A VALE man is attempting to run the length of the Welsh Coastal Path to raise money for his chosen charities.
Steven James, aged 48, is a resident of Corntown and will begin his attempt at completing the 870-mile challenge on Saturday 3rd August and aims to do it in 19 fdays – a whopping 46 miles each day! The Coastal Path goes from Chester to Chepstow and also has around 66,000ft of elevation – more than double Everest!
Steven said: “In recent years I have completed numerous ultra marathons including events up to 200 miles but this will be a much bigger challenge – not just because of the distance and terrain but also because I have suffered with depression and social anxiety for the last few years – and this brought my running to a complete halt.
“I decided as I worked my way through my difficulties that I wanted to tackle a challenge to help people who find themselves in a similar situation to myself, struggling with mental health and struggling to get the help they need.”
Steven explained how mental health impacted his life: “Not long after the lockdowns my anxiety and depression took hold and I went to a very dark place and genuinely considered my options for ending it on a daily basis. I couldn’t cope with anything and would burst into tears just putting my shorts on to go for a run and then change back out of my running gear and not run.
“On occasions when I did get out for a run, where I used to run for four hours easily I would burst into tears within five minutes and have to stop – or have a panic attack and freeze on the spot until someone helped me along. I sought medical help and got nowhere!
“My GP couldn’t give me an appointment for months. MIND put me on their waiting list. To get any support I had to pay for a private consultation where I was diagnosed with severe depression and social anxiety and was prescribed medication. I also paid for online therapy. Eventually the private GP was able to transfer me over to my GP and the mental health nurse took over supervision of my treatment. However, they struggled to help with getting non private therapy as my GP is in Bridgend and I am in the Vale.
“I was not eligible for support from most services my GP practice was aware of as I didn’t live in the county. I did manage to arrange my own support from MHM Wales and after well over a year, I was finally able to get support through the NHS.
“As I started to get back on top of my mental health (still very much a work in progress) and started running again I decided I wanted to do something that would help others who found themselves in a similar situation and I felt that a running challenge would help me get back to my running and could also be used to raise some awareness and funds for good causes. People know I can run 200 miles, but 870 miles with 66,000ft of elevation is another matter entirely.”
Steven is raising money for the following charities:
1/ Voices from Care Cymru provides a voice for youngsters who have experienced the care system in Wales. “As a youngster I spent two periods in care, the second time completely broke me and I have no doubts whatsoever that it was this experience that has resulted in my mental health difficulties. As an adult I have experienced the care system from the other side as a foster carer and can see that although there has been massive progress, there is still an awfully long way to go.
“Many of the measures put in place by legislation to help these youngsters are simply not honoured by local authorities – whether that be by ignorance, misinterpretation or budgeting constraints and so it is a constant battle to make sure the needs of these youngsters are met.”
2/ Mind and Sole Mate is a Community Interest Company based at the Sole Mate running store in Merthyr Tydfil. “The purpose of Mind and Sole Mate is to help the community get fit, both physically and mentally and mental health was at the forefront of the reason the store opened in the first place. Mind and Sole Mate aim to provide free therapy, by qualified therapists in rooms that they have in store.
“They also aim to use fitness and running as a way to support those with mental health difficulties, whether that be through helping them start their running journey (they hold free group runs regularly) or supporting a person in undertaking a big challenge of their own as part of their recovery. So many runners openly admit that they use running to help with their own mental health and so it provides a supportive, understanding community which can make a huge difference when you are struggling.”
A fundraising page has been set up here.
Also, there will also be a live tracking link where people can follow Steve’ progress on a map. This is not yet live but will be closer to the start date here.
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