Ben White, 29, is running the challenge of a lifetime to raise money for the Bright Young Dreams campaign, founded by Ben’s childhood hero, Olympic champion Jessica Ennis-Hill, in support of the Sheffield Children’s Hospital Charity.
Ben and his wife will travel across Europe to Krakow, Prague, Vienna, Munich, Luxembourg, Brussels, and Groningen from August 23 to 29 August, with Ben completing a marathon in each city.
Growing up as an only child, Ben often felt isolated – feelings that became worse when he moved into secondary school.
In Year 8, another pupil mocked the way he ran, giving him the nickname ‘goose’ that stuck and followed him throughout his school years.
Ben told the News Shopper: “I don’t know whether he picked it up from P.E lessons or just kind of how I’d run on the playground, but he would call me a goose for how I’d run.
“He wouldn’t just say it; he’d mimic and exaggerate the way I ran and make goose noises when I passed.
“Unfortunately, once another student caught wind of it, they too decided to join in.
“It soon became a game for everyone, and I was never greeted by my name again, just with an animal noise.”
Ben, who’s confidence was knocked at the time, was scared to go into school as he said people would find him on their breaks to make fun of him.
Ben added: “The bus to and from school was hell for me, as I would endure it there too.
“I used to pretend I was sick so I could stay at home, and at times it did escalate to physical bullying.”
During this time Ben didn’t feel able to share what was happening to him.
Unable to communicate how he was feeling, he would have outbursts of anger at his mum.
Ben added: “I was too young to know what any of that was, so only now when I look back can I see that it was affecting my mental health.
“Bullying can have such an effect on your mental health because you experience so much fear and loneliness but also issues with trust.
“I never felt safe, and there was no outlet for my emotions so I kind of lost myself as a person entirely throughout secondary school.”
Despite everything he was going through, Ben made himself a promise back then – he promised himself he’d run a marathon one day.
You can donate to Ben’s fundraiser here
He knew what he wanted to do, but he was afraid to start because he was still experiencing the bullying.
Then in 2012, as he finished up his time at school, the London Olympics happened.
He said: “When you watch the Olympics, you see people from all walks of life, of all different ages and backgrounds, competing to be the best.
“That gave me hope – that if I showed a little bit of dedication to running, I could rewrite the story people had written for me.
“I saw that the people I was watching were once like me too, in that they too had to start from somewhere.
“I realised that I wanted to achieve something for me, for all the years I’d struggled.
“I wanted to prove that however I run to other people, or however they saw me, they could only hurt me temporarily and the permanence of it would be the strength it gave me.”
Ben saw the Olympics as a turning point for him, and he started his running journey, completing his goal and running his first marathon in 2018.
Now, anytime Ben finds himself struggling, he sticks on the running shoes that saved him.
This year, Ben has set his sights on his biggest challenge yet – seven marathons in seven days.
The marathons are self-defined, as Ben has planned the challenge to represent his experiences of being bullied and struggling with his mental health.
“I want to complete the challenge alone to represent the loneliness we feel when we’re struggling with our mental health and when we’re being bullied”, Ben told the News Shopper.
You can follow Ben’s journey on Instagram: @ben_white_poetry
Ben will finish his challenge in Groningen football stadium, which he said represents “community and togetherness”.
The stadium also connects to Ben’s love of the Olympics and how it inspired him.
He said: “The Olympics gave me the motivation to go outside.
“I followed Jess and Mo Farah’s story before the games, and I saw how powerful sport could be.
“I massively looked up to Jess, and I still do.
“I have since learnt that Jess went through bullying in her younger years too.
“Alongside her incredible dedication to her craft, I was just in awe of the person she was.
“It doesn’t matter who they are, where they come from, what gender they are – you can take inspiration from anyone, and that’s what Jess has been for me.”
