Intrepid mental health advocate James Cooper, 37, will complete the remarkable feat of running a marathon every single day of 2024 – including Christmas Day - for the suicide prevention charity when he crosses the final finish line tomorrow (New Year’s Eve).

James, a personal trainer from East Grinstead, West Sussex will have run 9,589.2 miles in total, - the equivalent of running to Australia – completing 366 marathons in total given it’s a leap year.

Having experienced his own mental health struggles, and sadly losing his uncle to suicide, James is passionate about ending the stigma around suicide and encouraging people to open up about what they’re really going through.

So far, the challenge - known as Smilinggg 366 - has raised over £72,000 for Samaritans, helping the charity’s volunteers answer more than 7,200 life-changing calls from people struggling to cope.

Reflecting on a year like no other, James said: “We’re so much more capable of overcoming our challenges than we realise.

“I’ve chosen to do this challenge, and in our lives, we don’t get to choose the issues we face, but hopefully people will take inspiration that it is possible to tackle and overcome the hurdles in front of us.

“Having had my own personal struggles, I’ll believe in myself more.

“My absolute highlight has been the monthly community runs. Seeing so many people of all running abilities brave the weather early on a Sunday morning to run along with me, some doing their first marathons, has been really impactful.

“My fiancée Annabel ran her first ever marathon in March, five years to the day from when she attempted suicide, Samaritans were there for her so that was a very emotional day.

“There’s no doubt there’ll be tears tomorrow at the end. I’ve almost had to become a little robotic to get out and do it every day so I think the emotions will bubble to the surface when I cross that finish line.”

Completing the iconic distance at an average of five hours a day, starting at 6am before working in the afternoons, the Samaritans supporter will have clocked up almost 1,800 hours - the equivalent of running non-stop for more than 75 consecutive days and nights.

Throughout the year, James has had to contend with storms, mud, heat waves and snow yet hasn’t missed a single day.

James continued: “The hardest part was two or three weeks into the challenge – I could hardly run because of pain in my ankle. The anxiety about possibly not being able to run - I didn’t sleep and had to go out the next day still in pain.”

James credits his physio Alex Wheatman for keeping him fit and healthy throughout the year.

“There’s also been a few other days throughout the year where I’ve felt a bit down and not really wanted to go out. But that moment in January was the worst, both in the moment and thinking ‘I’ve got 11 months still to go!’

Looking ahead to his first day off running since 2023, he explained: “I want there to be a hard stop so I’ll intentionally take New Years Day off so I can completely close this chapter, but then on 2nd January I’ll start some kind of recovery, but it’ll be on my own terms.

“There’s been a lot of sacrifices; I’ve seen my friends and family a lot less than I normally would and I’ve had to work less; I haven’t had a proper holiday or been able to have late nights but I completely see that it’s a privilege to be able to do this; the positives far outweigh any negatives.”

Julie Bentley, Samaritans CEO, said: “James is an absolute superstar! His dedication to ensuring Samaritans volunteers continue being available for those of us struggling to cope is beyond remarkable. He’s an inspiration and should rightly be very proud of helping change - and in some cases save – people's lives. A massive congratulations and thank you, James – enjoy a very well-earned rest!”

To donate to James’ fundraising page, visit www.justgiving.com/page/smilinggg366

Ends

James is due to cross the finish line around 1pm, Tuesday 31st December at Middle Row, East Grinstead.

He’s available for interview, please contact press@samaritans.org

About James Cooper

By the end of the Smilinggg 366 challenge, James will have:

Run 9,589.2 miles – 366 marathons. Which is the equivalent of running to Australia – covering over 18 million steps

Spent almost 1,800 hours running – which is 75 days and nights of running continuously

Gone through 24 pairs of running shoes

Eaten over 1,400 bananas – 4 a day, as part of consuming 6,000 calories a day needed to sustain him

Climbed the equivalent of over 11 Mount Everests

James Cooper is a personal trainer who has completed several ultra marathons in support of mental health organisations, including Samaritans. More info http://smilinggg.com/pages/smilinggg366-challenge

James has been documenting his challenge on his Instagram page

About Samaritans

Every 10 seconds, Samaritans responds to a call for help.

Samaritans volunteers are available round-the-clock to listen and support people with whatever they are facing. They won’t judge or tell you what to do.

Anyone can contact Samaritans, free, any time from any phone on 116 123, even a mobile without credit. This number won’t show up on your phone bill. Or you can visit www.samaritans.org

Samaritans is a charity and it’s the public’s kind donations and around 23,000 volunteers that mean we are always there for anyone struggling to cope. Find out how you can support us or volunteer with us.

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