A marathon to remember: Summit 53

Lincolnshire business Systematic is a proud cheerleader for Summit 53. This is a mountain-sized, marathonlength challenge that team member Jill Bell is embarking on with her friend Kate Brown. It culminates on Sunday 1st October in Caistor, the market town that Systematic is proud to have called home for 48 years.

The Systematic team appreciate that struggling with a mental health issue feels like climbing a mountain too. Their Managing Director Chris Robey tragically lost the battle with his own mental health in September 2022. Chris was a respected businessman, a pillar of the Caistor community, and a running buddy for Jill and Kate.

Through Summit 53, Jill, Kate and Systematic are supporting the critical work of Andy’s Man Club, a national suicide prevention charity. It helps men to get on top of their feelings through the power of conversation. The aim is to raise at least £5,300 for the charity, to help fund their peer-to-peer support groups and
awareness events.

The significance of 53? Well, to run a marathon distance to an elevation equivalent to running up and down Snowdon from sea level, Jill and Kate will be running 53 ‘Round Robey’ circuits around Caistor. This is a training circuit that Chris devised after establishing Caistor Running Club in 2011, to help people ‘run for fun’ and for free. This half mile, undulating loop around the town, is still a firm fixture in the training plan of this popular club. Also, Chris was only 53 when he tragically passed away. It’s fitting that Summit 53 culminates on 1st October, his birthday and Lincolnshire Day.

Jill and Kate are reaching out to those who knew Chris, as well as runners, the Lincolnshire community and the many people who know the devastating impact that mental health challenges have, not just every day, but every minute. Tragically, around every 90 minutes someone dies from suicide in the UK alone, with suicide being the biggest cause of death in men under the age of 50. Clearly the effects of suicide on family members, loved ones and colleagues can be severe and far-reaching.

You’re invited to unite around this mental and physical challenge by finding Summit 53 on the Just Giving website. Jill and Kate are keeping their supporters in the loop on a Summit 53 Facebook page too. Most important of all, the call to action is to raise awareness of Andy’s Man Club and remind everyone of their first rule, that ‘it’s okay to talk’.