By Cam Lucadou-Wells
With her New York Marathon plans dashed by Covid, a Dandenong High School PE teacher has set her sights on a challenge closer to home.
Lana Formoso, of Dandenong North, is well on her way to running 100 kilometres during the month of August – the equivalent of nearly two-and-a-half marathons in 31 days.
In her youth, she trained as a middle-distance runner with Olympic aspirations and played soccer at state level.
Now her toils are for charity. Her current mission will raise money for Fred’s Big Run – with all proceeds to The Fred Hollows Foundation.
Each day, Ms Formoso chips away, running as far as she can in one-hour increments – all that’s allowed under Covid-19 restrictions.
All the while, she’s teaching remotely, home tutoring her two sons, volunteering for Greater Dandenong SES and planning a tilt at Greater Dandenong’s council elections in October.
Prior to Covid, Ms Formoso was intently training for her first marathon event in New York in June 2020. As part of her entry, she was to raise $2000 for a homelessness charity.
“I need to have a focus or a goal to achieve things. I like having things to work towards,” she said.
Ms Formoso showed that determination in the 100-kilometre Oxfam Trailwalker in 2019. At the 29-kilometre mark, she tore her calf. But she taped up the injury and limped to the finish line in 22 hours.
Hobbled on crutches for two weeks afterwards, she said there was no way she was not going to finish it.
Even with her self-motivational powers, she’s finding the Covid lockdown a bit of a grind. It’s particularly hard for her sporty sons and her students.
Much of her remote teaching is about checking in on her students’ mental health and reassuring them they’ll make it through.
“The first lockdown was a bit of a novelty for them. With this one, it’s Oh My God, I don’t know how much more I can take.”
Fred’s Big Run supports Fred Hollows Foundation, which provides sight-restoring operations for people across the world. The cause follows the inspiring lead of the late eye surgeon Fred Hollows.
To donate, go to www.fredsbigrun.org/fundraisers/lanaformoso
