A ST HELENS man has committed to another year of gruelling physical challenges after raising more than a hundreds thousand pounds for charity.
After living a "party life" of drugs and alcohol, Dan Hodges, from Eccleston, suffered from severe depression and attempted to take his own life in 2018.
However, after a long road of recovery and unconditional support from family and friends, Dan is in a much better place and has committed to several challenges to raise money for those going through similar mental health problems.
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Since 2019, Dan has run a total of seven marathons and has also been involved in further challenges such as charity boxing matches and a climb up Everest Base Camp and Mount Kilimanjaro.
In total, this has raised more than £105,000 for various charities, such as Willowbrook Hospice, the Standing Tall Foundation, the Steve Prescott Foundation, Cancer Research and more.
Getting the fitness bug on his road to recovery, Dan has now committed to the London marathon in April and the New York HYROX event in June.
Currently in training for the capital marathon, the 34-year-old will be racing for Samaritans and recently featured in the mental health charity's promotional video for the race.
The HYROX event will see Dan participate in an exhausting workout with competitors from all over the globe, which is made up of several running and weight-centric workout stations.
Dan, from Eccleston, said: "As my story has been out there before, Samaritans got in touch and asked if I would run the marathon for them, which I thought was fitting after my journey.
"Running helped to save my life and gave me purpose and meaning, and Samaritans was always there on the end of the phone, to provide comfort in conversation for me, like so many others, so it will be my absolute honour and privilege to represent them on this race.
"I had a bit of a break after my last challenge and I have been demotivated by some negative comments.
"But I've realised there is a reason I do all of these challenges. It keeps me fit, gives me something to strive for, and raises money and awareness for vital charities.
"If I can carry on raising awareness for these charities then that's good enough for me."
To support Dan's efforts you can donate to his Samaritans marathon fundraiser here.
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