Let the public prepare to break their hands because Francisco Antonio Pérez Menchón, “SuperPaco”, returns. In addition to daily gymnastics and bodybuilding exercises in the gym, he trains meticulously in Murcia to complete the eight and a half kilometers of this demanding route with one goal: to return in less than two hours to La noche de Toledo. He achieved it in 2022 and returns today with more enthusiasm after not being able to participate last year, his companion, José Arturo Pineda, being injured.
However, this October 19, he will be arm in arm with Salvador Hernández Liza, with whom he will make the entire complicated journey, more difficult for Paco, who drags his feet due to his cerebral palsy. Friend since high school, Salvador saw that the Murcian athlete was not participating in the races and contacted him: “I told him I didn’t have a partner and he offered to come with me to Toledo”. Additionally, Salvador lived for a year in the capital of Castile-La Mancha because his mother was admitted to the National Paraplegic Hospital when she became quadriplegic overnight.
It is precisely this hospital and the founder of Joma, Fructuoso López, who will be the protagonists of this edition, which “SuperPaco” will once again highlight. With Salvador, you will pass by the main monuments of the city, such as the cathedral, the fortress or the Plaza de Zocodover, where the finish line of this charity race that raises funds for the Niemann Pick foundation in Spain will be located.
Francisco began running six kilometers to prepare for his third non-consecutive participation, which he financed through a contribution from the organization. “I’m going back to Toledo because for me it’s like home,” he explains. “He opened the doors for me to take this path that is so dear to my heart.” “The affection I received in the first year increased. “I feel very loved”declares ‘SuperPaco’, who will also speak during a round table on disability during the race.
Your next goal in sight will be the ascent of Mulhacén, which, with an altitude of 3,479 meters above sea level, is the highest peak on the Iberian Peninsula and the second highest in Spain after Mount Teide. Yesterday as today, he will go arm in arm with Salvador, his benefactor.
