Father-of-two Chris Tromans wants his long-distance virtual running to raise precisely £17,895 for a mental health charity.
Each £1, he says, will stand for one of the 17,895 members of an online group campaigning for a better deal for the self-employed.
Chris, of Witchford, has been running close to the Panama Canal, along Hawaiian beaches and through the Austrian countryside from his own home.
He wants to raise £17,895 for Mind after he found information on the charity’s website helpful when he was struggling with anxiety at the start of lockdown.
He is one of the 17,895 members of an online community putting pressure on the government to help the self-employed who missed coronavirus support grants.
His’ wife Catherine owns a pet sitting business and is among those who do not qualify for any of the schemes available.
He said: “ExcludedUK’s Facebook has close to 18,000 members who are in a similar position to my wife.
“For those who did miss out, the financial and mental impact this has had on them and their families is terrible.
“So, I’ve set a target of £17,895 which represents the number of ExcludedUK members on Facebook. The money will all go to Mind because it helps those struggling with their mental health.” Chris is nearly half way through his ‘80 Days Around the World Run’ where he is completing a different running course at a different location around the world.
He is using an app called BitGym that can be connected to his home treadmill and a TV screen to mimic the place he is ‘running’ in.
Each run varies in distance from between three and six miles.
This weekend, he plans to switch the treadmill for the outdoors to complete the virtual Edinburgh half marathon. All going well, Chris will complete the challenge mid-November.
Chris said: “I’m much better now, thanks to information on Mind’s website. I arranged for video sessions during lockdown with Dan Regan, a local hypnotherapist. He provided me with tools to help overcome the problem.”
To sponsor Chris, visit his JustGiving page.
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