Former RAF Cottesmore engineer to run 30 marathons in 30 days in Cyprus for Movember charity
An RAF engineer is set to run a marathon every day for an entire month to support and promote men’s health.
Matt Clarke will face testing temperatures as he takes on his 30MarathonsForMovember challenge in Cyprus where he is currently stationed.
He is aiming to raise £5,000 for men’s health charity Movember with the epic odyssey, which begins on November 1.
“I signed up for the Larnaca Marathon on November 17 and people were asking if was going to look to raise money for charity,” Matt explained.
“A lot of people do marathons and request sponsorship, but I felt if I wanted to really maximise donations I needed to go bigger. So one marathon soon turned into 30 marathons, and here we are.”
Matt joined the RAF in 2002 as an aircraft engineer and is currently chief technician with the Engineering Wing Standards and Training Department at RAF Akrotiri on the Mediterranean island.
He was stationed at RAF Cottesmore for five years, working on the Harrier, and met his wife Rebecca who hails from the Rutland village.
The couple and their two daughters Penelope and Philippa visit family in Cottesmore whenever they return to the UK and are keen to settle in Rutland. Matt is aiming to secure a posting to RAF Wittering as soon as one comes up.
Though Matt will be running the 26.2-mile marathon distance for the first time, he has exceeded that distance many times and is no stranger to extreme challenges of physical endurance.
They include a 60km run from the sea to the 1,952m summit of Mount Troodos and a gruelling 240km four-day run across Cyprus.
Other challenges ticked off include completing 6,000 press ups in a month, and ascending and descending the height of Mount Everest using a set of aircraft steps. This one took just eight minutes shy of 24 hours.
“People ask why I do these challenges and how do I get through them,” Matt added.
“I came up with the idea that everyone needs a ‘why’ for these kinds of things.
“For me, it’s simple. It doesn’t matter how much it hurts and how much pain I am in, I will get better when I stop.
“Some people don’t get better, so I just think about them when it’s hard and keep going.”
As well as the obvious physical toll of multiple long-distance running without prolonged breaks, weather is an added factor, with temperatures currently in the thirties and likely to be no lower than the mid-twenties next month.
Matt, who is being supported by sponsors Leaflet Drop Marketing, Geoff Neal Printworks and ANAMC, believes solitude wil be another test.
“While I have many friends that have said they will come and do some running with me, I think I’ll be spending some very long, lonely hours by myself,” he said.
“But that’s OK. I want to highlight the work that Movember does, particularly their mental health work. Making this not just a physical, but mental challenge will really bring that part of their work to the fore.”
Movember is an annual event usually involving the growing of moustaches during the month of November to raise awareness of men's health issues, including mental health, and prostate and testicular cancer.
During his time with the RAF, Matt has completed a full tour in Afghanistan and multiple short tours in Iraq as well as three long tours in the Falkland Islands.
He says he is lucky not to have struggled with his mental health, but knows first-hand what can happen if such issues are buried.
“We all have our down days and moments, so I do try and take the advice of talking openly with family, friends or professionals to get the help and support we need,” he explained.
“I have also seen friends that haven’t opened up and left it too late, whether it’s with physical or mental issues. Unfortunately it hasn’t always ended well.”
Matt will give regular updates on his November odyssey through his Instagram page at 30MarathonsForMovember where you can also find a link to his fundraising page.
He is encouraging people to follow his progress and share the page.
