From the bottom for life - 360 kilometers of hope

Hi, my name is Mariusz Makovchenko

Until 10 years ago, my life was in a total mess. Rehabs, post-alcoholic epilepsy (over 40 attacks), psychiatric hospitals, conflicts with the law, a suicide attempt. I had no hope, no trade, no education and no prospects. I arrived in Toruń with one bag. Completely broken. But it was here, in the therapy center, that I began to put my life back together.

And it worked out. Today I am a husband, a father of a small son. I run my own carpentry business in Torun, specializing in the restoration of antique woodwork. I run ultramarathons, I am a PZLA athletics instructor and a UESCA Running Coach. And above all - I have been sober for 10 years!

On this occasion I am organizing a unique run - 360 kilometers along the Copernicus Trail. We will start on September 25, 2025 from Olsztyn. We will run the route through Dobre Miasto, Lidzbark, Górowo Iławeckie, Pieniężno, Braniewo, Frombork, Elbląg, Malbork and Kwidzyn. These are not random places. They are my path. In Górowo I experienced the hell of addiction - and it was there that addiction took my dad away from me as well. In Frombork I was in rehab. From Frombork I went to Toruń - where I started a new life. This run is my prayer, my anniversary, my "thank you."

I thank God. My mother - who came back into my life and gave me strength. My family. My friends. Therapists. People who were there when many still didn't believe. That's why I'm running with them - together we form a team made up of people who went through the hell of addiction, but didn't stay in it. We want to show that it is possible to pick yourself up. It is possible to start from scratch. It is possible to start living again - regardless of the starting point.

But this run has another dimension

I would like this event - this personal journey of mine - to carry something good further. That's why I'm raising 36,000 zloty - 100 zloty for each kilometer I run - for children with cancer.

This is not a random choice. I've been given a lot from life - and if I have the opportunity to give back, I want to do it to the best of my ability. The resources, the outreach I have today, I want to use for something bigger than myself.

Because it's not just about running. It's about gratitude, it's about hope, and it's about witnessing that anything is possible.

The route of the run runs along a symbolic part of the Copernicus Route - through Olsztyn, Dobre Miasto, Lidzbark Warmiński, Górowo Iławeckie, Pieniężno, Braniewo, Frombork, Elbląg, Malbork and Kwidzyn.

These are not random places - they are my places. My personal story played out in these cities: the fall and the road to a new life. This is a run through my past. A run that has meaning - not just athletic, but spiritual. Although the route is local, the message and meaning of the run are for the whole country - for anyone struggling with anything.