Land’s End to John O’Groats charity bike ride in 10 days!!
Doctors in distress charity is a charity committed to eradicating stigma, change behaviours and cultures and promote the value of good leadership to reduce suicide rates of medical doctors. Dr. Allan Johnston Sports Psychiatrist and State of Mind Sport Trustee meeting Dr. Dave at Old Trafford this week on route to Scotland
I am Subodh Dave, a Consultant Psychiatrist and I love to run. I have run all the major marathons (New York, Chicago, Boston, London, Tokyo and Berlin – even managing a sub-3 hr time in the last one). Two years ago I even ran the world’s highest ultramarathon running 72 kms at altitudes of over 17000 ft. But the challenge to cycle along the length of the UK in 10 days is something else.
Cycling >90 miles/day with significant hills will be a mental and physical challenge – Maintaining focus for 3/4 hours during a marathon is quite different from enduring saddle soreness and neck ache for 10/12 hours a day consecutively for 10 days. I have tasted this pain on a recent coast to coast challenge.
But to be honest, this pain pales into insignificance, when I think of the pain that several of my colleagues endure in their daily working life. Healthcare and medicine are inherently stressful professions – you come across death and suffering routinely. And yet there is very little that prepares them for this occupational hazard. Over a third end up experiencing severe burnout/mental illness and unfortunately a sizeable number kill themselves every year. Stigma is rife. Medics avoid help-seeking if they can.
But there are ways in which we can make a difference. Dr1in4, an initiative set up by me with my colleagues involves Drs with mental illness sharing their personal stories with their colleagues and this approach seems to be helping.
doctors-in-distress.org.uk/
#DoctorsInDistress will use your kind donations to set up in-person and virtual support groups for doctors. This is just the start – while medics have specific factors that make them particularly
State of Mind Sport would like to wish Dr. Dave all the very best wishes on his mammoth journey!