The sixth edition of Ethics on Run was attended by the largest number of people so far on the university campus in Brno-Bohunice. The proceeds of the charity event were also record-breaking.
Despite the viral infections that suddenly paralyzed part of the organizing team and the uncertain weather, Ethics on Run was successfully held on the first Sunday in October on the Bohunice campus. The reduced number of thirty-five volunteer organizers was the only negative record of this year's event. The list of the others gives the organizers from the Department of Medical Ethics of the Masaryk University Faculty of Medicine a reason to smile. "There were about ten fewer of us than usually needed, so it was a challenge. However, thanks to everyone's best efforts, we managed to manage it," says Dr. Martina Novotná on behalf of the organizers.
The running event, which is now in its sixth year of helping people with Down's syndrome, attracted the highest number of 126 registered runners to date. The record number of athletes with Down syndrome was also 21, with the youngest being a newcomer, just six months old, who "ran" with his parents and supporters while still in a pram. "There was running, cheering, an entertaining cultural programme for children and adults and refreshments, where everyone always has a nice chat," Martina Novotná presents the content of Ethics on Run. "The main and best thing is that the atmosphere of the happening is always completely civil, cheerful and relaxed."
However, Ethics on Run is also a fundraising event, and in this respect, too, a new high was reached this year. More than 170 thousand crowns were raised in voluntary admission fees. This year, the money is not only used for activities that support the integration of people with Down syndrome into society, such as speech therapy, physiotherapy or family stays together. Due to the recent extensive floods, the participants of the event also raised funds through People in Need to support people affected by the natural disaster. In total, more than 200,000 CZK was raised for charitable purposes.
Our thanks go not only to all the participants, but also to former triathlete and Olympian Filip Ospalý, who, as a permanent ambassador of the event, guided the participants through proper stretching before the run itself, as well as to all those who expressed their support for the event through patronage or sponsorship; a complete list of supporters can be found on the Ethics on Run website.
"At Ethics on the Run, people with 'otherness', with special needs, meet with mainstream society so that they can get to know each other," Martina Novotná recalls the importance of the event. "It makes us stop, think, slow down our fast pace of life. To recognize that when we give some of the most precious things - our time and our attention - to others, we can change our place in the world for the better in a very concrete way."
Dr. Jana Djakow and Associate Professor Martina Kosinová from the Department of Simulation Medicine at Masaryk University Faculty of Medicine were the first women in the Czech Republic to receive degrees from international professional societies in the field of resuscitation and anaesthesiology and intensive care medicine, respectively.
At the beginning of November, six graduates of the Faculty of Medicine received the Masaryk University Vice-Rector's Award for Excellence in Doctoral Studies.
