{"id":1244,"date":"2026-02-05T12:00:15","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T12:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sandbox\/?p=1244"},"modified":"2026-02-05T12:00:19","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T12:00:19","slug":"south-yorkshire-runner-completes-marathon-to-raise-money-for-mental-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sandbox\/2026\/02\/05\/south-yorkshire-runner-completes-marathon-to-raise-money-for-mental-health\/","title":{"rendered":"South Yorkshire runner completes marathon to raise funds for mental health charity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A man from South Yorkshire has completed the London Marathon to raise money for mental health in aid of his brother.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cI wasn\u2019t thinking about the medal, I was thinking about my brother,\u201d says Mark Ellison<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

When Mark Ellison crossed the finish line of last year\u2019s London Marathon, the 42-year-old from Sheffield wasn\u2019t chasing a personal best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ellison, who describes himself as \u201ca very average runner\u201d, signed up for the marathon in memory of his younger brother Jamie, who died in 2021 after struggling with his mental health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cI just felt like I needed to do something that mattered,\u201d Ellison says. \u201cSitting with it wasn\u2019t helping anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Training began in January, Ellison ran through Endcliffe Park, up Ecclesall Road and along quiet suburban streets, building mileage week by week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThere were days I hated it,\u201d he said. \u201cMy legs hurt, my motivation disappeared, and I kept thinking, \u2018Why did I sign up for this?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

He began posting updates on social media, sharing both good runs and bad ones. Friends, colleagues and strangers soon began donating to his fundraising page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cPeople started messaging me with their own stories,\u201d he says. \u201cThat\u2019s when it stopped being just about me.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

On race day in April, Ellison pinned a small photo of his brother to his running vest. He says it made the experience both harder and easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen things got tough, I just looked down,\u201d he said. \u201cIt reminded me why I couldn\u2019t stop.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ellison completed the 26.2 miles in just over four and a half hours, raising more than \u00a36,000 for Sheffield Mind, a local mental health charity. The money has since gone towards funding counselling sessions and community support programmes across the city. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now back to his usual short runs, Ellison says the marathon changed the way he thinks about loss and about himself. He said the training gave him something to focus on during a time when everything else felt heavy, and helped him get through days that might otherwise have felt overwhelming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He hopes the money raised, and the conversations that followed, will encourage people to talk more openly about mental health, especially men who often feel they have to deal with things on their own. For Ellison, the run was never about proving a point, but about doing something meaningful in his brother\u2019s name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/maps.app.goo.gl\/CtQVSueG5QatdcRj7<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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