Marathon 4 Mental Health
A flexible marathon - wherever you are in the world.
ISWAN
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MHG Insurance
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Burgess
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Seas The Mind
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Superyacht Services Guide
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Hill Robinson
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ISWAN ∙ MHG Insurance ∙ Burgess ∙ Seas The Mind ∙ Superyacht Services Guide ∙ Hill Robinson ∙
A flexible marathon,
just for crew.
Run, walk or hike 26.2 miles on your own time throughout October 2026 to raise money for charity and building awareness for mental health resources specific to crew.
Break it up however you want.
Who’s this marathon for?
Crew and seafaring industry professionals across the globe.
Being crew is intense. Long hours, high standards and little time for yourself.
Marathon 4 Mental Health is here to change that, by giving you a simple, flexible challenge to reconnect with your mental and physical well-being, no matter where you are in the world.
❝ M4 honestly was a breath of fresh air to push us through the last stretch of our season.
It provided us with a fun and healthy outlet whilst raising awareness with regards to mental health and the wellbeing thereof within our community
Thank you, to Mel, and her amazing team, for connecting us in this journey and for motivating everyone to contribute towards the resources and tools to aid in bettering and empowering yachties. ❞
Katerina, Stewardess
The WHY
When you enter Marathon 4 Mental Health, you commit to fundraising a minimum amount for the International Seafarer Welfare and Assistance Network (ISWAN).
ISWAN supports seafarers and their families around the world with their free helpline services, educational resources, relief funds and humanitarian support.
The countdown to Marathon 4 Mental Health
Our Story
Hey, I’m Mel
❝ Having worked in all things mental health and seafaring since my exit as a yacht chef in 2020, I could see there was a void between the amazing resources that already exist for crew wellbeing and the communication of those resources to crew before they leave the dock.
Having uncovered the mental benefits of training for the London marathon, I remembered it would have been impossible for me to enter a marathon when I was working at sea, but getting out for a jog or hike was always a great way to shake off the stress of the job.
I thought it would be awesome to build a marathon that everyone in seafaring could ACTUALLY take part in and give them access to the welfare resources to keep them well on board in the process.
Add in an element of giving back to charity to boost the feel-good factor and the picture was complete! I can tell you more about the journey - just hit the button below. ❞
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Choose from our Eco Entry (online only entry £10) or Standard Entry (£30) which includes a feel-good hat and medal pin.
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We will send you a link to a personal fundraising page which directly links to ISWAN charity so that you can raise money to keep their seafarer welfare services alive.
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Work our how you might split up your marathon miles. Run 2 half marathons. Perhaps a 5k run and split up the rest as 3 big hikes with your pals on the weekend. Perhaps attend one of our international community 5ks.
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Join us on socials & Strava and share your marathon journey. There will be plenty of us to hype you on!
How to get involved
