Man running 500 miles in PPE for suicide prevention
BBCA man is running 500 miles (804km) dressed in full construction personal protective equipment (PPE) to raise awareness of mental health and suicide.
Chris Rodgers, from Weston-super-Mare, began working in construction after being medically discharged from the army in 2018.
He was inspired to embark on the "wacky" challenge after dealing with his own mental health struggles and learning of the high suicide rate among male construction workers in the UK.
The challenge has already sparked many "refreshing" conversations about mental health, he said, adding: "One conversation can save someone's life and you never know when that is or who may need it."
Mr Rodgers began running on 1 January and is due to finish the 36-week long challenge on 10 September, which is Suicide Prevention Day.
He is aiming to run half a marathon every week.
As well as raising awareness, he is raising money for the mental health charity, Mates to Mind.
According to the Chartered Institute of Building, about 500 men in the UK's construction industry took their own lives in 2021.
Mr Rodgers, who lost a friend to suicide earlier this year, said the idea of his 18-month-old daughter losing him in the same way "shattered" him.
"Within my time in construction, I've travelled all of the country and I've seen so many different struggles within the industry.
"People struggle for various reasons and it could be from pay, from pressure or from distance," Mr Rodgers said.
He added that many people do not know what to do or how to help when a loved one is struggling mentally.
"I felt like I had to do something about it.
"It's all about prevention," he said.
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