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What are we doing?

In support of Mental Health the two of us will be embarking on a challenge to run 2000 kilometres over the course of 2024.

UPDATE: as of the 18th March, we are 315km down!!

We will be partnering with a local charity called 'The Woodpecker Project'. They have an important, and unique mission to provide Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training for individuals who have applied for a grant. With the help of your donations we can take one step closer to achieving their goal of having an MHFA professional presence in every gym and fitness community across the UK!

At the time of writing this, we have already encountered various challenges that have left us almost 100km off track after just January alone. It's been alot harder than we first thought, staying consistent and motivated is something we both struggle with. On top of this, an early injury has rendered one of us useless for the best part of January, so it hasn't been easy! But we'll be back to 2 blokes running in a couple of weeks and we WILL get this done.

The Numbers?

Thankfully we've done the math on this so you don't have to!

2000km over 365 days is almost 3km a day for each of us - so missing a day here and there may seem insignificant, but as we've found out, it adds up pretty quickly...

Who are we?

To give a bit of background on who we are, for those of you who may know one of us, but not the other:

We're 3rd year students studing at the University of Bath currently both on 12 month placements in our sandwich year. So we're working 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, which to be honest doesn't leave alot of time to fit these runs in, especially after the commute to and from work. These placements will end in August, when we'll head back to Bath to finish the last 4 months of this challenge. We'll have to work these runs around these jobs, studying, holidays and undoubtably boozy nights with the occasional late library session.

Which as we've both quickly found out - is easier said than done.

Why The Woodpecker Project?

We were initially drawn to their values, to 'Educate, Empower and Encourage' - a philosophy that aligns with our own goals.

- Educating, through training mental health advocates across the UK.

- Empowering ordinary individuals through any type of fitness challenge, so they too can give back to their community.

- Encouraging, by starting conversations that could change or save lives.

The Woodpecker Project offers fundraisers the opportunity to meet the individuals that benefit from MHFA training, allowing them to gain a deeper understanding of the impact they're making. This personal connection transforms fundraising into a meaningful, empowering journey, where every step of every run contributes to a larger movement toward breaking down mental health stigmas.

The Woodpecker Project is therefore not just a charity; but also a community dedicated to inspiring others. Their commitment to organising events and providing support shows this. We have already been given the opportunity to join the Woodpecker community on upcoming Marathons, Tough Mudders, virtual runs etc...

This challenge is not only about raising donations but also about encouragement. Encouraging more people to join the cause, share their experiences, to challenge themselves both physically and mentally, collectively tackling Mental Health head-on.

Therefore, over the next year, we aim not only complete our challenge, but to also create engagement across our own communities and hopefully beyond. We want to help Woodpecker create a network of advocates, inspired by different journeys to promote mental health awareness through fitness challenges like ours.

If you share our passion for this cause, we encourage you to donate and help us reach our fundraising goal of £1000. So, cheers to a future where people are more educated, empowered and encouraged thanks to communities like The Woodpecker Project.

Keep chippin'

Henry and Sam

LINKS:

Instagram - 2blokes2000kilometres

- Where we post weekly updates of our runs.

Instagram - The Woodpecker Project

The Woodpecker Project Website

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