A group of athletes raised close to €1000 on Saturday after running 19 kilometres in memory of Rebecca Zammit Lupi, who would have turned 19 on Saturday.
Young athlete Tommy Wallbank led the early morning run in memory of his friend, which saw around 30 athletes gather at the Surfside bar and restaurant at 6am.
The group ran to Qui-Si-Sana before looping back to the Love Sign in St Julian’s and heading back to Surfside.
“Although there’s nothing I can do to change that she is no longer with us; at least I can help to keep her memory alive,” Wallbank told Times of Malta after the morning run.
Wallbank was also collecting donations for Nature Trust Malta and RMJ Horse Rescue Malta in honour of Zammit Lupi's love of animals.
So far, he has collected close to €1,000 in donations.
Runners got an early start on Saturday morning. Scroll to see more pictures. Credit: Darrin Zammit Lupi
This is the second run Tommy Wallbank (runner in the front) has organised in memory of his childhood friend Rebecca Zammit Lupi on her birthday. Credit: Darrin Zammit Lupi
Triathlon and coach Fabio Spiteri (with white cap) was one of the runners who joined the run on Saturday. Credit: Darrin Zammit Lupi
Marisa Ford, Rebecca Zammit Lupi's mother, was cheering runners and handing out water. Credit: Darrin Zammit Lupi
Runner stretching before running on Saturday morning. Credit: Darrin Zammit Lupi
Tommy Wallbank runnning with friends on Saturday. Credit: Darrin Zammit Lupi
Wallbank’s family and Rebecca's parents, Darrin Zammit Lupi and Marisa Ford, were part of the support team cheering on runners and providing them with water.
His coach Fabio Spiteri, and former drug addict Miguel Mifsud - dubbed “the sober runner” - also joined the 19km run, which was the second organised to celebrate what would have been the late teenager's nineteenth birthday.
Rebecca, known to many as Becs, was only 15 years old when she died on January 3, 2021, after months of battling cancer.
Wallbank dedicates his passion for running to his friend Becs and said he owes it to her every time he is successful.
His athletic career began in 2021 at the age of 15, when he pledged to run 1km for every €5 donated to Puttinu Cares, in honour of Zammit Lupi.
The runner's initial goal was to raise €500 and run 100km but, in the end, he completed a 1,000km run challenge and raised €10,000 for Puttinu Cares.
Since then, Wallbank has made a name in the local running world, surpassing his personal best time one race after another.
Saturday morning's athletes who joined Tommy Wallbank for the run. Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi