Yesterday morning, local marathon runner and running coach Pete Thompson completed a challenge that saw him run 5km every hour – for 48 hours. During this time, his limits were tested by extreme weather, below freezing temperatures, a lack of sleep and physical exhaustion. But, nonetheless, he completed 48 Park Runs in King’s Park, Bournemouth in just two days – driven by his determination to raise vital donations for the local mental health charity Dorset Mind.
No stranger to running, Pete is a previous 2:25 marathon runner – who went from running for times, to running for causes. This is not the first time Pete has fundraised for Dorset Mind, a local charity close to his heart. In 2017, he ran 44 marathons in 44 countries in 44 consecutive days and in 2018, he ran the Tour de France in 68 days! He’s raised to date over £50,000 for mental health charities and won a national award for doing so.
Pete puts the success of his previous challenges to the support he received from his family and friends. And this time was no different as the challenge truly captured the imagination of everyone that supported him. A borrowed campervan gave him a base and some shelter from the elements – and sleep when he could afford it. Importantly, Pete ran every parkrun with other people, some of whom traveled from Bristol to run with him. Dorset Mind Managers and ambassador Ty Temel also ran with Pete, as did Bournemouth boxing legend Chris Billam-Smith, whom Pete went to school with.
On completing the final parkrun Pete said,
“I can’t quite describe how it feels to have finished this challenge! 150 miles run over 2 days with less than 15 minutes sleep and over £5,500 raised for Dorset Mind.
The support has been incredible and I genuinely could not have done this on my own. I never had to run one parkrun on my own and that says a lot about my wonderful friends, family and the running community.
I will be off to bed now and reply to messages when I eventually awake.”
Linda O’Sullivan, Dorset Mind CEO adds,
“This is such an incredible achievement that Pete should be congratulated for. We’re very proud of him and in awe of his dedication and determination to complete the challenge – even when it got extremely tough!
We’re hugely grateful for Pete’s continued support – not only has he raised a significant amount of donations, he managed to inspire our local community, which in turn, raises mental health awareness – something that we’re extremely passionate about.
Financial support from exceptional people in our communities, like Pete, that create inventive fundraisers is also critical for us – they help us to fund life-changing support for those who need
it. This is even more important after the mental impact of stress and trauma of the pandemic and lockdowns on people’s wellbeing. Well done to everyone involved – and a very special ‘thank you’ to Pete!”
Dr Andrew Mayers, Patron at Dorset Mind and Principal Academic at Bournemouth University comments,
“I am truly grateful to Pete for enduring this epic effort to raise essential funds for us at Dorset Mind. It also further underlines the evidence about how activity can boost mental health. We can all do something about that. It does not need to be as extreme as what Pete has done; just a little more activity each day may be all it takes.
“A more active lifestyle can kick start our wellbeing and promote better physical and mental health”
If you want to make a donation, there’s time to do so by following this link: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/peter-thompson4848
Alternately, you can donate £10 by texting ‘PETESPARKRUNS’ to 70460. Full T&Cs on Dorset Mind’s website as below.
Dorset Mind delivers mental health education, training, and 1-2-1 and group support for adults and young people across Dorset. Help the charity fund this vital life-changing service by emailing them at: [email protected]. Visit Dorset Mind’s website to see what support they offer: https://dorsetmind.uk/help-and-support/.
About Dorset Mind:
Dorset Mind charity educates, challenges mental health stigma and inequality, and encourages recovery and stability by empowering people to develop resilience. Their 1-2-1 and group support includes counselling, mentoring, support groups, active monitoring coaching and an accredited befriending service. These help people regain social skills and confidence. The charity also delivers educational wellbeing programmes for schools and workplaces and provide volunteer opportunities across all areas of the organisation.
For more details, see dorsetmind.uk.
Mental health problems can affect anyone at any point in their life. Around one in four people will suffer from some form of diagnosable mental health problem during their lifetime. The most common forms of mental health problems are anxiety, stress and depression, but there are many others including bipolar, schizophrenia, eating disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
To discover more about Dorset Mind services, training or volunteer opportunities; or to request an interview, please contact them through one of the following means:
Dorset Mind – Address: 8 Stratfield Saye, 20-22 Wellington Road, Bournemouth. BH8 8JN. Tel: 01202 119751
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.dorsetmind.uk
Twitter: DorsetMind
Facebook: DorsetMindOfficial
Instagram: Dorset Mind
LinkedIn: Dorset Mind
Dr Andrew Mayers FRSA – Patron and Principal Academic at Bournemouth University.
Tel: 07749 201980
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.andrewmayers.uk
Twitter: DrAndyMayers
Instagram: drandymayers
Facebook: Andy Mayers
LinkedIn: Andrew Mayers
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