Personal trainer prepares to bear crawl for a half marathon from Southsea to Portsmouth city centre to raise cancer charity funds

This is because personal trainer and triathlete Ryan Harris can be spotted training for a gruelling half-marathon bear crawl.

Ryan, from Wymering, is undertaking six months of training for this challenge, the first of two epic events this year in the name of mental health support.

The 26-year-old, who has had a lot of triathlon events cancelled over the past year, said: ‘I’m obsessed with challenging myself to see how far I can mentally and physically push myself.

‘I’m really enjoying it, it’s a different type of training to what I’m used to. I can’t turn in bed sometimes because my shoulders ache so much.

‘I have to wrap my hands every day, I’m getting blisters every day. I’m spending a fortune on wraps and bandages.

‘It’s a lot of strain on the body but it’ll be worth it when I get to the end. Training’s going really well, I just get lots of funny looks.’

Ryan, who runs Ruthless Performance Academy, will take on this epic challenge on July 4, starting from South Parade Pier and finishing in the city centre.

He is aiming to raise funds for charity Mental Health UK and raise awareness around the subject.

He said: ‘I think so many people, especially men, struggle with mental health and don’t know how to talk about it. I find myself in a rut sometimes and I don’t want to open up about it or bother my friends.

‘The way I’m seeing it now is you’re not actually bothering people. I want to raise awareness that you’re not a burden on people’s shoulders if you ask for help.’

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Three weeks after this first event, Ryan will be embarking on an enormous charity journey to run from Lands End to John o’Groats.

He will also be climbing the Three Peaks on the way, and then climbing on his bike in John o’Groats to cycle back.

Ryan, who has his sights set on the 2028 Olympics, said: ‘It’s me pushing myself, I want to be the first person to do it.’

He anticipates the challenge to take around 30 days, running between 50 and 60 miles each day.

Visit justgiving.com/fundraising/ryanharrisfitness to donate or linktr.ee/ryanharrisfitness to keep up with Ryan’s progress.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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