At the end of March, someone I had recently gotten to know well lost his life to suicide, and the news had a huge impact on me. I knew he was dealing with a lot in his life, but whenever I saw him he was always charismatic and upbeat, so unless you were speaking closely with him, as I was, you wouldn’t have thought anything was wrong. It made me realise just how easy it is for men to hide their struggles, and it left me wondering how many others are going through the same thing without support—or feel unable to reach out because of the stigma surrounding men’s mental health.
This is a reality that feels especially close to home as someone who works in the construction industry, which has one of the highest suicide rates of any profession. Long hours, physical strain, job insecurity, and a culture that often tells men to “just get on with it” can leave many people struggling in silence. Through my job I’ve seen how pressure, isolation, and unspoken mental health challenges can build up behind a tough exterior, with devastating consequences. That’s why I want to do something positive and visible to help change the conversation, raise awareness, and support better mental health for men who might not otherwise reach out.
Doing this half marathon with no prior running experience is my way of showing that these issues deserve real effort, commitment, and endurance—because just like the run itself, improving mental health isn’t easy, but it’s worth every step if it saves a life or helps even one person feel less alone.
At the end of March, someone I had recently gotten to know well lost his life to suicide, and the news had a huge impact on me. I knew he was dealing with a lot in his life, but whenever I saw him he was always charismatic and upbeat, so unless you were speaking closely with him, as I was, you wouldn’t have thought anything was wrong. It made me realise just how easy it is for men to hide their struggles, and it left me wondering how many others are going through the same thing without support—or feel unable to reach out because of the stigma surrounding men’s mental health.
This is a reality that feels especially close to home as someone who works in the construction industry, which has one of the highest suicide rates of any profession. Long hours, physical strain, job insecurity, and a culture that often tells men to “just get on with it” can leave many people struggling in silence. Through my job I’ve seen how pressure, isolation, and unspoken mental health challenges can build up behind a tough exterior, with devastating consequences. That’s why I want to do something positive and visible to help change the conversation, raise awareness, and support better mental health for men who might not otherwise reach out.
Doing this half marathon with no prior running experience is my way of showing that these issues deserve real effort, commitment, and endurance—because just like the run itself, improving mental health isn’t easy, but it’s worth every step if it saves a life or helps even one person feel less alone.
