A homeless man has turned his life around after going viral for completing a 5-mile road race while drunk and wearing flip-flops.
Isaque Pinho, 31, is giving up alcohol after the fun run in Brazil shot him to international recognition.
Pinho had been drinking in Garrafao do Norte, a city in the northeastern state of Para, on July 27 when he spotted a group of runners preparing for the race.
‘I’d been drinking, and when I saw that crowd, I thought, “I’m going to run and get over my hangover”,’ Pinho said in a video.
Footage of the race showed Pinho pulling ahead of the pack despite wearing only flip-flops, leading the pack of more experienced runners – if for only a brief moment.
While he was not registered for the race, Pinho was handed a medal for crossing the finish line.
The accomplishment motivated him to turn his life around after years of alcohol addiction and homelessness.
‘The reason I stopped drinking was because I ran that race,’ said Pinho, a native of the northeastern Pará town of Capitao Poco.
Isaque Pinho went viral last week after he joined a 5-mile marathon without registering and finished the race despite being drunk and wearing flip flops. The 35-year-old has now decided to give up alcohol as part of his goal to turn his life around
A video filmed by the event organizers showed a drunk Isaque Pinho wearing flip flops and ahead of the pack in the 5-mile race that tool place on July 27 in Garrafao do Norte, a city in the northeastern Brazilian state of Para
‘I changed my life and I want to change it even more. I’m getting a lot of advice and I’ll never give up. I really want to participate in the sport.’
Estela Larizzieri, a trainer, told Brazilian news outlet G1 that she posted a clip of Pinho on the gym’s social media account after learning of his inspirational story.
Locals have come to Pinho’s aid by donating money, helping him find a temporary home until he can move into a place of his own, and assisting him in finding employment.
‘We’re providing him with a better home,’ Larizzieri said.
‘We’ve already managed to get him off the streets,’ The real goal is to build his own house.’
Isaque Pinho’s story touched the hears of locals in Brazil, who have donated funds and helped him find a temporary home
Isaque Pinho is using the sport of running as a way to end his battle with alcohol
Larizzieri even helped Pinho set up his first social media account on Instagram.
A post on Instagram Stories features the trend, ‘A picture of you running with ISAAQUE,’ where runners upload a photo of themselves along Pinho.
In another publication, he put on a pair of new running sneakers and joked that the results could be different at the next race.
‘If I ran this in flip-flops, imagine in sneakers,’ he said.
