Running is ‘ good’ for comic’s mental health
ROMESH RANGANATHAN says he knows how it feels to hit “rock bottom” but training for the TCS London Marathon has been good for his mental health.
Ranganathan, who is patron of the mental health charity Calm, said he “wasn’t a runner” before he started training for the April 21 event but has discovered that pushing himself outside his comfort zone has been a positive experience.
He will run as part of the charity’s team which includes Natalie Clements, whose brother Aaron died by suicide, and Luke Remfry who had suicidal thoughts when he felt “lost” following the breakdown of a relationship.
“I genuinely do think that in training for the marathon, it has done something for my mental health,” Ranganathan said.
“A lot of people talk about running and pushing yourself – to ‘ get out on the road’. But before this marathon training, I’d never run more than 10km. I really wasn’t a runner.
“And now 10km is something I’m doing regularly, and you realise it’s actually quite good for your mental health – to feel like you can push yourself to do stuff you haven’t done before.
“And hearing stories like Luke and Natalie’s shows you’re doing it for something bigger than yourself, to help save lives, and that will spur me on to finish, even if I have to crawl over the line.”
In an interview with the charity, Ranganathan, who is taking over Claudia Winkleman’s BBC Radio 2 Saturday morning show later this year, said he still does not consider himself a runner but wants to support “an amazing charity that genuinely does life- saving work”.
“There have been a number of occasions during my life that I hit rock bottom, and I genuinely thought about taking my own life,” he said.
“I came very, very close. And had I not sought out help, I probably wouldn’t be here with you today. And it’s for that reason that I felt really strongly about getting involved with the work that Calm do.”
Ranganathan, who lost a close friend to suicide, said: “The thing about suicide is that it feels so avoidable.
“I think that it just feels like the course of events could have been turned so easily, and that’s what’s really heartbreaking about it.”
Ranganathan added: “It’s a sad fact that 125 people in the UK die every week as a result of suicide. And it’s something that I couldn’t in good conscience do nothing about. And so for that reason, I am running the London Marathon in order to raise as much money as I possibly can.
“For Calm, I feel incredibly strongly about raising their profile, raising the awareness of their work and letting people know that if you feel alone, you can reach out to someone and get help.”