Mental health awareness week: “There’s nothing quite like a 45-mile run for creating a deep bond with someone”

This year Mental Health Awareness Week (12–18 May) is focused on the power of community in helping us take care of our wellbeing. In recognition of this, OT asked members of the profession to share one of the communities that is important to them.

A pivotal moment came when my youngest daughter joked about ‘getting Dad a bra for Christmas’ and this led me to start the Couch to 5K programme about nine years ago. I failed to see it through the first time but completed it on the second attempt and did my first parkrun on 31 December 2016. I was hooked.

While I ran mostly on my own during the first year or so, even back then I felt part of something bigger. I was out there doing it. I was a runner.

As my love for the sport grew, completing parkrun on a Saturday morning became a staple feature in my week, and I then linked up with a couple of informal running groups.

I felt a bit intimidated about the prospect of joining a formal running club as I saw myself as more of a ‘jogger’, but I took the plunge in 2018, and this gave me the confidence to take part in local races as part of Kenilworth Runners. I was regularly running four or five times a week by this point, and as my ability improved, I started to aim for bigger targets such as half marathons, marathons, and even a few ultramarathons.

As the bones are creaking a little now, I combine running with other forms of exercise such as spin classes and strength workouts, which has allowed me to tap into the wider ‘fitness’ community to support my overall running ambitions.

At a basic level, being part of the running community provides company to run with, advice from more experienced runners, expertise from coaches, and logistical support for getting to and from events.

Beyond the practical benefits, connecting with other runners has allowed me to forge really strong friendships – there’s nothing quite like a 45-mile run for creating a deep bond with someone.

I would go as far to say that running ‘saved me’

It’s not just about running either – eating cake at every opportunity is seemingly a runner’s birthright, with plenty of social nights out in the mix too. Trips to Spain and Czechia are a couple of highlights in recent months – sightseeing, sampling the local food and beers, with a half marathon thrown in for good measure. The perfect weekend.

I’m looking forward to a glamping weekend with the club in July (oh, and tackling an ultramarathon), and then about 50 of us are set to head to Palma in October where I plan to eat, drink, dance, and run the half marathon.

In terms of physical wellbeing, I dread to think where I’d be now had I not laced up the running shoes nearly a decade ago. Since 2016, I’ve dropped a jeans size or three, feel fitter than ever, and now take a much more holistic approach to my wellbeing such as looking after my nutrition and sleep.

Far more importantly, is the impact that running has had on my mental wellbeing, which is hard to put into words. COVID-19 was a really dark time for me, and I would go as far to say that running ‘saved me.’ Being able to get out for a run during this period, either on my own or with a socially-distanced group of six, gave me a focus. I do not say this lightly, but without having an outlet and the support of friends in the running community during this period, I’m not sure I would be here now.

I am privileged to have secured a place for London Marathon in 2026 to support the work of the Samaritans in honour of my best man, who devastatingly, could not be saved.