MAN v FAT Bridgend will again be leading the way as a community club in the coming weeks, with their latest triathlon event, to raise money for Grassroots Suicide Prevention.
The event is a virtual triathlon, so clubs around the country can join in and we spoke to Bridgend’s community legend Dave Hughes to get the lowdown on this year’s get together.
Ahead of speaking to Dave, the key points are to note that entries must be in by 14th March and the triathlon itself to be completed by the 29th!
1) Firstly, you ran the same event last year, tell us about how that went
We ended up raising over £3,000 for 4Louis charity. We had over 30 participants from 11 separate MAN v FAT clubs around the UK.
2) How important are events like this in bringing men in MAN v FAT together?
For me, this event is all about inclusion. Loads of us look at events and think “I’m not fit enough for that” or “I’m worried I’ll embarrass myself”.
I wanted to create an event that incentivised people to use this as a starting point to test themselves. All events can be broken into manageable chunks and you can do it wherever suits you within the 2 week completion window.
We had people swimming in pools, rivers, ocean. Bikes, watt bikes, gym bikes. There is always a way for those that want to take part as a team or individual.
3) You’re a huge advocate of mental health both within the Bridgend club and more widely in MAN v FAT, how important has the programme been for your mental health and those of your clubmates?
It’s very well documented with my close friends and family that I have to be busy or have something positive to focus on or my mental health falls to pieces. I spoke to Richard Crick about a common misconception of charity and mental health work.
People think you do it for selfless reasons but for me, I benefit massively from how it makes me feel and how it gives me purpose. I’m selfish in the sense that I do it in equal parts for others and my own mental wellbeing being.
Last year the people who were most sceptical about signing up have been the ones begging me to do the event again. It gave them confidence and a sense of being able to do what everyone does. That to me is worth everything and gives me a huge sense of pride.
4) How can men across MAN v FAT get involved in this year’s triathlon?
My phone number is 07853896432
My email is dhughes0588@gmail.com
On the poster is a QR code to join the events WhatsApp group for any queries, questions advice.
And I’m active in the MVF community Facebook group. I’m a very approachable person so I hope anyone who feels this could be for them could step forward.
