“It’s 90% between the ears,” Ballymena man finish EU27 marathon challenge with run between Dublin and Belfast

A 27-year-old from Ballymena, is on the verge of completing 27 marathons in every EU capital city to raise money for mental health charity Movember.

Movember is the leading men’s health charity in the UK, funding over 1,300 projects across the world since 2003 to tackle mental health and suicide prevention, prostate cancer and testicular cancer.

Ben Gaston set out his goals on JustGiving : “Every year I mindlessly attempt to grow a moustache and chuck a few quid in donations. This year I want to do more.”

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However, in August, eight marathons in, he told Belfast Live that his hip was “flaring like crazy,” and he was already having to “keep figuring ways around the wee niggles.”

Now with over £7,000 raised and 26 marathons behind him, Ben reflected on what has kept him going.

“Probably the people donating, to be honest,” Ben explained, “I said I was going to do it, and people have donated their hard-earned money to it. It's not really right of me to give up unless something really serious injury-wise happened.

“If there's something I can get through, I'll get through it. I've always had that attitude.”

He also made sure to mention the support he has received on social media, connecting with friends, both old and new, and inspiring them with his mission.

“It's nice to open up some of those conversations with lads. Again, I come from a small rugby country town background in Northern Ireland, so talking about your feelings isn't exactly the norm, it's probably quite uncomfortable for some of us.

“I guess the message is if anyone's getting it tight, don't be embarrassed… try and get out of your comfort zone as much as possible and prove to yourself that you can overcome things.”

And as if completing 26 marathons across Europe wasn’t enough, Ben has decided to close out November with a 100-mile run between Dublin and Belfast, aiming to finish under 24 hours.

He said: “I'm looking forward to it, nervous and a little bit scared, but I'm looking forward to challenging myself and seeing what I’m made of.

“It's 90% between the ears, so hopefully I've built up enough grit to get through that one as well.”

Mike Lawrence, a Movember representative, praised Ben’s extraordinary efforts:

“Challenges like Ben's send a powerful message of determination, perseverance, and the impact we can have when we come together for a cause.

“They inspire people to step outside their comfort zones, to be creative, and to push themselves in ways that matter.”

After completing the final run on home soil, Ben said he plans to put his feet up for a week or two but teased ‘a couple of ideas’ for future challenges that might need ‘a year of training to be able to do.’

You can follow Ben’s journey on Instagram and donate to his Movember JustGiving here .

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