The world is full of bullshit, but there's no bullshit more potent than your own. My old bullshit used to be convincing myself that being sad all the time and drunk most of the time was a perfectly acceptable way to live. My current bullshit is believing that I can run 100 miles without stopping. Your bullshit may differ.

I've done many stupid things in my life. Some were down to poor mental health and an appetite for drinking that both still spiral out of control, albeit less frequently than in the past. Other stupid things I've done because they are just plain fun, or at least seem fun until you actually try to do them.

Legs Until No More Legs = Charity Money

To me, running a long way is fun, and it also helps with (read: does not cure) the bad brain and not being a terrible drunk too. I'm running the Berlin 100meilen ultramarathon on the 12th of August, otherwise known as the Mauerweglauf - literally the Wall-path-run. It follows the route of the Berlin wall, around its west border and cutting the city in half. The route is conveniently almost exactly 100 miles, which might be the only convenient thing about the entire history of the Berlin Wall.

This is a race I've been obsessed with doing for two years, and after Covid and a broken rib put last year's effort to bed before it began, I'm finally doing it. It's my local race, but it's also unique as far as long-distance events go for a number of reasons.

Why the Sudden Charity Ian?

Before we go into that, though, why am I fundraising? Well, in short, I finally started to face up to my terrible mental health and addiction problems way back when I lived in Bristol about 12 years ago. While it would be many more years before I found the combination of treatment and therapy that really made a difference, the initial decision to get help was met with kindness. It may sound dramatic, but I honestly think that kindness saved my life.

So, I want to help people who help people. Mind, as far as charities go, does good work. While they are massively overwhelmed, they offer what they can to everyone, regardless of their background. I've set a pretty modest fundraising goal, and I'll be matching that goal with my own 500 euros regardless of what happens with the race. Thank you in advance to everyone who donates.

So. Back to the Race.

Yes, it's a great opportunity for me and a bunch of other idiots to see how much pain we can take while eating weapons-grade amounts of nuts and watermelon. It is, however, a unique race due to its location and actual living link to life behind the wall.

For almost 30 years, men, women, and children were arrested, shot, and drowned trying to cross the Wall. It's something I still can't quite get my head around despite it happening in modern history in my home city. Every year, the race organizers dedicate the event to a victim of the Wall. The victims are front and center - even featuring on the race numbers themselves as you can see in one of the gallery images.

This year the race remembers Erna Kelm, a mother who died trying to swim across the Havel River in 1962. She, like many others, was separated from her family. She was suspected of being a spy simply because she visited her own children. Her photo is in the gallery of this post. It's just fucking grim. It all was.

This is one of hundreds of stories like this. A couple of years back, the race honored a 10-year-old boy who was shot trying to cross over. These stories should be remembered, and the Chronik Der Mauer website (available in English) is a great resource.

Aight that's enough.

A jolly old romp about getting tired and hurty for me, but a really fucking serious backbone to it all, and a good cause to support for you lot. Sounds decent? Donations of all sizes are appreciated. If you can't do that, sharing this on your own social media would be much appreciated.

If you happen to enjoy my horrid ramblings about this, I do plan on writing up something larger about it all. The race, the history, all of it. I don't want to commit to anything massive, but something film/writing about the Mauerweglauf has been on the cards since I heard of it. I'll get around to it, preferably after I've done the race and slept for a month.

Cheers,

Ian