An 18-year-old from Warminster has raised almost £2,000 for the Samaritans by running 5km every day for 100 days.
Archie Heywood began the challenge on 1st January and will complete his final run on 10th April. He chose to raise money for the Samaritans after receiving support from the charity during a difficult period last year.
“It feels great to be nearly at the end of the challenge. I feel like the 100 days have flown by, and I’m proud of myself for keeping going and spreading the message and awareness of men’s mental health,” said Archie.
“My main motivation to keep going has been the fact that I’m raising money and awareness for a charity that has helped me. Each run I think about how the money is potentially saving lives and that every penny goes towards helping someone who was struggling like me.
“Also, my friends have kept me motivated. They helped me put up posters and stickers with QR codes and have done some runs with me, so a big thanks to my friends.
“Running every day has helped me mentally and physically. Getting outside every day and moving my body has helped my mental health in ways I didn’t think it could. I feel happy and accomplished after each run, and I think I will definitely keep up running after this challenge -not every day though!”
During the 100 days, Archie faced online abuse, which he described as “the hardest part of the challenge.”
He said, “I was getting online abuse and hateful comments and messages from accounts telling me to quit or calling me fat, etc. I managed to push through that and make sure I kept going. It has helped me understand that not everyone is going to like what you’re doing, and people will put you down even for doing a good thing.”
To donate to Archie’s fundraiser, visit his Just Giving page: https://www.justgiving.com/page/archie-hey1
