AN inspiring man who is now just weeks away from tackling a gruelling triathlon for a mental health charity hopes his efforts will inspire more people to seek help.

Samuel Janes, 22, of Hayes Road, Clacton, is currently preparing for a testing gym-based fitness task which he will take on next month.

As part of the event he will complete 50-miles of cycling, more than 12-miles of running, and nearly a mile of rowing as part of a potentially painful triathlon.

Mr Janes set himself the challenge in a bid to further the discussion around the importance of mental health and to raise money for the Mind charity.

He is now only a few hundred pounds shy of his £1,500 target and has been upping his daily training exercises as the big day edges ever closer.

“I have been biking and running as much as six times a week after work to prepare and increasing the difficulty week by week,” he said.

“Majority of the days it is okay but when I first started, I really did not enjoy but I have actually grown to fall in love with biking and running.

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“Some days you really do not want to do it, but you have to push through them days and keep the positivity.”

Mr Janes, who works on a building site, first experienced depression himself in 2018 but did not feel comfortable speaking to his friends or family.

In late 2019 he attempted to commit suicide, but now has a more positive mindset after finally confiding in his loved ones, who are now supporting him.

He is now hoping his openness and efforts to raise awareness of mental health illnesses will encourage other who are struggling to speak out.

“I have seen a lot of posts about depression and I have seen my close mates lose people through depression,” he added.

“So, it has made me want to achieve this goal even more. Hopefully, my back story will help people speak out before more people take their lives.”

To sponsor Samuel CLICK HERE and visit samaritans.org if you need support.