A COMPASSIONATE Lutterworth man is taking on a gruelling rowing challenge on ‘Blue Monday’, in support of a mental health charity.
Sunim Koria will attempt to row 50,000 metres – 31 miles – in under four hours on his indoor rowing machine to raise money for Mind, on behalf of his employer Lantra.
He will take on the challenge on Monday (January 18) which, as the third Monday in January, is widely claimed to be the most depressing day of the year.
Freelance musician and e-learning product developer Sunim, originally from Rugby, said the hobby had helped him during lockdown.
He said: “I began indoor rowing in early 2019 to help me get into shape, as I’d never really been that fit or sporty for most of my life.
“Due to the pandemic, I lost a lot of my freelancing work as a bass player for musical theatre shows over the region. I consequently became more serious about rowing over the first lockdown in March, possibly as a way to deal with my frustration and fill the void left by the lack of music work.
“I have since ended up achieving a number of goals, such as rowing over two million metres since March, getting my 5,000 metre time to below 20 minutes, and rowing a full marathon.
“However, attempting to row 50,000 metres in under four hours is probably my biggest challenge yet!”
He added services like Mind were more important than ever before, with the ‘nation’s mental health in crisis’.
He said: “Indoor rowing has helped improve my wellbeing considerably and so coupling this activity with a fundraising event for an important mental health charity goes hand in hand.
“Mind have been incredibly resourceful to my employer over the years, lending their support for a number of wellbeing event days and mental health awareness training.
“Lantra is a company that takes the wellbeing of its employees very seriously. They have been very supportive over the past months and have adapted to the circumstances amazingly. It also has its own wellbeing team that I am proud to be a part of.”
He appealed for supporters to help him raise money for the charity.
“Anybody who is accustomed to long distance endurance events will know that the challenge is as much a mental one as it is physical,” he said. “With your donation, four hours of putting myself under such distress would mean many others can potentially be relieved from it, so please give as much as you can!
“Times are truly tough at the moment, and no-one should have to face a mental health problem alone.”
Visit https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/SunimKoria to donate.
