Quick Update: The 12 Marathons of Christmas...

We're onto the LAST challenge of 2021!!! What an incredibe year it's been so far, and what better way to finish it off than with 12 back-to-back marathons in 12 days, starting on Christmas day...

If you're able to donate during this holiday season, any support is highly appreciate and goes a long way! For those who don't know what we've been up to, please carry on reading:

First of all, thank you for looking at our JustGiving page. Your help and support really does mean the world to us!

If you are able to donate, please know that every penny counts, there is no amount too big or too small, and we promise it will all go towards a fantastic cause (more on that in a moment)!

Second, if you would like to follow our journey through these challenges, the best way is to follow our social media pages:

The Team Instagram: @theonelifepro

The Team Facebook: @theonelifeproject

So, what are we doing?

This year, we're taking on 12 extreme challenges in 12 months in an attempt to raise £12,000 for charities who support those with mental health challenges and ultimately, help to prevent more people from taking their own lives. This charities include Mind Charity & The Ted Senior Foundation.

Here are the challenges:

✅ 1. January 19th - 24th: 5-Days of Fasting Challenge (Sponsored by Love Life Supplements)

✅ 2. February 27th: The 12,000 Push Up Challenge

✅ 3. March 27th: The North Downs Marathon Challenge (26.2 miles of running)

✅ 4. April 24th: The Yorkshire 3-Peaks Challenge (24 miles, including 1585m (5200ft) of ascent)

✅ 5. May 22nd: The 24-Hour Running Challenge! (24-Hour Day/Night Non-Stop Run around Bewl Water , aiming for a total distance of over 100km.)

✅ 6. June 21st: The National 3 Peaks Challenge

✅ 7. July 4th: The Ironman Challenger (3.8km swim, 180km ride, 42.2km run) @ The Hever Castle Festival of Endurance

✅ 8. August 28th: The Windermere One Way Challenge (An 11-Mile Swim, from South to North, of Lake Windermere) Sponsored by ZEN8

✅ 9. September 25th: The Scotland Ultra-Spartan Challenge (50km, 60 obstacles)

✅ 10. October 1st-10th: The John o' Groats to Land's End Cycling Challenge (874 miles of cycling the whole length of the island of Great Britain)

✅ 11. November: The 'Lift-a-1,000,000kg' Challenge!

🔜12. December 1st - 12th: 12 Marathons of Christmas (12 Marathons Back-to-Back, starting on Christmas Day!)

Be sure to follow the challenges on Instagram, Facebook & Youtube! (Note, these may change due to covid-19 restrictions!)

and why are we doing it?

In the UK, over 6,000 people commit suicide every single year, which is such a tragedy and just wrong (for comparison, 1700 people die each year in road traffic accidents).

To make things worse, the pressures and challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic has meant that this number is on the rise.

We’ve made it our mission to prevent as many suicidies as possible, and positively impact the lives of 12,000 people by the end of 2021, because we believe that every suicide is preventable and that no one should suffer through mental health challenges without the help and support they need.

No one should get left behind!

How can you get involved and help to save lives?

There any many ways in which you can get involved, but here are 3 simple ones:

1. Donate. This is probably the most obvious way to get involved, but if you're able to donate, it can quite literally make the difference between life and death! Every penny will go to charities on the front line, working with those with mental health challenges.

2. Get Involved! If you're nearby, you're invited to come and get involved in any of the challenges. You can do the whole challenge, or a part of it, it's entirely up to you. If you're further afield, feel free to make your own challenge to get involved and help raise awareness!

3. Be a Cheerleader! Being on the sidelines and showing any amount of love and support goes a long long way! Again, if you're physically nearby, come and cheer on the participants in the challenges. If you can't get to an event, sharing social media posts and spreading awareness can make all the difference.

Thank you so much for any and all help, love and support, you are amazing!

Some extra reading for you:

The Truth about Mental Health

Have you suffered from mental health challenges? Do you know someone who has? Perhaps you even know someone who has taken (or tried to take) their own life?

You see, mental health impacts everyone, not just those who have been diagnosed with something.

Close to 800,000 are lost to suicide every single year. That's one person every 40 seconds.

That is absolutely tragic. On top of that, millions more are suffering from mental health challenges every day, and it's impacting people of all ages, all backgrounds, male and female.

To make matters worse, rates are only rising, especially with the challenges of the Covid-19 Pandemic.

But you see, if I've learnt anything on my journey of working with 100s of individuals, it's that these deaths are nearly always preventable. In 2020, we have the tools and we have the knowledge to significantly reduce unnecessary suffering and save literally millions of lives... so why do we still hear of suicides on a regular basis?

If you ask me, it's simple. It's awareness.

People don't know where to turn, they don't know what mental health even is, and they aren't aware of the help and support that is out there!

By supporting campaigns like this one, you're helping to spread awareness and make far more of an impact than you realise.

Just 1 donation, 1 message to a friend, 1 helping hand can make all the difference and quite literally, save lives.

Thank you!

P.S... If you or someone you know is going through a challenging time, please reach out to any of the fantastic charities who will be able to guide you:

The Ted Senior Foundation