Charles’ story: Running the Hackney Half Marathon for men’s health
As a result of lockdown, I ended up living a very unhealthy lifestyle. I gained 15kg and was having constant heart palpitations. My blood pressure reached as high as 160/110. I also had a very stressful job as a nurse in the NHS. It got to a point where I knew I needed to make a change in my lifestyle. So, I took up running.
Finding Movember
I was desperate to find a charity placement to take part in the Hackney Half marathon. That's when I stumbled upon Movember. I read their purpose and mission and as a person who sometimes struggles with mental health, I related to it.
Furthermore, as a chemotherapy nurse, I’ve seen patients with testicular cancer getting younger and younger. Young men who haven't even experienced adulthood, yet are already experiencing the side effects of chemotherapy, is awful. Movember’s efforts to normalise young men self-checking to spot the signs earlier, is incredibly needed. So I signed up with Movember.
The entire process was so easy with the Movember team. From updates, along with reminders to train and fundraise. Like having a back-ground cheerleader. The best part was when they gave us a subscription to Coopah. That really helped me with my training.
The event
On the day of the Hackney Half, the venue was overwhelmingly huge, filled with runners and supporters. As we were about to start, I met a guy in a Movember shirt called James. We connected and talked about our journey. We also realized our run pace and target finishing time were pretty similar, so it was nice to have met someone with targets in common.
When the run started it was pretty easy, until the challenging never-ending uphill. Not to mention the extreme heat that happened just that day.
James and I were passing by one another and cheering every Movember guy and gal we passed along the way.
" The crowd was wild and very supportive. It really helped boost my energy. "
I finally reached the finish line and attained my personal best. I always tell myself "If you put your mind into it, you will achieve it." It felt great to cross the finish line.
I have run with other charities before, and I can truly say that this is the best charity I’ve ran with. In the end, I did not only reach my fundraising target, I got 144% of what I aimed for.
I would definitely run again with Movember. Their mission is worth supporting and their team is amazing! I can't wait to meet more people in the next Movember activities.
Feeling ready for a new challenge? Sign up with Movember and run the Hackney Half for men’s health.