A WESTBURY man ran over 100 miles during the month of January to help raise awareness of mental health.
Simon Minty ran every day last month, clocking up a total of 106 miles as part of the RED January challenge – an initiative that works in partnership with the national mental health charity, Mind.
RED January challenges people in what organisers say can be a ‘characteristically tough month’ to support their mental health by doing something active every single day of the month.
Simon said, “I thought this would be a tough challenge for me as I was only running once or may be twice a week in November and December. I set myself the target of attempting to get 100 miles as this was more than double what I had previously run in a month. I also wanted to raise awareness of the great work the charity (MIND) does for people.
“The main challenges I found were mostly during the first week when my muscles really hurt after the first few days. Once I got further into the month, my body got used to running daily. I did find it difficult making sure I had enough time to run as working full time in Bristol meant I was running late evenings most days.
“I would not have been able to complete the challenge without the support of my family, and my wife and both daughters who joined me for runs on different days. Overall I completed 106 miles, which was 60 miles further than I had run previously any month.”
In addition to raising awareness about mental health, Simon has set up a fundraising page to raise funds for the mental health charity Mind. To donate, visit Simon’s JustGiving page: www.justgiving.com/ fundraising/red-january-2019-24af9a39-b356-4284-b270-575fe67c85dd
