Over 100 runners and walkers from Nice are preparing to take on Monaco’s No Finish Line challenge, which kicks off on 15th November. But this is no ordinary running team. United under the name Main dans la Main pour le Bonheur de Chacun (Hand in Hand for Everyone’s Happiness), this diverse group — from elite athletes to everyday walkers — is lacing up not just for the kilometres, but for a powerful cause: supporting athletes with disabilities and promoting inclusion through sport.
Behind the initiative are two local associations: ANICES, which works with visual impaired young people, and ALPA Côte d’Azur. Together they’re raising funds for two causes close to their hearts – a carbon fibre brace that will allow parasport athlete Olivier Zampatti to keep running, and a special trip for young visually impaired athletes from ANICES.
For Zampatti, the event represents something deeply personal. Four years ago, his life changed overnight. He was a promising football player playing at a high level in the United States, when he suffered a serious knee injury. But it was what happened next that truly tested him… a medical error during surgery severed a branch of his sciatic nerve, resulting in drop foot syndrome.
“I had to stop everything,” he recalls. The injury could have ended his sporting dreams, but Zampatti refused to give up. Using just a plastic brace, he’s already completed incredibly difficult challenges, including an Iron Man triathlon and the Nice Marathon.
For now, he’s planning to run a marathon distance every single day throughout the week at No Finish Line. “As someone with a disability, I want to prove that anything is possible,” he said. “Today my goal is to continue my sporting challenges in the best possible conditions and in complete safety. For that, I need a custom-made carbon brace designed specifically for sport.”
Because carbon wears out quickly, he’ll need to invest in several adapted braces, which is where the fundraising comes in.
Sébastien Filippini, president of ANICES, sees the event as something bigger than just kilometres clocked. “Every metre covered is a victory, every smile is a step towards a more caring society,” he said.
The young visually impaired athletes his association supports, aged 10 to 15, are coached by Laurence Bertrand. If the fundraising succeeds, they’ll experience an unforgettable trip to compete in Torball.
No Finish Line, now in its 26th year, sees participants rack up as many kilometres as they can on a looped course in Monaco. Prince Albert II traditionally launches proceedings at the opening ceremony. Gilles Veissiere, president of APLA, summed up the spirit: “Reaching out is such a simple thing when people are genuine. This adventure makes my heart sing.”
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Photo credit: Manuel Vitali, Government Communications Department