Running from Lincoln to Grantham as part of bid to raise £105,000

Running for his life: Meet the 52-Year-old British man who stepped back from the brink and is now running 21 consecutive Ultra Marathons across England to raise £100k for suicide prevention charity CALM.

And the 8^th run is on Tuesday 14th September when he will run Grantham to Lincoln, yes 46.9km (which is part of a 1050km run).

A British runner (Matt Bagwell) has created an event called ‘Run the Country Ultra’ which will see him run over 1050kms across England in September to raise funds and awareness for male suicide prevention and World Suicide Prevention Day on the 10th of September. 

This is a day that is used globally by charities and intuitions to talk about suicide interventions that are available.

Ultra-runner and breathwork coach Matt was nearly one of the sadly high suicide statistics. He has twice planned his own death. He was fortunate to instead ask for help and discover tools such as running and breathwork to help him manage his depression.

In September 2021, he will run 21 consecutive Ultra Marathons (an Ultra Marathon is a distance past 26 miles) across England covering 1050km and raising £105,000 for charity for CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably).

The event starts in Cornwall on the 5th of September and crosses 43 county borders in England before finishing in London on 5th October. The aim is to raise funds, help spread awareness of the sadly high male suicide rates and spread hope that it is always possible to ask for help.  He will be solely supported by his wife (Michelle, yes that is me), who will drive over 2000km, who will tell the story of what it is like to love and support someone struggling with their mental health.

A 52-year-old dad of two teenage girls. He is a certified breathwork instructor. He runs free classes on Instagram each week under the @lovetolearnto handle (running unique classes that are often set to 90s house music classics) and also works with sports teams and CEOs to help them optimise their breathing for performance.

Earlier this year he saved a man who was suicidal on Brighton beach as he was teaching a live breathwork class on Instagram. He pulled the man out of the water and lay on him for body heat transfer whilst he called an ambulance. So he really has been on both sides of the story in terms of suicide.  

Each week 125 people in the UK sadly take their own lives. 75% of them are men. A British runner has created an event called ‘Run the Country Ultra’ which will see him run over 1050kms across England in September to raise funds and awareness for male suicide prevention and World Suicide Prevention Day on the 10^th September. 

Brighton-based Ultra-runner and breathwork coach Matt Bagwell was nearly one of the sadly high suicide statistics. He has twice planned his own death. He was fortunate to instead ask for help and discover tools such as running and breathwork to help him manage his depression.

In September 2021, he will run 21 consecutive Ultra Marathons (an Ultra Marathon is a distance past 26 miles) across England covering 1050km and raising £105,000 for charity for CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably). The event starts in Cornwall on the 5^th September and crosses 43 county borders in England before finishing in London on 5^th October. The aim is to raise funds, help spread awareness of the sadly high male suicide rates and spread hope that it is always possible to ask for help.

‘Run the Country Ultra’ will see Matt running through every county in England and there is an open invitation to people across England to join him on one of the 21 stages of the route. The details of the routes can be found here https://runthecountryultra.com/run-the-country-ultra-join-in/

A 52 year old dad of two teenage girls. He is a certified breathwork instructor. He runs free classes on Instagram each week under the @lovetolearnto handle (running unique classes that are often set to 90s house music classics) and also works with sports teams and CEOs to help them optimise their breathing for performance. He has previously worked in corporate ad land in London and used to run a sustainable trainer brand who worked with household names like Jamie and Jools Oliver. A mixed life path that led him to where he is now – preparing for the upcoming Ultra challenge.

Earlier this year he saved a man who was suicidal on Brighton beach as he was teaching a live breathwork class on Instagram. He pulled the man out of the water and lay on him for body heat transfer whilst he called an ambulance. So he really has been on both sides of the story in terms of suicide.  

On the runs Matt says “Why am I doing this challenge? I’ve been there. I’ve literally stepped onto the edge, more than once.  At the last minute, for love, for family, for a tiny glimmer of hope, I chose a different path. Now I want to share hope, because I know there are so many others across the country who are facing that same darkness. I want to raise funding for the professionals who save lives, every single day. When one life is saved, one person on the end of the phone paid for at CALM, then every step, every kilometre, every ultra will be worthwhile.”

Anna Jones, Chief Revenue Officer, CALM said: “Matt is one of CALM’s most dedicated supporters, and his ambitious plan to run the country in support of our life saving work is inspiring. His commitment to engaging with local communities and get them speaking about CALM is vital in our fight against suicide, and ensuring people live a life less miserable. Matt is self-funding his challenge, meaning that all money raised goes towards our helpline services. Any financial contributions you can offer to enable him to do the challenge means that we can continue to be there for those that need us most, no matter what. Please join us in supporting Matt and CALM’s fight in uniting against suicide in any way you are able to.”