Mental health has never been openly recognised as a serious illness in both military and civilian walks of life. I have witnessed an increased rise during my time in the military and thankfully we are becoming better at recognising the symptoms and being open to admit when there is an issue. This seven day extreme event intends to raise awareness to these issues, including sleep deprivation arising from anxiety and stress, at the same time elevating the profile of the work Combat Stress does to support service personnel and veterans with PTSD, anxiety and depression.

Seven days of pain is nothing compared to what our service personnel and veterans go through, both mentally and physically, suffering in silence. The event was named based on this, and is a play on words. Enduro represents the endurance it will take to complete the event, whilst at the same time references the endurance many of our service personnel and veterans suffer on a daily basis. The seven represents the duration of the challenge, seven days, the seven different daily activities, as well as linking with the seven independent forces serving to protect and support the nation.

The focus of our team is on the care and support of others, doing what we can to raise the profile of our chosen charity and build donations for a worthy cause. Whilst the challenge itself is being completed by one man, there are a team of people who are donating their time and efforts to ensure that the event happens on time and to plan. During the challenge a support crew will be on hand to ensure the event remains as safe as possible, with full risk assessments taking place. Behind the scenes, our marketing agency and key sponsors are donating their services for free, for which we cannot thank enough.