Sean Martin, my best friend of 15 years, sadly decided to take his own life on the 3rd of November 2023. Sean, an extremely creative individual, was firstly diagnosed with bipolar disorder in his early 20's. The diagnosis, however, didn't stop him from pursuing the things in life which he was most passionate about. His band "The Night Cafe" went on to release their debut album "0151" in 2019, which was a beautiful creation amidst the ongoing problems he was dealing with in his personal life at the time.

Shortly after the release of the album during the lockdown of 2020, Sean began experiencing chronic migraines. He tried every treatment offered to him, but the pain he was suffering with was slowly becoming too much. I remember going for one of my last walks with Sean and speaking about how he was trying to cope with the pain. He told me how he had gone every day for the previous month suffering with some sort of pain. Eventually the chronic pain quickly surpassed what was bearable, and he decided that he did not want to continue suffering from this invisible illness.

Sean perhaps unknowingly taught me a lot of lessons in life. The fact that he maintained the ability to create the music that he did, whilst battling with his own personal health battles is something to admire. He was extremely vocal on the matter of men’s mental health and used his platform to advocate issues surrounding both bipolar disorder and chronic migraine. He was an inspiration to many, and especially to me throughout our friendship. Showing the world immeasurable amounts of strength, courage and determination – a beacon of light through times of darkness.

The reason I began running, was to help deal with the grief of Sean’s passing. So, on the eve of the 2-year anniversary this November, I will be attempting to run my fastest Marathon yet in New York City.

Whilst training for the New York Marathon in August this year, Paul Marrion, another close friend of mine decided to take his own life. From the first time I met Paul, we instantly became friends. It was clear that he was extremely driven to achieve massive goals in life and always tried to do great things for himself.

He was a self-proclaimed endurance athlete, which was evident in his achievements throughout his life. Various marathons and trail races, skiing, swimming, kickboxing, cycling and mountain climbing to name a few. There wasn’t many sports Paul hadn’t mastered or at least tried. One of his biggest achievements was when he journeyed to Everest back in 2020. After days of trekking through the Himalayas he finally reached basecamp at 5364m high. Achievements like this I could only aspire to work towards at the time. His energy was and always will be unmatched.

Paul was always there for me through some of the hardest times in my life and helped me no matter what. He was also another massive inspiration as to why I started running, being a runner himself. When I told Paul that I would be attempting my first marathon back in April 2024, which was also in Memory of Sean, he ensured that I was always right on track. Fast forward to more recently, I had the privilege of running & training for numerous races with Paul in Anglesey, Liverpool & most recently in Manchester where we ran the Manchester Marathon together in April.

Before Paul left us, he made a final request to see if I would wear his bib to run the Amsterdam Marathon in his memory. Amsterdam was always his favourite Marathon, we were even meant to run it together last year. Even though it should be Paul wearing that bib, I am without a doubt so grateful for the opportunity to run on your behalf and in your memory. To receive this sort of request from the person who taught me so much about not just running, but life is a great honour.

So now, I will be running the Amsterdam Marathon on the 19th of October, and then two weeks later running the New York Marathon on the 2nd of November. I am not only doing this as a celebration to both Paul and Sean’s lives and the inspiration they have had on mine, but I am doing this to raise awareness and make an impact on Men’s health as a whole.

Movember is the leading charity on creating an impact on Men’s health. They tackle issues surrounding mental health, suicide prevention, prostate cancer & testicular cancer. Since 2003 they have funded more than 1,250 men’s health projects around the world, impacting men’s health research and transforming the way health services reach and support men.

Although Paul & Sean are my biggest inspirations for doing this run, this will also be dedicated to my brother, my grandad, and to all the men who have made an impact on my life who have suffered with health in any way. So, in the lead up to this November, join me in helping raise funds and making a massive impact on the face of men’s health!