A marathon of TNVR Dreams: 42 kilometers for animal welfare

Meet Mhayzel Salas.

“I’m a mother to Joaquin, a toddler, and for more than a decade, animal rescue and volunteer work have been a meaningful part of my life,” she said as she shared the story of her recent run in the Berlin Marathon. “Animals are always at the mercy of humans. I find it cruel and unfair that people can always decide the fate of an animal.”

Salas is a “fur mom” to Avi (aspin), Archi (Shih Tzu), Luna (chow chow) and Lucky (puspin). Her tale is so full of love for animals that it is impossible not to share it.

It started in 2023 when, as her passion for working with helping in animal rescue. Although she is based in Makati luck smiled on her and got her lucky enough to get a slot for the BMW Berlin Marathon.

“I started training and was looking forward to finally running it. But as life had other plans for me on 5 February 2024, I found out that I was pregnant,” she recalled. “Of course, everything changed.”

Fortunately, the organizers of the Berlin Marathon allowed her to defer her entry for up to three years. Today, almost two years later, she finally got the chance to stand at the starting line in Berlin.

Making every stride count

This run became much more meaningful to her than she originally imagined, because she is not just running for herself.

“I am running for my son so that someday, he will know that becoming a mother did not mean giving up the things that challenged me or made me feel alive,” she said. “I want him to grow up knowing that we are capable of doing difficult things, even when life takes us in a completely different direction from what we planned.”

Making the time to train for the run was blessedly interrupted by pregnancy, motherhood and recovery. However, training again and finding the energy to prepare for a marathon while caring for her son and continuing to pour her soul into animal rescue taught her that people can overcome much if they maintain their goals and keep moving forward.

“Because more than anything, as I wanted in 2023 and continue to aim for in 2026, I want this run to be about something that has been close to my heart for many years: animal welfare,” she said. “I have spent more than a decade around rescuers and volunteers, and I have seen what happens behind the photos people see online.”

A better life for abandoned animals

Salas and many rescuers like her are often the ones receiving calls about an injured dog on the side of the road, a cat abandoned in a box, or an animal that has been neglected or abused.

They end up taking the animals to the vet, finding temporary shelters, paying for medicines, arranging transportation, feeding them, rehabilitating them and eventually trying to find them forever homes.

“And very often, while we are doing this, we worry about how we are going to pay the next veterinary bill,” she added.

As you and I know, these rescuers are ordinary people who make the time to help. They have jobs, families, bills and responsibilities of their own. Yet when an animal is in need, they still find a way to say yes.

This is the reason Salas decided to dedicate her Berlin Marathon journey to them.

Running for the abandoned

“I wanted to use this opportunity to remind people that you do not have to be a rescuer yourself to make a difference because if we want to, we can ‘help others who help others,’” she said. “You do not need to foster 10 animals or spend thousands of pesos. Sometimes helping means sharing a rescue post. Sometimes it means donating food or medicine. Sometimes it means volunteering your time. And sometimes it is simply giving P50, P100, P500 or whatever amount you are comfortable giving.”

Salas often thinks about how a small contribution can add up for a rescuer trying to fund a blood test, medicine, food or an emergency veterinary procedure. It can literally mean the difference between rescuing another animal or turning it away due to a lack of funds.

“I know there are so many causes deserving of people’s attention and generosity. I am not asking everyone to give a lot,” she shared. “I am simply hoping that through this marathon, more people will realize that there are many ways to help.”

For Salas, every kilometer she ran in Berlin was her way of recognizing the rescuers, volunteers, veterinarians, foster families, donors and advocates who quietly keep showing up for animals that cannot ask for help themselves.

“The marathon will eventually end at the finish line, but for rescuers, their work continues the next morning when another animal needs them,” she added. “If this run encourages even a few more people to help them carry that responsibility, then every kilometer will have been worth it.”

A victory for the abandoned

“Crossing the finish line of the Berlin Marathon was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but every single step was worth it. As my very first 42-kilometer run, I ran this race with a deep purpose: to raise vital funds for Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return (TNVR) projects and help cover the mounting vet bills for rescue animals who deserve a second chance at life,” Salas shared.

“By the 30-kilometer mark, the physical toll completely set in. Everything was hurting, and the exhaustion was overwhelming. I had to switch between walking and running, doing whatever it took just to keep moving forward.”

Participating in marathons is no easy task. For Salas, there were dark moments when she desperately wanted to stop and give up. To distract herself from the intense pain, she drew strength by calling her son, Jiro, and her sister, whose voices helped pull her out of her own head.

“Ultimately, it was the thought of letting down the cause, letting down myself, and especially the thought of my son that gave me the final push I needed,” she added. “Refusing to quit, I dug deep and made it to the end for the stray animals, the rescuers, my family and myself.”

For the fundraising projects that she has included in her fund, the causes are an organization in Boracay (BAARC) and Adopt PH, Homebound PH, 3. Adopt Biyaya and Strays Worth Saving. So far, she has been able to raise P60,000.

It’s not too late to reach the P100K project goal she has set for the projects of her choice.