Fin's 100 mile Ultramarathon for Young Minds

Hi All,

 

After completing a 50-mile Ultramarathon on June 25th, I’ve qualified to enter The North Downs Way 100 on the 6th August. This race is 103 miles, has 10,000ft of elevation (equivalent to 10 Eiffel Towers!) and has a cutoff time of 30 hours (I’m aiming for sub 24 hours!). The event starts in Farnham, Surrey and finishes in Ashford, Kent. I’m taking on this challenge to raise money and awareness for a charity close to my heart, Young Minds.

 

My 'Why?':

Over the past several years, I have struggled with my mental health, suffering from anxiety and depression. I have hit some very low points but due to personal research into the subject, and the incredible support of my family, friends & therapist, I feel far better equipped to deal with future challenges as and when they come. I have had many conversations with friends who have shared their own personal struggles and am thankful that they feel they can openly share as I know many people struggle to talk about emotions, particularly men. I take these times as an opportunity to be as transparent and open as I can about my own experiences in the hope that sharing some of my own struggles and vulnerabilities can help.

For all the above reasons, I now want to help others overcome mentally challenging times and environments.

The understanding of mental health is just developing, and it is now that we need to do everything possible to make everyone more aware and knowledgeable about the real Pandemic our world is facing.

Shockingly, 1 in 4 people suffer from a diagnosed mental health condition every year, with over 700,000 people dying from suicide every year; it has become the 4th biggest killer amongst 15–29-year-olds (the biggest killer for young men in the UK).

 

Technological development has made us increasingly connected, yet our species has never felt so isolated/lonely, and despite increasing awareness, the problem is far from resolved.

The Charity - Young Minds:

Studies show that those who are knowledgeable on the subject of mental health are at a lower risk of suicide.

Young Minds offers this much-needed education for everyone, whether sufferers or supporters.

Young Minds provides support for both young people suffering from mental health and also for the parents who are concerned for their child’s wellbeing. There is lots of information on causes, conditions, advice/tips to cope & treatments.

If you’re under 19 you can have a confidential texts, emails, calls with a trained counsellor for free 24/7 & the website also contains help for adults who may be concerned about young people.

There are few noticeable symptoms with mental health and often people have the tendency to internalise and keep struggles to themselves out of embarrassment & fear of judgement. It is therefore critical that the child's support network are knowledgeable on the subject, are understanding and sympathetic to changes in behaviour, and most importantly know how to interact with and encourage open communication with their child.

Time and again the families and friends of victims of suicide say that 'they were the last person I would expect…' and that 'they always seemed so happy'. Without education we are very blind to this illness. Let's help more people understand and hopefully, together, many needless deaths can be saved each year.

• Link to race - https://www.centurionrunning.com/races/north-downs-way-100-2022

• Link to Young Minds website - https://www.youngminds.org.uk/