Drew Jonkmans has been reflecting on his achievements after running and cycling from Lands End to John O’Groats and back.
The 26-year-old Guernsey man completed his challenge last Friday, for Project Endure – his own 2,000-mile trek across the British Isles over 33 days to raise money and awareness for two mental health charities.
Bigmoose, provides free, immediate mental-health counselling to those in need, and the BecomingX Foundation helps young people from disadvantaged backgrounds realise their potential.
The reasons behind Mr Jonkmans’ taking on the challenge have been explained before. He hopes he can help others feeling hopeless by supporting the two charities Bigmoose and BecomingX.
“Four years ago, I had no hope for my future,” he said. “Through support, discovering ultra-running and realising that nobody sets our limits but ourselves, I managed to turn things around.
“This project is my way of showing that true strength can come from deep places of struggle and that there is always hope, no matter your situation.”
Mr Jonkmans had planned to run the whole way from Lands End to John O’Groats before cycling back, but a tendon injury on the third day while crossing Dartmoor forced him onto the bicycle sooner than expected.
He also endured 50 mph winds during Storm Amy and freezing rain as well as suffering unrelenting fatigue on the thousand-mile journey homeward, but he persevered and was greeted by family and friends on the finish line.
He is still hoping to reach his £100,000 fundraising target for his two chosen charities.
“Standing at the halfway point at John O’Groats was one of those moments where I looked back and saw how far I’d come – not just on the road, but from the lowest point in my life.
“I hope this challenge inspires others to know they are resilient and they can overcome dark times to find strength and hope. Thank you to everyone who has supported me. Please donate to these great charities and together we can make a positive difference to others.”
In total, Mr Jonkmans ran 593 miles, and cycled 1444 miles to hit the 2037 mile total distance that he covered.
The time and distance running meant that he completed the equivalent of 23 marathons in 18 days while his time on the bike saw him average 96 miles per day.
The total elevation covered was the equivalent to climbing Mount Everest nearly four times.
To keep him going throughout this challenge, Mr Jonkmans consumed multiple rice cakes, fairy cakes, M&Ms, and Jaffa Cakes as well as pasta and energy bars and gels.
No vegetables were consumed during the 33 days revealed Mr Jonkmans.
A documentary of the 2,000-mile challenge is in post-production and funds are still being raised to reach the £100,000 goal.
The bigmoose team said: “We’re so proud and grateful for everything Drew has achieved through his challenge. It’s been so incredible to watch his strength, perseverance and drive to help others over the course of the past few weeks.
“The money he’s raised will mean more people getting therapy when they need it most, more lives saved, and more hope for the future. Thank you, Drew, for making such an incredible difference.”
Donate through the Project Endure website at projectendure.co.uk.