Man to run 12 marathons in 12 days for charity after losing brother

The brother of a man who took his own life will take on the mammoth challenge of running 12 marathons in 12 days for charity.

Scottish businessman Shaun Ennis will run 312 miles across the country over 12 consecutive days.

He will begin his journey in Inverness on October 26 before visiting all of Scotland’s cities en route to his final run into Glasgow 12 days later.

The father-of-three is raising money for Scottish Action For Mental Health (SAMH).

Christopher and Shaun Ennis (Handout/PA)

Mr Ennis, from Clydebank in West Dunbartonshire, lost his brother Christopher three years ago at the age of 35.

He said the grief of his sudden death compelled him to take on the feat.

He said: “Every minute of the day, I can’t get Christopher out of my head. I constantly ask myself, ‘Should I have listened more, should I have done this, or said that. What could I have done to make a difference? Could I have fixed it?’

“He’s in my head every morning. I just wish I could have made things better for him. He’s missed so much.”

Christopher was an engineer who worked in Glasgow. The brothers were a known duo on the city’s boxing scene, organising matches and fundraisers for charities.

Shaun’s route will begin in Inverness – before moving on to Aberdeen, Dundee, Perth, Stirling, Dunfermline and Edinburgh.

He will then undertake 26-mile runs through Argyll and Bute, East Renfrewshire, West Dunbartonshire and East Dunbartonshire.

“Christopher is behind every step,” he said. “Every move I make on those streets, every day.

“I’ve been doing 80 to 90 miles on average every week for five years. I haven’t stopped. I’ve maybe had a month off in that time. Christopher has motivated me to do this, and I will, even if I crawl at the end.”

He added: “What happened to Christopher had an effect on the rest of the family. You question your own mind and you question your own decisions in life. A lot of people in Scotland are suffering with poor mental health.”

Shaun previously ran 465 miles from London to Glasgow, raising £20,000 for last year’s Children In Need charity drive.

Shaun Ennis is running 12 marathons in honour of his brother (Handout/PA)

He said of the challenge: “It’s a final chapter for me to allow myself to lay him to rest. This is my time to understand that he isn’t coming back. If I can make even a small difference that will help give me peace and that’s all I want, because it’s hard.

“So I want to try to help people understand that help for mental health is there. There are people there to help at the end of a phone. I know this myself, and not just because I lost someone to suicide.

“There are times when I have been in a bad place too, but there is always light at the end of the tunnel, always someone to talk to.

“I don’t think anyone has taken on this challenge before, and I know it’s going to be so hard.

“Christopher would be laughing at me for doing something as tough as this, but at the same time I think he would be proud.

“I’m doing it for him, and to hopefully help people who are going through what he did.”