Mental health campaigner midway through gruelling Three Peaks record challenge

An adventurer and mental health activist has begun a record-breaking attempt to scale the three Peaks of Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon and run more than 400 miles between them. 

Alex Staniforth, who lives in Kendal, is doing it in aid of his new charity "Mind over Mountains" and to raise awareness of mental health problems during lockdown. He began at Ben Nevis at 4am on Friday and will reach Carlisle tonight (Monday 24th August) where he'll be around halfway through his challenge. 

For years he's battled mental health issues and found relief in pushing himself to new heights in the mountains. Now lockdown has spurred him to tackle one of his biggest challenges so far.

"We've all had to face a recent challenge that we didn't choose and for me it's the outdoors and the outdoor goals that have given me that way to fight back and overcome my personal challenges and mental health challenges as well," he said. 

To break the record Alex will have to complete the run in less than nine days and 11 hours. It's a journey of 440 miles and he'll be running the equivalent of almost two marathons every day.