Three years into working toward his goal of running every street in the city, one Toronto runner was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer.
He kept going, aiming to raise money for a cause close to his heart. And on Friday afternoon, he completed his goal.
“It’s been a real journey that has involved a lot of people and I’m still so grateful,” Carlo de Lorenzi told CBC Radio’s Metro Morning just hours before his finish. “A lot of people have given me the support that has got me through to the finish line.”
In May, de Lorenzi was diagnosed with terminal glioblastoma, an invasive and aggressive type of brain tumour.
“One of the first things after I received the diagnosis that I was thinking about was I have to finish this and I have to get back on the road.”
With his doctors’ approval, he started running again, determined to reach his goal.
In 2022, de Lorenzi started using his running to fundraise for the Community Music Schools of Toronto, a charity music school that offers free lessons to more than 800 children a year. His goal was to raise one dollar for every street he ran.
“I wanted to do something with it, not just complete or run for my own purposes, but to try to reach out and help someone else.”
Nearly doubled initial goal
De Lorenzi dubbed the run Takin’ it to the Streets, in reference to a song by The Doobie Brothers with the same name. He’s run the entire length of over 10,000 streets over the last three years and raised over $20,000, nearly doubling his initial goal.
He said the runs usually took four to five hours.
For de Lorenzi, the cause is personal. “When I was little, my parents, they loved music but they couldn’t play any instruments,” he said. “So my brother and I, we were very fortunate that they decided to close the gap by giving us music lessons.”
Allison Bone, the organization’s vice-president of philanthropy, said she was moved by de Carlo’s support for the school.
“One of the things that our faculty and staff always try and instill in the kids is perseverance and determination,” said Bone. “I think we’re all really inspired by what Carlo was showing.”
Bone said de Lorenzi’s donations will go toward making sure kids have access to music lessons by funding classes and instrument costs.
“Beyond learning the music itself and the instrument itself, which is obviously paramount, there’s so much else that you learn about teamwork, about your own creativity, following your passion,” she said.
Catherine Sabiston, a professor of exercise science at the University of Toronto and Canada Research Chair in physical activity and psychosocial well-being, said de Lorenzi’s accomplishment is an example of how exercise can be a positive outlet for those facing difficult times.
“If you’re diagnosed with a chronic disease, for example, you’re being told what you can do and can’t do… and your life feels very regimented by the medical system,” she said.
“Being able to exercise gives you a sense of autonomy and a sense of [doing] something for yourself, which is critical.”
Crossing the finish line
Along with physical health benefits, she said factors like setting and meeting goals, being outside and finding community can make a big difference for peoples’ mental health.
“Setting a goal gives us a sense of purpose and an opportunity for accomplishment and achievement as well as feedback.”
At times the runs tested him, said de Lorenzi, but they were worth it.
“When I put my mind to something, I usually carry it out. But I think I surprised myself a little bit,” he said. “I wasn’t sure at certain points in the challenge that I would finish it.”
“I’m so glad that I managed to do it.”
He said the runs usually took four to five hours out of his days. “Filling that gap, I think, is going to take some time. But right now it’s all about celebration.”
On Friday afternoon, de Lorenzi finished his race by running a final kilometre to the Community Music Schools of Toronto with a cohort of supporters.
Bone said the music school plans to celebrate his accomplishment with instructors playing a rendition of Takin’ it to the Streets, and de Lorenzi will be on the keys.
