In April I was due to take on The Northern Traverse race - a 300km/186-mile self-supported run on the Coast to Coast route from St Bees in Cumbria to Robin Hood's Bay in Yorkshire, with 6,500m of ascent! This is equivalent to 7 consecutive marathons, with minimal sleep. It's the furthest I've ever ran in one go, which I aim to complete within 60 hours.

In typical Alex style, I had to withdraw 2 weeks beforehand due to ongoing health issues and COVID round #2. So I attempted the route with my own logistics and support on the 5th July. Unfortunately this also ended abruptly with a seizure 79 miles in, at Kirkby Stephen.

On the 16th August I went back for another go - this time making it 124 miles in 44 hours.

On the 20th December, the Winter Solstice, I went back to finish the job with the final 61.5 miles to Robin Hood's Bay, in 13 hours 56 minutes.

It wasn't the challenge I signed up for but I wanted to get back in the arena and complete it in my own way.

The Coast to Coast will be my first challenge as part of Project 500 - a campaign to raise £500,000 for Mind Over Mountains, a charity I co-founded in 2020, to restore mental health through outdoor experiences alongside professional mental health support. The target is June 2025, my 30th birthday, to highlight that suicide is now the biggest killer of under 35's in the UK. But I can't do this on my own - so I hope it inspires you to get involved and join us on the mission!

Mind Over Mountains is an ambitious and innovative mental health charity that enables people to thrive through therapeutic outdoor experiences. We enable people to restore and sustain their mental health and wellbeing through a highly integrated practice that brings together walking in nature, mindfulness, and professional coaching and counselling. With your help we can move mountains!