Cathal and friends take on 'Movember' challenge

Cathal Finan from Ballina is hoping to bring people together and get young people talking about mental health through his Movember running challenge.

Having come through a difficult period himself, 18-year-old Cathal understands some of the pressures facing young people today, from uncertainty about where they fit in, to feeling like they need to have everything figured out.

Through the challenge, he wants to encourage others to look out for their friends, know where to turn when they need help and feel more comfortable talking about how they are doing.

“Twelve months ago I was in CAHMS, I was going through a rough patch, having anxiety and depression. Twelve months on, I’m here, trying to spread the word and do my best to support young people,” he said.

The idea to take part in the Movember challenge came from Cathal's desire to address what he sees as a difficulty for young people today: knowing where they fit in, who they can turn to, and how to start a conversation when they are struggling.

“Movember sparked from the idea that young men, and young people in general, are kind of lost in society today, don’t know where they fit in and don’t know if there are people there to talk to and how to go about it,” he explained.

The challenge will begin on Thursday next, November 5, with Cathal and his friends running 60km throughout the month. Each kilometre represents one of the 60 men lost to suicide every hour around the world.

Cathal is inviting friends, strangers and anyone in the community to join them, with the runs open to everyone regardless of their sporting ability or whether they know anyone taking part. He hopes the challenge will give people a chance to come together, get active and, most importantly, talk.

“Anyone, men or women, can come and join us. Everyone is welcome. We are not aiming for pace, or for money. We are aiming to come together, get talking and have a bit of craic on the way,” he added.

The group will meet at Project Padel in Ballina at 7pm on November 5 for the first 10km run, followed by a 5km run on the morning of Sunday, November 8. Further dates and times, along with route plans, will be shared on social media throughout the month.

The routes have been planned to follow lit-up roads and paths, with checkpoints allowing people to join the runners at different stages. Whether someone feels comfortable running 5km, 10km or somewhere in between, they are welcome to take part for as much or as little of the run as they wish.

“The main goal is we all finish together,” Cathal said.

A coffee van will also be on site at Project Padel, so runners can sit down, have a coffee and get to know one another.

While fundraising is an important part of the challenge, Cathal is keen to stress that the inspiration for it goes deeper than the kilometres covered or the money raised.

For him, it is about bringing people together, creating opportunities for conversations and helping young people feel more comfortable opening up about how they are doing, particularly when things are not going well.

COMMUNICATION IS KEY

Cathal plays GAA with Ardnaree and St Muredach's and enjoys running in his spare time. He also has a close-knit group of friends, but he recognises that even among good friends, talking about mental health can sometimes feel awkward.

There can be uncertainty about what to say, how to approach someone who might be struggling or whether to bring up the subject at all.

Cathal values his ability to recognise when friends and teammates are not quite themselves, but understands that starting those ‘how are you’ conversations is not always easy.

Asked whether it can be difficult to reach out to friends as a group of 18-year-olds who are growing up and learning what it means to be a young man today, he replied: “One hundred per cent. You don't want to be a burden for them, you just want to check up on them. But to be able to sit down and have those conversations is so important.

“The bravest thing you can ever say is ‘Look, I’m not okay here, I’d like to get some help’,” he said.

For Cathal, telling a friend you are struggling doesn't mean expecting them to fix things or have all the answers. Sometimes, simply letting them know and having that acknowledged is enough.

He saw this in his own experience when he began opening up to friends about seeking support.

“I understood they were 17 years of age as well, they didn't have it all figured out either, and that was maybe the first time someone had said to them, ‘I’m not okay’. It’s just to be seen and to be heard, that's it. That can do the most for people.” 

He said even the smallest gestures can make a difference, whether it is going to the gym together, heading out for a kick-about or simply checking in to let a friend know you are there.

“Everyone goes through mental health their own way, and I think to appreciate and recognise that is really important,” he added.

Cathal's own experience has shaped his understanding of how difficult it can be to begin looking for support, even when services are available.

“I knew the support was there, but I didn’t know how to get to it,” he said.

Cathal said his family and girlfriend's support was important during that time. He then began opening up to his close friends about what he was going through.

“Having people around you who support you, that’s the key. I told one or two of my friends that ‘I'm going to CAMHS, I’m okay, but this is what’s happened’. Even just that simple check-in, to let someone know you’re not great right now, but it's going to be okay, and that you have it sorted. That's how I went about it,” he explained.

He pointed to support services like CAMHS, Mindspace and Pieta House, but said knowing how to access the help available is an important part of the process.

For Cathal, that is why it is so important to establish those foundations at a young age: knowing where to turn for support, but also feeling comfortable talking about mental health, so that if people reach a point later in life when they need guidance, they know how to ask for help.

He also hopes to challenge the pressure young men feel to have everything figured out. Growing up in a world where social media amplifies the age-old idea that comparison is the thief of joy, it can be all too easy to compare yourself to other people.

“I think growing up, especially in today's world, there is so much out there, so much information to process. That can become daunting and a bit overwhelming, that you have to look a certain way, perform a certain way, be a certain way.

“We have to have it all figured out, and we’re only 18 years of age, that's so daunting, and that stressed me out a lot, I felt I had to have everything sorted out and be there for everyone,” he said.

PUBLIC SUPPORT

The response to Cathal's Movember challenge has already exceeded his initial expectations. When setting up his fundraising page, he set a target of €250, and didn’t give too much thought to how much he might raise.

By the time he spoke to the Western People, he had raised more than €1,000 for Movember.

“It's crazy, I never expected it. The lowest [fundraising] amount possible was €250. I literally didn’t think about the money. People have been so generous, and people are doing what they can to support,” he said.

A social media video promoting the challenge had also gathered more than 19,000 views by the time of the interview, something Cathal did not anticipate. He admitted he had been nervous about posting it, with several retakes before he was happy to click the share button.

Cathal was open about having doubts early on about whether the challenge would come together. Despite those initial doubts, he is glad he and his friends decided to go ahead with the idea.

“It was scary wondering will people show up, are we going to raise money, is it going to work? We had all those questions, and those are so valid,” he said. “You’re questioning yourself, thinking, ‘am I a bit naive taking this on’, but I’m glad we did. Now we have to go and get running.” 

It is a message he hopes other young people can take from the challenge too. Cathal believes young people can sometimes underestimate what they are capable of, holding themselves back because of internalised doubts.

“Young people are overlooked in terms of their capabilities, and I feel that once young people get an idea, that to go and accomplish it is limited because they think ‘I’m only 18’ and they think they can’t,” he said. “It’s about changing that ‘can’t’ mindset to just go after it and accomplish it.” 

Between preparing for his Leaving Cert, playing GAA and working at Project Padel, Cathal has plenty to keep him busy. Asked what life is like as an 18-year-old in Ballina, he said he is happy with where he is, enjoying his work, his friendships and his football.

Taking on the Movember challenge is another part of that busy life, but Cathal hopes it will encourage other young people not to let doubts about their age or abilities stop them from pursuing an idea.

Just as importantly, he hopes it will encourage more young people to talk openly about mental health, learn where they can access support, check in on one another and feel comfortable asking for help.