Ready for a running challenge…?

With many of us kick-starting the year with personal fitness goals and resolutions to prioritise our health and wellbeing in 2025, why not help both yourself and others in the process?

At Action Mental Health we have multiple opportunities throughout the year for runners to take part in a range of marathons and half-marathons, both locally and further afield. Indeed, if Belfast doesn’t appeal, then how about Vienna, Rome, Paris or Milan? The perfect opportunity to combine some sightseeing with your running, you could even make a holiday of it and book a few days away to really make the most of your trip.

Whether you’re new to running, are an occasional runner or a seasoned marathon-goer, our events are scattered across the year, so there’s plenty of time to train up for a good cause. By running on behalf of Action Mental Health you’ll subsequently help to raise awareness of our services for people in your local community as well as assisting with vital fundraising to help us continue delivering these. You’ll also have something to work towards, with a clear running goal, which will give that added sense of achievement when you complete your run.

So, this year, why not run for a reason and sign up to one of our marathons or half-marathons? Your support today will ultimately help to make someone’s tomorrow that bit brighter.

Embrace the mental and physical benefits of running

There are many benefits to running, both to our physical and mental health, so it’s a great way to keep fit and healthy, no matter what age you are. It’s also a flexible hobby as you can do it whenever suits your schedule and is relatively cheap, as the key essentials required are simply a good pair of running shoes and some appropriate running kit.

Advantages of running:

• Boosts heart health: Research shows that running strengthens the heart and lowers your resting heartrate, making it more efficient. Running further reduces the risk of heart disease, as a healthier and more robust heart is less likely to succumb to illness.

• Improves muscle and joint strength: Running makes your body more resilient so if you run regularly, your muscles will get stronger and this in turn will help to prevent injury. Your joints will also benefit, as research indicates that runners actually experience less wear and tear on their joints than those who don’t run.

• Better mood: The so-called ‘runner’s high’ is true as it has been found that running boosts our mood and enhances mental wellbeing. It reduces feelings of stress and anxiety and makes us feel better and happier in ourselves.

• Gets you out in nature: When we run outside it allows us a chance to get out and about in nature, which is also known to boost our mental wellbeing.

• Improves sleep: Running, especially earlier in the day, gives us energy while ultimately tiring out our body in a good way. It means that, by the time we go to bed, our bodies are better prepared for sleeping, while the sleep we experience will be better quality as a result and we won’t find it as difficult to nod off.

Run for a reason in 2025

If you’re ready to give running a go this year then we’re currently accepting applications for our various Action Mental Health running challenges in 2025.

Having launched our “I AM SOMEONE” campaign on World Mental Health Day last October, we’re now encouraging our supporters to ‘run for someone’ by participating in one (or more!) of our marathons or half-marathons. Why not run for a reason this year and help to support people in your community who are struggling with their mental health?

Find out more about our running events here: https://www.amh.org.uk/events/

Get in touch with us to secure a running space for:

• Rome: March
• Vienna, Milan, Paris: April 
• Belfast, Prague: May
• Belfast and Waterside Half-marathon: September
• Dublin: October
• Athens: November
• Valencia: December