Jake rising to fundraising challenge
5th April 2024
From running 100 marathons in 100 days, to his first extreme Ironman triathlon event, alumnus Jake Burnham is putting his best foot forward in his passion for raising vital awareness and funds for mental health.
His new campaign, Road to 100, is raising money for the Rethink Mental Illness charity, and is hot on the heels of his fundraiser in September last year.
Rethink Mental Illness aims to improve the lives of people severely affected by mental illness and ensure they have a good quality of life, through networks and services, campaigns and information.
This year, Jake is completing three events, and the first is The Celtman, an extreme Ironman in Scotland, in June. Jake will then be hosting a fundraising day at The Medical (formerly The Regency Clinic) in Cheltenham, where consultations, massages, mental health and so on will be on offer in returns for donations.
And in August, he takes on the challenge of completing the 105 mile long Cotswold Way.
In September 2023, the Sports Coaching (2015) graduate, who is now a personal trainer, raised nearly three times of his initial target of £1000 for CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) in just a few weeks.
Through raising awareness, running life-saving services, and building communities, CALM aims to stand with everyone struggling with life and its helpline and webchat are open 365 days a year, offering practical solutions for a wide range of life’s problems.
Jake said: “My motivations for undertaking this challenge stem from my personal struggles with mental health and close family and friends who have struggled. That these problems/struggles never really go away and that you constantly have to work on them. Prior to the 30 Marathons in 30 days, I was convinced I was fine and in a good place. It wasn’t until I began the challenge I realised how wrong I was. Since then, I’ve been working hard on myself to get better – these challenges and fundraising help me to overcome those struggles.”
You can find out more about Jake’s progress on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/jakeburnhampt/