Run Matt Run
On the 5th September, our Mental Health in Recruitment Ambassador Michelle Flynn will be joining Matt Bagwell on his journey to Run The Country. He will run 1050km and she will drive many more supporting him.
What started off as a conversation whilst they were out on a run about the power of running to strengthen mental fitness has turned into an unstoppable need to help save lives.
Why?
Suicide crosses every border, and so will they.
What?
They are attempting to raise £105,000 for The Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) – that’s £100 for every kilometre of the run.
CALM is leading a movement against suicide. They run a free and confidential helpline and web chat 7 hours a day, 7 days a week, for anyone who needs to talk about life’s problems. It costs £8 per call so the aim is to be able to pay for 13,125 calls.
What made Matt decide to endure a 1050km run of 21 ultramarathons – a distance longer than Land’s End to John O’Groats – crossing all 43 counties of England? Every week 125 people in the UK take their own lives, and 75% of them are men.
Matt knows the journey to hopelessness all too well. He has talked publicly, sharing that he has been to the edge twice. His is a story of survival and endurance. It is also a story of hope. Now he is running the country to spread more.
They want to show people that it’s possible not only to survive but to thrive.
They are sparking connections and building friendships across borders, whilst raising awareness of mental health and encouraging conversations around it.
Matt knows that “Man Up” or “Get Over It” or “Pull Yourself Together” do not help remove the black cloud that someone will have above their head every day as they battle with their demons.
He works every day for it to be a “Good Day”. He uses tools such as running, breathwork, gratitude, journaling, friendship and love to help himself. Not every day with be a good one and that is ok, he accepts that. He takes every day at a time.
Our Ambassador Michelle knows that 9 out of 10 recruiters and 8.5 out of 10 recruitment business leaders have suffered with work-related stress or anxiety.
This is why this run is so important.
Want to run with them?
It’s not Matt’s intention to run alone. Run The Country Ultra is an opportunity to get out there and run with him. With 21 stages across England, there’s probably a run near you.
They are starting on Sunday 5th September in Launceston, Cornwall, and cross the finish line on Friday 1st October in London. A full list of the runs can be found on www.runthecountryultra.com.
You can join for the 1km warm up, a 5km or further. Get your friends, family, teams, clients and candidates involved! Each day starts at 8am. Michelle told us "The pace will be chatty, we want people to enjoy the run, feel part of something special and maybe even make a new friend along the way"
"The pace will be chatty, we want people to enjoy the run, feel part of something special and maybe even make a new friend along the way"
Running is a go to tool for so many for not only managing their physical but also their mental fitness and Matt and Michelle are on a mission to get as many people running as possible.
Not a runner?
There are many ways you and/or your company can get involved from donating money, sponsoring one of the runs but the most important is you share the story of hope.
Bored of asking your clients if they are hiring or your candidates if they are job hunting? Have a different conversation with them. Tell them about this adventure, get them involved. What a great way to build relationships.
It could even save a life.
If you would like to chat about how you could get involved check out www.runthecountryultra.com.
Good Luck Matt & Michelle. We're really proud of you!