Jerseyman to run Sydney marathon in friend’s honour

Sunday 17 September 2017

A Jerseyman, who now lives in Australia, is running 42km in Sydney to honour his best friend who took his life last year.

23-year-old Brett Goodfellow (pictured above, left) has been collecting sponsorship for Mind Jersey in memory of his friend, James Bailey, who took his own life last year after battling with mental illness.

Despite vowing never to do another long-distance run after completing the 2015 London Marathon, Brett has decided to put his running shoes back on to honour the memory of his friend. “Anybody that knew James (and that is a lot of people due to his friendly and outgoing nature) would agree with me by saying that James is dearly missed my his family and friends, his cheeky smile would be enough to brighten up any room he stepped into in and we would all do anything to have him back with us.”

Ahead of his run, Brett has already smashed his £1,000 fundraising target for the charity, which he says is “extremely close to my heart” and “provides invaluable support to such a wide range of people."

Pictured: Brett is hoping to raise awareness about mental health and support local charity Mind Jersey by running the Sydney marathon's 42km.

He hopes that his challenge will go some way to reducing the stigma surrounding mental illness, telling Express: “Young people, especially males, are liable to many different types of mental struggle and the whole stigma around ‘speaking’ to someone needs to be erased as soon as possible.

“Although you hear a lot of stories of young males struggling with mental illness and eventually taking their own life, you never expect it to affect someone so close to you. I hope that any sponsorship we raise will be utilised correctly, and will hopefully provide a ‘safe place’ for individuals struggling with mental health… If this could help one person get out of a dark place in their life to me that is priceless.”

After weeks of preparation in the idyllic Bondi Beach area (“I couldn’t pick a nicer environment”), Brett will today put on his running shoes. While a little nervous, he says he is looking forward to the event, and “…bursting with excitement to get over that line for James.”

Pictured: Brett and James with friends.

Brett extended his thanks to everyone who is supporting him in his race today: "I would just like to thank everyone that has donated already and in advance for anyone that will be donating in the future. I know how many different people are fundraising at the moment and for anyone to dive into their own cash to sponsor me and Mind Jersey - I am truly grateful."

You can read Brett's story and support his cause here.