Giants for the Little Ones

Giants for the Little Ones

Two friends, 330 km around the giants of the Alps, to give children leaving intensive care a real “afterwards.”

Dear friends, dear friends of friends, dear donors,

For those who don’t know us yet: we are Thomas and Julien, two friends brought together by the mountains ten years ago, in 2015, when we discovered trail running together in Scotland.

Since then, we’ve shared around twenty races (the Eiger Ultra Trail, the Lavaredo, the Mont-Blanc 90K, the Pierra Menta, the TOR 130, and more) — always as a pair, always crossing the finish line together (sometimes within a second of each other). Moving forward side by side, supporting one another through the hard moments and never letting the other go: that’s simply how we approach the mountains. This year, we’re taking on an adventure that both daunts and draws us in: the Tor des Géants — the TOR 330 — in the Aosta Valley, in September 2026. The TOR 330 is:

• 330 km in a single stage, looping around the giants of the Alps — Mont Blanc, the Matterhorn, Monte Rosa, the Grand Combin, the Gran Paradiso;
• nearly 24,000 m of positive elevation gain;
• a near-self-supported race, day and night, to be completed in under 150 hours — about six days with very little sleep.

The TOR 330 is reputed to be one of the most demanding ultra-trails in the world. We approach it with humility, aware that nothing is ever guaranteed. But, as always, this adventure is about far more than sport for us.

If we’re taking it on, it’s also for a reason that touches us deeply, each in our own way:

“This cause is profoundly close to my heart. My son, when he was six months old, had to be admitted to intensive care. With Bénédicte, I discovered the world of paediatric intensive care — the dedication of the many professionals who work there every day (doctors, physiotherapists, nurses, psychologists), the kindness of an entire ward, as well as those long hours of waiting and uncertainty.” — Thomas

“This project resonates with me especially as the father of two young children. I’m keenly aware of what a hospital stay means for a child and their parents, and of how much the support given to families matters in those moments of great vulnerability. As an animal-health professional, I also witness every day the essential role that listening, support and kindness play when worry sets in.” — Julien

We both know it: the ordeal doesn’t end at the hospital doors. For the child and the parents alike, the road to recovery often begins afterwards — and it can be long. It’s that road — the “afterwards” — that we’ve chosen to support together, alongside the paediatric intensive care team at Saint-Luc and the Saint-Luc Foundation. Their project, “Better support for children and their families after intensive care”, starts from good news paired with a challenge: thanks to medical progress, more and more children now survive intensive care. But many, like their parents, are left with lasting after-effects. The project aims to make intensive care more humane from day one, and to provide follow-up after the return home, so that neither the child nor their loved ones are left alone to face the afterwards.

We’ll push ourselves to the limit to cross that finish line. But the summit that truly matters is the one we can reach thanks to you: every donation, whatever its size, directly supports these children and their families. Because, as the Saint-Luc team puts it so well: surviving is not enough — you also have to be able to rebuild.

Together, let’s turn every kilometre into hope. Let’s make the giants of the Alps a force for the smallest among us.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for your generosity and your support.

Julien & Thomas

100% of your donation goes to the Saint-Luc Foundation.

If your donation is 40 euros or more, you’ll automatically receive a tax certificate and recover 30% of the amount given if you are based in Belgium.

And even without donating, you can help us: share this page with those around you. Every share can make a difference for these children and their families.