Charlie Parish, a 36-year-old from Harrogate, has embarked on one of the most challenging endurance tests in the world—the 252km (155-mile) Marathon des Sables. Known as “the toughest foot race on earth,” this grueling seven-day event takes participants across the Sahara Desert in Morocco.
Parish, who is running to raise awareness for men’s mental health, is also supporting the suicide prevention charity, Campaign Against Living Miserably (Calm). The race requires participants to carry all of their own gear and food while sleeping in shared tents with other competitors.
“I’ve had fairly severe mental health issues in the past,” Parish shared. “Thankfully, I’m in a great place now, which is why I feel comfortable highlighting the issue.” Though he has never used Calm’s services, he emphasized the importance of raising awareness about available help.
Men’s mental health is a cause close to his heart. “Sometimes it just takes a simple message like ‘I’ve had a crap day’ or texting a mate to say, ‘Do you want to have a beer?’” Parish explained. “If we make it more casual, we can encourage more open conversations.”
To prepare for the race, Parish trained in a heated lab at Leeds Beckett University, where his vitals were monitored to simulate the extreme conditions of the desert. With temperatures reaching up to 50°C, he said the experience helped him gauge when to pace himself. “I wasn’t completely overwhelmed by the heat, so that was a good sign,” he said.
In addition to preparing physically, Parish meticulously planned his gear, managing to reduce his pack weight to just 7.5kg. “Asking people on Vinted about how much things weigh was an interesting experience,” he joked.
Parish’s motivation for taking on the Marathon des Sables goes beyond charity work. He has a deep fascination with extreme endurance events and has previously participated in Endure24, a challenge where runners complete as many 8km laps as possible in 24 hours. “It’s about finding the limits of what my mind can do and what I can overcome,” he said.
Parish’s incredible journey highlights not only his personal battle with mental health but also his determination to inspire others to speak up and seek support.
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