A Salford dad has made it his mission to run a marathon in all 50 US States in 50 days for a mental health charity.
Martin Cooper is hoping to trade his usual route in Swinton for 26.2-mile runs through New York City, the sun-baked landscapes of Arizona and the rolling hills of scenic Iowa in the next year.
The father-of-two has launched a fundraising campaign where businesses can sponsor legs of his journey across the country. He plans to film himself completing the gruelling challenge while highlighting the mental health stories of people he bumps into en route.
“Hopefully I’ll have some conversations along the way with local people along the way,” he said. “As much as this is primarily for a charity in the UK, mental health affects everybody worldwide, so it would be good to understand how mental health is affecting people in America as well.”
Martin added that different prices will be assigned to every route, depending on the popularity and appeal of each location.
“Each route is different in value purely because obviously if you go somewhere to New York, there’s a lot of coverage that you can film and document whilst doing the challenge at the same time.
“Whereas if you go to somewhere like, I don’t know, Iowa, I’m sorry if anybody comes from Iowa, but there might not be anything around where it’s not as interesting to a viewer,” he said, laughing apologetically.
Martin, who previously worked as a Senior Aircraftsman in the Royal Air Force at Brize Norton, said he is undertaking the challenge to prove to himself he can “achieve anything.”
Opening up about his own mental health struggles, the 41-year-old admitted he suffers from “self-doubt” and explained that running has been a good way to release stress.
“When I run, I do it all by myself and it is a nice, calm atmosphere,” he explained. “You might think of things to motivate yourself. You’re not thinking about anything that’s negative.”
While this is not Martin’s first endurance challenge, it will be by far the longest distance he has covered in such a short space of time.
“I love a challenge; it’s something I’ve done in the past. I’ve done 20 half marathons in one month. I’m quite a spontaneous person, when I say I’m going to do something, I’ll make sure I do it.”
He said his children were the driving force behind his determination to complete the challenge. “I did my last Challenge Day, they were so supportive, to the point where it brought an emotional tear down my face. It was all there for the last one.”
The Salford dad is aiming to run the race in “April going into May” next year, but said he needs to raise money to get to the starting line.
“I have got to raise money to get to that point. There are a lot of things to think about in terms of flights, accommodation, car hire, fuel, but first and foremost, it is about raising money for charity.”
More information about Martin’s Stateside marathon challenge is available here.
