A film documenting a North Shields man's 128-day marathon challenge premieres this week, with its makers hoping it "could save lives".
Leodhais Macpherson ran 128 daily marathons last year to raise money and awareness in honour of his brother Conor, who took his own life aged 21. Tynemouth RNLI lifeboats were called to a person who had entered the water, but no one was found.
In January last year, Leodhais began running marathons to "reach New York" from Newcastle. After 128 days he finished the challenge and proposed to his girlfriend Jaimie.
Film premiere at Tyneside Cinema
A film made by Andy Smythe in the final weeks of the challenge will premiere at the Tyneside Cinema, with a sold-out screening on September 30 and a second on October 6.
Leodhais and Andy said the film had become about coming to terms with grief as much as the challenge itself. Leodhais, who now lives with fiancée Jaimie in Canada, is planning his wedding and has begun another marathon challenge: completing all of the world's major marathons inside two years.
He told ChronicleLive: "A lot has happened since the running! Watching the film has been a strange experience. The whole purpose of the run and now the film was to continue the conversation [about mental health]. In parts it's hard to watch. but it shows the tough moments as well as the highs."
New global marathon challenge
Leodhais, 25, is tackling all of the World Marathon Majors, supported by Marathon Tours and Travels and Abbott World Marathon Majors. He is taking on 26 miles in London, Sydney, Berlin, Chicago, New York, Tokyo, Boston, Cape Town and Shanghai in that order, and has completed the first three so far.
He said: "It's a pretty incredible two years where I get to keep talking about my big brother, and continue talking about mental health and suicide and try to spread awareness. At the same time we have the documentary coming out."
Facing grief through running
Andy and Leodhais explained that the film shows Leodhais coming to terms with grief. Leodhais said: "I’d always called it the ‘Elephant in the Room,’ the fact that neither me or my parents could talk about Conor. There were photos of him all over the house, but sometimes, it felt almost as if he’d never even existed."
"Doing the challenge meant talking about Conor publicly for the first time and though that was difficult for me and especially my parents, it forced us to face up to feelings and thoughts we’d not dealt with."
In the film, his mum Louise admits the challenge made her uncomfortable at times, saying: "I don’t know if it’s a cultural thing, but in Scotland, grief is private. You don’t want your pain to be the gossip for people around you."
Leodhais, from North Shields, added: "We’re really proud of what we’ve managed to achieve between us and we truly believe this film can save lives."
Director Andy said: "I’m incredibly grateful to Leodhais in allowing me to document his journey and take him to some difficult places during the filming. We’d love it to be seen by as many people as possible to help continue the conversations around suicide and to support others going through a similar experience."
Leodhais has raised money for If U Care Share and the RNLI through his running. His fundraising last year topped £85,000, helping the mental health charity employ a support worker for the year.
