Matt & Calm
Matt is running the Run the Country Ultra to change minds, save lives and raise £105,000 of critical funding for CALM.
MaTT Bagwell
Endurance athlete, performance coach.
Matt is an endurance athlete and performance coach, living in Brighton, UK.
Matt’s battles with depression led him to preparing to kill himself. He changed his mind, twice, instead choosing to stay, to live.
Matt now uses a ‘bento box’ of practices to maintain his mental performance, most notably running and breathwork.
Matt designed the Run the Country Ultra as the epitome of recovery, an extreme demonstration of what’s possible when someone changes their mind to survive depression and even better, avoid crises altogether.
“I chose to stay. I chose life. Stood on the edge, I changed my mind. I want to help people do the same, changing theirs. Right now. Tomorrow. Next week. Every single kilometre.’’
Calm
The Campaign Against Living Miserably
Every day, 18 people in the UK take their own life; 14 of those people will be male. Matt is running the Run the Country Ultra to ensure CALM are there to rewrite this tragic story.
The Campaign Against Living Miserably is leading a movement against suicide, challenging the causes of societal stigmas around mental injury. They also run a free and confidential helpline and webchat, staffed by professionals, 7 hours a day, 7 days a week for anyone who needs to talk about life’s problems.
£8 covers the cost of a potentially live-changing call. Matt is aiming to raise £105,000, £100 for every kilometre he runs, fuelled by knowing every £ funds CALM to save lives.