DPC receives the ultramarathon rider Márcio Villar

“Overcoming limits": Domingues e Pinho Contadores receives the ultramarathon rider Márcio Villar

Athlete says he has found in philanthropy his greatest motivation to face the challenges

Limits? No, there are no limits to Marcio Villar, an ultramarathon rider and world record holder on the treadmill - he trailed 827.16 kilometers in seven days, this mark he reached in 2015 and joined the Guinness Book. What many would define as madness, he defines as love. "It's the love that moves me", he says. On September 22, the victorious runner was at Domingues e Pinho Contadores presenting his story to the company’s managers team.

For DPC’s CEO, Manuel Domingues e Pinho, it is possible to draw a parallel line between the athlete’s journey and the business reality. "No matter how great are the obstacles in corporate field, with focus, dedication, and determination we may overcome them. In addition, Márcio Villar shows great pleasure and love for what he does, and the DPC’s history has also been built on these bases" he reflects.

In the "Overcoming the Limits" lecture, he says that it all started 15 years ago, when he was weighting 98 kilos and then tried to run to catch a bus, so he found a huge difficulty in something that should be simple. It was what drove him to have an alimentation with more quality and start running. Changing habits is not unusual. Márcio Villar, however, went much further becoming a benchmark in the world's largest ultra-marathons and using his passion for challenges to help those who are in need.

The most feared ultramarathons in the world

The first challenges were the short distance Runnings and he was gradually gaining fitness and confidence to venture into the most extensive tests. In 2005, at the first ultramarathon, he was expected to lap a running track for 24 hours and he ended up running a total of 166 kilometers. Since then, he has not abandoned the ultras.

He run on mountains, in Amazon Forest (among jaguars, snakes and spiders), in the desert and under minus 40 degrees Celsius. As if the challenges imposed by these running races were not enough, some running races were over than 200 kilometers, he specialized in doubling or tripling the distance of these ultramarathons under extreme environments and conditions. "The human being learns to overcome himself", he explains. So many miles traveled have beared many stories to tell about overcoming difficulties, physical boundaries, and friendships along the way.

Philanthropy as a motivation

The athlete says he has found the true motivation to train and take the tracks in philanthropy. Involved in social projects, Marcio participates in several events in which he runs to raise funds and donations to institutions he supports, such as “Projeto Juquinha” in Pará, which take care of disabled children; “IncaVoluntário” (National Cancer Institute - “INCA”); “Lar Pedro Richard”, an elderly people home; and “PróCriança Cardiaca”. "I do not run for a run", he says.

Among so many achievements, he celebrates that companies in a partnership with him at events have paid for 28 heart transplants. His individual mobilization power is also enormous, since he manages to involve a large number of people in the solidarity actions promoted by him, raising donations of milk powder, sneakers, and other items to be donated to the entities.

Overcoming far beyond sport

Márcio Villar, accustomed to overcome himself in the runnings, also had to overcome a rare disease. He was diagnosed in April 2016 with juvenile temple arteritis, an autoimmune disease that causes an inflammation in the veins of the head and severe pain.

During treatment, he had to take high daily doses of corticosteroids. He was cured of the disease, but suffered a side effect that could represent the end of his career as an ultramarathonist: the continued use of the medicine led to the necrosis of part of the femoral head.

In December 2016, he had to undergo surgery to place a steel plate in the pelvis and prevent friction between the bones. The process was successful, but kept him away from training and racing for a while.

Whoever thinks that Villar is preparing retirement is foolish. At 50 years-old, and with all his mental strength, he already sees himself overcoming new and great challenges. The athlete faces the Santiago de Compostela Race in October 2017, a 820 km route in Spain. "I want to bring another record to Brazil," he promises, freshly recovered from the illness and surgery, but that does not impose limits to his dreams.