Strongvox Homes Customer Care Manager, Seb Gange, set himself a challenge to run at least 140km in distance through February, that equated to running 5km for every day in February (5km FEDIF)!

Not only was this a personal challenge, he also wanted to raise money & awareness for a leading UK charity close to his heart, Mates in Mind.

Mates in Mind – Supporting & Promoting Positivity in Construction

With the focus on construction, as well as related sectors, Mates in mind help support and promote cultures of positive well-being within the workplace. Their aim is to break the silence surrounding mental health, raise awareness and address the stigma of poor mental health.
Having worked within the construction industry for many years Seb has come to realise that more people need to know there is support out there, as there are many that struggle daily and, because of the industry, have been programmed to keep troubling thoughts to themselves.
This was a challenge that would push him both mentally and physically, some days more than others. On the difficult days it would have been easy for him to have thrown in the towel, however, that wasn’t an option for him. He knew the mental struggle he faced during his challenge was infinite and would soon be over, this spurred him on knowing some face mental struggles each day not knowing when they will end, which made his journey of awareness important to finish.

The Challenge

Seb began his challenge with regular gym dedication, starting at 4.30am, where he completed early morning treadmill runs. He decided to add the extra challenge of elevation in his running and progressed to running local areas such as Blagdon Hill, the Mendip and Quantock Hills, not forgetting the casual runs around his local area of Taunton, Somerset.
To say some days were an adventure for him would be an understatement, on day 18 he got himself lost on the hills, adding extra miles to his run, lost shoes in the mud & climbed 2100+ft elevation at 5.30 in the morning, which finished up as a steady half marathon by 8.30am, what a way to start the day!

Being well supported, and always up for some competition, there were days he was joined by friends who put him through his paces on their run together, adding to his personal challenge. On other days he was joined by his children, his daughter making her first ever run over 1.5 miles taking her straight into the deep end; on these days he was able to take a nice slower pace to get it done, good for his recovery and progress.

By day 20 he was just 2.15km away from his goal, with eight days still left in the challenge, and decided to keep running every day.
Loving the run today, now on day 23, he was still pushing on having passed the 100mile mark. A few days later, after getting lost yet again on the hills, he was still going strong and wished he had pushed another 0.02km on today’s run towards 200km.

February 28th, Challenge Completed

Setting himself a target of 140km by the end of February, equivalent to 5km every day, this evening was finished with a half marathon. Not only did this take Seb over the 140 miles for February, it was also a personal record of 1hr 51mins.

The total for February was finally recorded and Seb completed an amazing 229km and, to date, raised £290 for Mates in Mind, a great achievement.

The GoFundMe page (link to donate) will be kept open until the end of March 2023 for any further donations and will be gratefully received.

Well done Seb!