A university student from Tuebrook has taken on the challenge of running 58 miles in February to raise money for the charity Mind.
Caitlin Clarke is aiming to raise funds for the charity, which empowers people to understand their mental health and the choices available to them.
In 2022-2023 Mind responded to 130,973 queries to their support and information helplines. Approximately one in four people in the UK will experience a mental health problem each year.
Caitlin said: “I did something very similar back in March 2021 where I ran 27 miles in 27 days to help raise money for mind as at the time I was struggling myself mentally and also knew a lot of people struggling with their own mental health.
“I managed to raise £600 for Mind which felt amazing.”
Since then, Caitlin hasn’t kept up with running as much and was looking for an excuse to get back into it, so in January 2024 she saw that Mind were doing the 58 miles challenge.
“In a selfish way it’s the perfect way to get myself motivated to run again but also its a great way to raise money for an amazing charity,” she said.
“Everyone suffers or knows someone who suffers with mental health so I really hope that by raising a little bit of money, I can help at least one person who is in a bad place.
“In the future I would love to pursue a career in counseling and helping people, so I hope this is a good way to start giving back to the people in need.”
A week into the challenge Caitlin has already smashed her set target of £100 by already raising over £150.
She explained: “So far, I’ve gone out in the rain, wind, sun and the cold. No matter the weather I am completing my two miles a day. It feels so good to have already reached my target and we are only a week in, so I am really hoping to increase the amount even more!”
All donations raised through Caitlin’s JustGiving page will go straight to Mind.
