UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Michael Beary today honoured a French peacekeeper for the latter’s recent endurance run for 24 hours around the Mission Headquarters.

Warrant Officer Jérôme Teurtrie started his charity run around the camp at 8:00 p.m. on 15 April and stopped exactly 24 hours later. The 43-year-old ran around the 4-kilometre lap for 31 times, covering the distance of 124 kilometres.

Major General Beary honoured Officer Teurtrie with a plaque, in recognition of his feat for “a noble cause.” Through the run, the UN peacekeeper raised €1,818.29 Euros (US$ 1,976) for a charity association called “Terre Fraternite”, which provides support to the families of French military personnel wounded or killed while in service.

During the course of his run around the UNIFIL camp, about 170 other peacekeepers and officers, including UNIFIL Chief of Staff Brigadier General Liot de Nortbécourt, joined him.

The French food officer joined UNIFL in January and will complete his tour of duty in July.

Among his charity runs in the past includes the crossing of the Tenere Desert covering 610 kilometres in nine days in 2006.