Man runs 30 marathons in 30 days 'to break stigma'

Jake Burnham is aiming to raise £1,000 for CALM

A man who ran a marathon every day for a month is hoping to "break the stigma" around men sharing their emotions.

Jake Burnham, a personal trainer in Bristol, raised £2,500 for charity Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) while completing the challenge over September.

He has faced his own mental health battles and uses running as a way to confront his fears and anxieties.

"It only takes small steps to improve your mental health," he said.

"On the run, certain thoughts would pop up, such as not feeling good enough, so I would address them as running gives you the confidence to do so," he added.

Mr Burnham, from Cheltenham, was also running in memory of men he knew who took their own lives.

He invited anyone to walk or jog a mile with him and discuss their problems.

Mr Burnham graduated with a degree in sports coaching in 2012

"It is all about making that first step, opening up for the first time," Mr Burnham said.

"You are only one conversation away from saving someone's life.

"We need to break the stigma - you don't have to be constantly successful, there is room for error, it is OK not to feel 100% all the time, and you can speak up," he added.

Mr Burnham ran 26.2 miles (42.1km) a day across Bristol, Cheltenham, Gloucester and other areas of the south-west of England.

He completed the challenge on Saturday.

Mr Burnham wants to break the stigma around men "not speaking up"

"It was actually less painful while running, whenever I stopped it really hurt," Mr Burnham said.

"The speed in which my fitness increased every day was insane - I don't know how I pulled it out of bag.

"Some days, I felt like giving up, but I got myself up and going," he added.

Many of Mr Burnham's family and friends came out to support him, some ran short distances with him, sharing and addressing their own mental health problems along the way.

"Over time, I have really peeled back the layers of my personality," Mr Burnham added.

"Every day, I open up more and more, its easy to push things down and shut them away, but in the long term it all builds up.

"I want other men to open up and share their feelings - the first step is the hardest."

Mr Burnham's next challenge is 100 marathons over 100 days which he hopes to begin next summer.

Follow BBC West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: [e-mail]