The men are carrying a clear message of recovery, support, and honest conversations
Six men have set off on an extraordinary coast-to-coast relay challenge. The team, which comprises of both military veterans as well as civilians, set off last night (Tuesday, May 19) from Easington.
The team will arrive in Liverpool on Thursday, May 21. The challenge will be completed as a continuous relay with the team rotating runs in pairs over approximately 38 hours.
The number carries real significance – The veteran suicide rate is 38 per 100,000 in the UK. Beginning on the east coast, the route puts Hull and East Yorkshire at the heart of a national conversation on veteran mental health, including anxiety, PTSD, and depression. The challenge is being organised by Veterans for Veterans with official charity partner Head Up, the mental health charity for the Armed Forces community.
Cameron Ashurst and Jay Morton, former SAS, are a running pair. Cameron said: “We are running across the country, 306km. Basically it’s creating a conversation about having a conversation, that’s the main thing. We’re running side by side so we can show actual steps for that which will hopefully raise awareness and help someone.”
Jay added: “I think men’s mental health is very important right now. We have gone through decades of men not opening up about struggles about being a man. Anything that you can do as a man to help people feel comfortable, to open up to their fellow mates and talk about their struggles and share what they are going through, it kind of normalises the shared struggle that we are all going through.”
Simon Gamble and Paul Haddock are another running pair. Paul said: “We are doing this run to raise awareness for veterans, every 38 out of 100,000 veterans take their own life. This run is imperative to raise that awareness throughout the country because we feel there isn’t enough being done and a lot more can be done so this is our contribution to it.”
Simon added: “We have a range of experience in the team. We will be setting a good pace and we will get there and do it.”
Sam King, ultramarathon record holder, and Brian Wood MC, Military Cross recipient, are another running pair. Sam said: “It’s a privilege to be here and a part of it. I’m in some very good company and will be for the next 38 hours. I’m looking forward to learning quite a lot, I’ve been on quite big journey myself with my own mental health and running has definitely helped me a huge amount so it will be a good opportunity to give back and inspire people to do something similar.”
Brian added: “It’s great to be out in the wilderness putting our bodies on the line for such a great and important cause. We have all been through our own mental demand, a lot of us go out to the wilderness and believe that movement is medicine and it is certainly for me. It’s shared pain, shared hardship, and then when cold, wet and tired, which no doubt we will be at points, that’s when you become vulnerable and start to share some of our legacy experiences.”
To view the teams progress visit https://track.trail.live/event/the-38 and to donate to the challenge visit https://justgiving.com/page/the38