Shropshire farmer tackles 52 half marathons for mental health

A Shropshire farmer is tackling 52 half marathons in 52 weeks to raise awareness of mental health challenges facing the farming community.

Ed Riley, who farms near Church Stretton, has completed 42 runs. Just 10 remain before he finishes his year-long challenge in January.

See also: Farmers urged to tackle stress before reaching crisis point

The idea followed an unexpected cross-country race victory last Christmas, after several months of training.

“I bet I can’t do all these every weekend for a year,” he recalled thinking after completing his first half marathon in January.

Ed initially kept his ambition secret, booking races throughout the year to maintain motivation while concentrating on staying injury-free.

“When I started off, I thought if I can get halfway, that’s going to be good. Twenty-five is an effort. And when I got to June, I was like, ‘Right, I can actually do this now’.”

Ed Riley © Frazer McCance

Balancing farming commitments

Running a 445ha arable enterprise growing wheat, barley, oilseed rape and beans, alongside rearing 600 beef cattle annually and being a dad, has made finding time particularly challenging.

Harvest and autumn drilling proved especially difficult, sometimes reducing his usual three weekly training runs to just one.

“You have to be very dedicated to it, but you know how long it takes you,” he said.

Some weeks meant completing half marathons just six days apart to accommodate farm work and family commitments.

All his running takes place off-road, using South Shropshire’s hills, tracks and footpaths.

Ed Riley with his children Clemmie, Freddie and Floss © Frazer McCance

Fitness and recovery

Ed credits his everyday activity with maintaining fitness, averaging 25,000 steps daily through walking round the farm and tending cattle.

Previous marathon training taught him the importance of pacing and managing injuries rather than pushing through discomfort.

“Don’t try and run injured. This is a big thing,” he said.

With a long-standing knee problem, he adapts routes, avoids difficult terrain when necessary and allows time for recovery.

Supporting mental health

Although Ed initially took on the challenge to test his endurance, he now hopes to raise funds and awareness for Herefordshire-based mental health charity We Are Farming Minds.

“We are not a very good community of talking people,” he said, expressing concern that especially younger farmers don’t talk enough.

Mental health, he said, is something we need to acknowledge “rather than burying our heads in the sand”.

With no fundraising target set, Ed hopes to generate as much support as possible.

His final competitive race is planned for the Brecon Beacons in November, before completing his 52nd half marathon in early January 2027.

You can support Ed via his JustGiving page.