Release date: September 06, 2021
Gary Rothwell
A Rochdale Army veteran climbed Scafell Pike 10 times in just 24 hours – the height of Mount Everest – to raise awareness about men’s mental health and suicide prevention.
Gary Rothwell, who runs Forever-Strong Fitness and Performance, started at 7am on August 22nd and ran up and down England’s highest mountain ten times in 23 hours.
Before his challenge, Gary said, “Granted, it’s only 24 hours and, by and large, 24 hours is a very short amount of time. But when you are in the moment and have problems, 24 hours can seem like a long time. “
His first ascent took just 66 minutes, four of them in avocado print underwear and his bright orange running shoes.
He said, “I bought some avocado budgie smugglers because I’m vegetable now. I said if I could raise £ 1,000 I would go to these very countries. I ended up doing four which made people laugh and ask them what I am doing. One guy sponsored me £ 50 for passing him five times on the way up.
“I met some great people on the hill who also inspired me.”
The impressive performance was made even more notable when Gary suffered a freak fall in the Ashworth Valley that summer, in which he suffered a double fractured skull, a dislocated knee and a broken pelvis.
Gary Rothwell – only in his avocado pants – at the top of Scafell Pike with a crowd
Gary stated, “I took on the challenge after recovering from my fall. I fell 20 feet down a rock face at Ashworth Falls where my head landed in the water. I crawled out of an eight-foot-high earth bank into the street, called my wife and asked her to meet me at Clay Lane intersection – about half a mile away – where she drove me to the hospital.
“All of this happened within 24 minutes; I think my training in the army got me out of the situation. I was in the hospital for another five or six days, trying to focus on one challenge; I didn’t want to feel sorry for myself and wanted to show what you can achieve if you get involved. “
Gary continued, “During the day it was easy because there were people around, but on hill seven I had a tear in my eye and wanted to stop. I thought, ‘I only have three more,’ but then I realized it was eight hours in the dark. The donations received earlier got me involved and the donation notifications received while I was running kept me going. It was hard work towards the end.
“Every time I got to the top it was cloudy and you couldn’t see anything. On my last ascent at 6:30 am there was a beautiful sunrise so I sat up for an hour and enjoyed the scenery. Without David Shaw, my support crew, who provided me with brew, soup and treats day and night, I would not have made it. “
In total, Gary covered a staggering 55 miles and raised over £ 2,700 for Movember, the men’s mental health charity.
He said: “I’ve had a tough time with my mental health for the past 18 months so I wanted to try and raise £ 3,000 for Movember. I’ve suffered before and reaching out helps. The statistics on male suicides are insane: anything we can do to raise money for research, get people to the right place, shows that care is needed. “
Donations to support Gary can still be made through the Movember website for one week.
help and support
One in four adults and one in eight young people have a mental health problem. In the UK, men are three times more likely than women to commit suicide and are less likely to seek help with mental health problems. Suicide is the leading killer of men under the age of 50, while the highest rate in England occurs in men aged 45-49.
When life is difficult, Samaritans are there for you – day and night, 365 days a year. You can call them toll free at 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, or visit www.samaritans.org to find the branch closest to you.
Some safe places are specially designed for young people or men, such as Andy’s Man Club or CALM, the campaign against living in misery, for men aged 15 to 35 (0800 58 58 58 – daily, 5:00 p.m. to midnight: 00 o’clock).
Andy’s Man Club Rochdale offers men a safe space to speak openly about their worries and mental health problems. If you would like to participate please send an email to info@andysmanclub.co.uk or send a message on the Facebook page.
