Josh Ellwood from Balham is attempting to run 7 marathons in 7 days to shine a light on men’s mental health during Movember.
Kicking off on October 21 in Battersea, the 27-year-old will cover over 300km during his ultra-marathon challenge which aims to shine a light on men’s mental health and kicks off with a moustache-shaped route.
Josh explains: ‘In less than two years, I lost a friend and a colleague to suicide. It was a massive shock. First it was my rugby team mate that I saw three times a week, and then it was a colleague at work who had young children. It didn’t seem real, especially as I was coping with mental health challenges of my own.
‘I’d been feeling really down and had such strong suicidal thoughts of my own at that time, that I felt devastated I’d missed the signs in someone else. All I wanted was someone, even a stranger, to reach out and say ‘I’ve noticed you don’t seem too great at the minute, wanna talk?’
It is this awareness of the ‘signs’ that has motivated Josh to get men talking about their mental health more.
‘First, I started a Tuesday check-in poll on my socials to help people take the first step in opening up, and then I decided to try and raise as much money as I could for charities supporting men’s health. That’s when I set myself the Movember challenge.
‘Having not run since 2021 – 7 marathons in 7 days seems like an impossible task but I want to help people realise that we’re all capable of so much more than we let ourselves believe. Sometimes we just have to remind ourselves to step outside our comfort zone. I wanted to go from having no purpose and feeling like giving up, to doing something that would raise money and help others struggling like me.’
The Ultra-marathon challenge is set to include:
Marathon 1: Battersea to Battersea out and round London in the shape of a moustache
Marathon 2: The royal parks
Marathon 3: Hackney, Camden, Hyde park and to Battersea park
Marathon 4: South West London
Marathon 5: every bridge from Fulham to tower bridge
Marathon 6: SW and central
Marathon 7: The Dublin marathon
Now in its 21st year, Movember has become the leading global men’s health movement, raising awareness and funds for men’s mental health, including suicide prevention, prostate and testicular cancer.
Men’s health is a national concern. Men are dying on average 4.5 years earlier than women, and for largely preventable reasons with 60 men every 60 minutes losing their life to suicide.
Josh knows his Ultra-marathon is going to push him physically and mentally, but he is motivated to get men to open up more. ‘Women are so much better at talking about their health and their feelings than men are. I really want guys to know it’s ok to open up. It’s better than ok, it can be life-saving!’
