Stefaan Engels completing seven marathons in seven days in Montreal -
Marathonman keeping his promise

MONTREAL, Sept. 4 /CNW Telbec/ - Stefaan Engels, also known as Marathonman, will complete his sixth marathon in as many days this afternoon in Lafontaine Park, despite the extreme heat and humidity that have affected the city this week. Then tomorrow, the indomitable Belgian, who is looking extremely fit and in good humour, will run his 212th marathon since the beginning of the year, taking on the Montreal Marathon. His goal remains the same: to run one marathon a day for a whole year, 365 in all.

Stefaan Engels has held the Guinness world record for running the most marathons in one year for some time, the previous record being 52. "My commitment to running is not just for the sake of the performance, but also to raise awareness of the benefits of physical activity," said Engels, who has been spreading his message all around the world since beginning his adventure.

Montrealers have given the athlete a warm welcome. Many people have greeted or run with him to give encouragement. Some fans have come out each day to benefit from the athlete's presence and get advice. "Montreal is a friendly city. I lead a fairly monastic life, but I've had the time to discover delicious foods like sushi and your maple syrup," said Engels, who consumes 6,000 calories a day and follows a protein-rich diet.

While speed is not one of his goals, the 49-year-old has produced some very respectable times during his six Montreal runs. He ran his fastest marathon on Tuesday afternoon in under 4 hours and 11 seconds, and his slowest on Monday in 4 hours and 19 minutes, when the city was sweltering under a blazing sun in 32-degree heat. "For tomorrow's run, I'll make an extra effort to do a time of around 3 hours and 30 minutes, to pay tribute to your city," he joked.

Marathonman is supported by PronoKal(R), which has created a rigorous scientific method to treat weight problems. This method combines medical expertise and multidisciplinary support to help patients achieve their goals.

"Our team accompanies Stefaan in the same way it does our patients. We are happy to say that Montrealers have welcomed his message based on health and physical activity," said Michael Papaceit, General Manager of PronoKal Canada.

After tomorrow's race, Stefaan Engels will still have more than 150 races to run. He will fly to Mexico where new challenges await him, including the Mexico City International Marathon on September 12.

Montrealers are invited to come encourage Marathonman one last time at the Montreal Marathon on Sunday, September 5, at 9 a.m.

For further information: Michael Papaceit, PronoKal, Cell: 514.592.0381, [email protected]; Source: PronoKal Canada, Tel: [phone]