STRETCH 1 - 21 September: A HUGE Thank you to everyone who has donated so far. The original £3,100 goal was smashed in 48 hours. So for the first stretch, with a fundraising goal of £6,200 I am going to throw in a 'one off' 31km run (included in the 310km total). Whilst I would love to double-down on the distance, I am not sure that's the best of bad ideas. To be clear, while I may have joked about stretch goals, I did not think they would be something I would need to really consider. So, yes, I am now in full contingency planning mode in case we reach £6,200...

I've had a bad idea, for a good cause...

My dad took his life when I was 16. 2026 marks a milestone anniversary of his death, and I wanted to take the opportunity to ‘pay it forward.’

In the years since dad passed I have learned a lot about mental health. Both personally and professionally, and its impacts on those facing challenges, as well as others around them.

Besides the importance of being there for one another, another important lesson I have learned is building and maintaining resilience. Which is why I came up with the 'bad idea for a good cause' to run 310km in 31 days for CALM in October.

Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is a suicide prevention charity. They provide tools and resources to help people find the support they need, including a life-saving helpline for people who can’t see a way forward, have lost someone to suicide, or are worried about their friends or loved ones.

£12.20 is enough to fund one potentially life-saving call.

Together, if we can raise £3,100 in October - that's £100 a day / per 10km - we can potentially save more than 250 lives.

And why does that matter?

Because if someone has been there for my dad, maybe he would still be here today.

Links:

Strava (for accountability): https://strava.app.link/WMY08iCYA6b

Instagram (for lols): https://www.instagram.com/mikeeverestevs