Northern Thailand
Bodyslam’s Toon Suffering Shoulder Pain as he Nears End of Charity Run
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PHAYAO – Charity runner Artiwara “Toon” Kongmalai passed the 2,000 kilometer point of his 2,191km marathon as he headed to Phayao on Friday, with donations topping 950 million baht.
Well wishers noticed he was suffering from pain in his left shoulder during his run in Phayao on Saturday.
During the third stage, from Tambon Mae Puem municipality to Mae Chai district office, for 12 kilometers at noon, Toon was seen holding his left shoulder while running and sometimes flinching in pain.
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His staff made an announcement through a loud speaker on the truck leading Toon and his group, telling supporters not to grab and pull on his arm.
Toon had to pause several times for his doctor to apply a pain-relief pad. The doctor eventually tied Toon’s left hand to his body to prevent it from moving during the run. His arm was hidden under his shirt after it was tied.
Toon’s staff said the star started having pain in his left shoulder during the fourth stage of his run on Friday when he ran past the Phayao University. A lot of students waiting for him there pulled his hand slightly, resulting in the accumulation of pain that was clearly seen on Saturday.
According to the official website, kaokonlakao.com, donations had risen to more than 950.5 million baht as of 11.40am on Friday.
Meanwhile, A Bangkok Poll conducted a face-to-face survey on 1,154 people nationwide during Dec 9-12 found Artiwara “Toon Bodyslam” Kongmalai the most admired person of 2017, followed by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.
On the open-ended question who the most admirable persons are, the respondents could name more than one person.