Former student completes 10 triathlons after suicide attempt

Fergus Crawley, 30, took on the gruelling challenge, totalling 24 miles of swimming, 1,120 miles of cycling, and 262 miles of running, to mark a decade since he attempted to take his own life in 2016 while studying in Durham.

Each day saw him complete an 'Ironman' in 10 different cities across the UK and Ireland.

He said: "It was a really special thing to experience, having created a project which allowed people to speak to a stranger about their own challenges.

"The fundraising is cool, the world record is cool, but the actual tangible impact on human beings along the way, I think that is the coolest."

Fergus Crawley has marked a decade since he tried to take his own life. (Image: Tom Curry/PA Wire)

The journey, which included stops in Glasgow, Belfast, Dublin, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Cardiff, and Bristol, was part of his TENacity project and aimed to raise funds and awareness for the suicide prevention charity CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably).

More than £30,000 has been raised to date.

Mr Crawley believes endurance sport has been instrumental in his own recovery, offering lessons he now applies to his life and mental health.

He said: "All the little lessons, all the little messages and things that I’ve taken away are completely akin to how I would look at my own experience in the past from a mental wellbeing and suicide prevention point of view.

"For example, on day eight of the challenge, I’d written myself off.

"I did not see any way forward, I couldn’t really figure out how I was going to be able to move on, but just by bite-sizing things down and relying on the people around me, knowing I could ask for their help, that allowed me to rebuild momentum."

One of his greatest supporters has been his French Bulldog, Odie, who helped him regain confidence and purpose during his time at university, and later during the challenge.

Fergus and his dog Odie. (Image: Tom Curry/PA Wire)

Mr Crawley said: "To have him there was amazing, Odie is a key part of the story and to have him there was a nice way of tying together the past decade."

He is believed to have set a new world record for the most cities to complete a full-distance Ironman triathlon on consecutive days.

Reflecting on the support he received, he said: "The 500-plus people who showed up as part of the project showed me that I know every single one of them could be a stranger you could rely on.

"There are people out there who are willing to help, and that doesn’t necessarily need to be anything more than just being there to listen or being present."

Donations can be made at givestar.io/gs/project-tenacity.