Mental illness shouldn't define us, says runner

A marathon runner who said he refused to be defined by a mental illness he had as a child has been pounding the pavements as part of a 365-day challenge.

Cooper Berry, 23, from Woodbridge, Suffolk, is running at least 7.5 miles (12km) every day in 2025 to raise money for Suffolk Mind – and has just conquered his 100th day.

The running coach had anorexia for six years from the age of 11 and hoped his year-long, 2,721 mile (4,380km) run would encourage more people to speak out about their mental health struggles.

"I am very lucky to still be here today and I do not take that for granted, but some people do still suffer in silence, so my goal is to get more men talking," he said.

"I think we still don't talk about our feelings enough and it can be really tough - 12 men take their own life every day in the UK, so that's why the number 12 has such significance.

"Even going for a run is really helpful and I just want people to have meaningful connections and speak about their feelings."

Mr Berry, who ran a marathon in two hours and 24 minutes - his personal best time - was driven to embark on the challenge after his high school friend took his own life.

"I have always wanted to do a charity challenge but that was a real calling for me to take action," he added.

"My parents work in the mental health sector so it has been a part of my life for as long as I have been alive and I've also struggled with my own mental health battles."

Mr Berry was diagnosed with anorexia as a schoolboy and missed out on large portions of education due to having to spend time "in and out of hospital".

According to the Priory charity, about 25% of those affected by an eating disorder are male, while about 10% of all people affected by an eating disorder suffer from anorexia nervosa.

Beat Eating Disorders said anorexia nervosa had the highest mortality rate of any mental illness.

"Still now there is not much support and I think people don't understand the illness and it can be judged in unfair ways, in males, especially," Mr Berry told the BBC.

"Anorexia is the most deadly of all mental illnesses, but I am fully recovered now and I don't want it to become my identity.

"I've found myself now and, while it made me who I am, it doesn't define me - I am Cooper."

Mr Berry, who recently ran 49 miles (79km) across Lanzarote and completed the Berlin Marathon, has 265 days of the challenge left to complete.

"I've been running for the majority of my life now, so it's just all about knowing when to put your foot on the accelerator and when to take it off," he said.

"It's been a crazy journey so far but I am glad to be at day 100 and I am sure I going to complete this.

"This isn't a gimmick or a fitness stunt, it's a personal mission to start conversations and remind people they're not alone."

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