREA: Triathlon is brutally honest: you only get out what you put into it. This means that you can always get better. Second, I’ve met a lot of committed and inspiring people who have shown me that if you really want something, then it can be done.
NESTOR: About your challenge, what exactly is it? What is your objective? Is there something physical or are you trying to achieve something beyond it?
ANDREA: ‘Steptember’ is a fundraising initiative that challenges people to walk 10000 steps/day for one month to raise funds for people living with Cerebral palsy.
I’ve decided to raise the bar for myself and run an average of 10 km/day. My personal target is to run 280 km by Sept. 28th.
Most important, my fundraising target is $ 1,000. I’m halfway there. If anyone wants to help, here is the link https://www.steptember.org.au/fundraisers/andreacampi/au
NESTOR: My final question is simple, How did you end up committing to such a big challenge?
ANDREA: Just talking with some colleagues, we’ve decided to do something together as a team. We thought that in these challenging days, teaming up for a big cause would help to keep things in perspective. ‘Steptember’ was the perfect outlet and something that we have all agreed on.
To put it into perspective, by the end of this month, Andrea will have done enough distance to go from Melbourne to Phillip Island and back (Or from Rome to Napoli). Imagine doing that without getting into a car, or on a bike, and only relying on your feet and your sheer determination.
The greatness of the challenge comes from Andrea’s soul, who will keep going regardless of what happens, keeping in mind those who are living with Cerebral Palsy.
If you are interested in donating and honouring his cause and his message, please feel free to donate.