Mental health illnesses are just as real as a broken bones, yet we still find them so hard to talk about. This needs to change and we want to help open the discussion further in the world of triathlon, with help from professional athlete Sarah True and TV star turned triathlete Matt Pritchard.
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Thanks to Sarah True, Matt Pritchard and Dr Simon Marshall for their contributions to this video.
We found two triathletes who were happy to share their very different yet difficult personal experiences of dealing with the negative side of mental health:
We have Sarah True, a professional athlete and two time Olympian who didn’t cope with the pressure of competing at this level which then lead her into a downward spiral of depression.
As well as Matt Pritchard, formerly a star of the UK TV show Dirty Sanchez who struggled with drugs, alcohol addiction and depression and turned to triathlon to help deal with his issues.
To find out how to address these issues and develop coping strategies we need the help of sport and exercise psychologist Dr Simon Marshall.
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Music – licensed by Epidemic Sound:
A Song of Lament – David Celeste
An Elevated State of Mind – Imprismed
Lens Flare 3 – Peter Sandberg
Retrouvailles – Ooyy
The Essence Of Beauty – Peter Sandberg
The Frog’s Ritual – Felix Johansson Carne
The Longest Rest – Alan Ellis
Untruth – Felix Johansson Carne
Voicemail – Felix Johansson Carne
Photos: © Triathlon / Getty Images
Maps: © 2019 Microsoft Corporation, Earthstar Geographics SIO
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Triathlon is saving my life also. Thanks for this vid, guys! 💞
Thank you
I got into triathlon in a more backwards way. I do neuroresearch and one of our studies was on the effect of fitness and it's neuroprotective properties. While doing the literature review for it, and seeing all these studies looking at the healthy effects of endurance and overall fitness, I decided I should get back into shape and maybe try my hand at triathlon.
Good job addressing this! Thank you!
Been there, annihilating myself with training to forget the despair. Self loathing, overtraining, injuries, burnout.
Here again after today's incident, listening to therapeutic Sarah. She should stay calm and watch this video and hear her words after that awful collapse. We are all with you Sarah❤️
Guys, I am a great fan of your videos, but this one is next level! Thank you so much for openly talking about this and raising awareness. I had personally suffered with menthal health issues in the past and got into triathlon to avoid going there again. The exposure to the elements along with a sense of accomplishment are a great way to combat stress and prevent other factors that usually trigger those issues. Very inspirational. Thank you again!
Thank you for raising such an important topic, and looking at it in such a fantastic way. I’d always flirted with deep depression but after a back injury floored me, I ended up deep in it. Exercise is definitely my saviour. I’m more a cyclist than triathlete (based on number of events!) but it all helped. Cycle-therapy is what has me being here to comment today. The more awareness there is, the easier it is to talk and help everyone affected or with someone affected with any mental health challenge
Don't give up! Good advice.
Also try meditation – helps mentaly a lot, also if you don't have mental issues
Wow, thanks for making such a great video about this important topic! And a huge thank you to the Triathletes to speak so open about their experience!
Please do more on this subject it’s so important! Iv been fighting my mental health for over 20years and it so helps to see these “strong” people admit they struggle too, Iv been trying to complete the training for an Ironman for so many years but it’s always my head that gets in the way, I did 4 months of great training to try and complete Lanzarote this year, I was sooo motivated then within the course of a couple of weeks it was gone! I was so down and angry with myself, I took an OD and didnt train for two months, I’m finally getting back into it again but every time is a little harder, I don’t know if I’ll ever make it to the start line, let alone the finish line, but I’ll keep trying
All I can say is wow. Such a short video made the blocks fall into place from my earliest childhood memories to now. There is a pattern, and now matter how far I run or ride from it, it is still there and it is not just me, it happens to other people too. Thanks for such an eye opening video. I will have to rewatch this several times there is so much in it.
Thank you to GTN and Heather for liking and replying to so many comments. Myself and I'm sure others are appreciative. It shows true passion and care for mental health awareness.
Fantastic. I've spent time with anxiety. Triathlon and training gives me the time to think. Either about the challenge ahead or what Fraser, Mark or Heather said about technique. If you break a bone you get it seen to, if you have trouble with your well-being it's a stigma. Some great advice here. Life is better when you Tri
Thank you for sharing this episode GTN.
Myself, and many people I train and compete with suffer from depression. We swim, ride, and run to disconnect.
I would have to say I feel more open with my fellow triathletes than I am with family or friends. We may not all be going through something, but we all have our reasons why we train and that understanding and acceptance speaks volumes.
It's not always easy to wake up for a 5am session, but the day is always so much greater after having finished.
This is brilliant
What is the accent/pronunciaion Sarah speaks?
Great video. Important stuff. 👍👍
A lot of information in this video really transcends triathalon or sport in general. Thank you
Thank you! This sport
really does give me a better outlook and chance to escape x
Thank you. This is good stuff. Really appreciate this, and very well made.
Great video.I think that the key for good mental health is meditation and connecting to our souls.
There is such a stigma that goes along with mental wellness, or lack thereof. To face that in this video is moving, and shows that at least somewhere, someone is braving our society to the right direction for mental well-being. All the positive feedback that you have received since this video came out should show that you are doing it right. Cheers!
Meditate or do yoga and take time to relax from hard training.
If you talk about depression being a problem you've never experienced some real shit.
Beyond a shadow of a doubt. Triathlon has gotten me through one of the darkest times in my life. I believe exercise in collaboration with the setting of goals are both cornerstones to having a positive mental outlook. One is based on the physiological affect via serotonin release, the feel good chemicals in your brain, and the other gives you purpose. They are part and parcel to one another. I also feel a real sense of community within the organization that also helps. This was an excellent video. Thank you for producing it.
great video
Excellent video. Very helpful….thank you!!
Precisely why I got into Triathlon a few years ago, to try and battle my own mental health issues, to prove to myself that I am capable of achieving goals despite my attempts to put myself down and hate myself. It's a constant cycle which I'll never be truly free of, but with therapy (CBT + counselling) and sport I will keep moving forward. Thank you GTN for helping to raise awareness. Ironman Wales for me this year 🙂
GTN has made some great videos but this is the most important video that the GTN crew have put out. We are only beginning to scratch the surface in terms of breaking down the stigma still attached to mental illness. There are ways to get help and significantly more resources are needed to address the issue in broader society but videos like this are an important first step. A massive “well done” to GTN for dealing with mental health in such a mature and nuanced way.
Thanks GTN for a great and really important video. Sarah and Matt's stories are great examples of two ends of a spectrum, both very bravely and openly told. I would just want to draw attention to the many many less extreme examples that are part of everyday life for so many of us. I'm not competitive at all in terms of races (i.e. I'm very slow!), but use races as goals to structure/incentivise my training . For me it's all about the training, which is a massive boost to my mental health. GCN also made a great video about mental health and cycling for those who would like more.
Depression and addiction are best friends. If your an addict, doesn't matter what to, then you seek the endorphins, the feeling, the rush. Suffering on a bike gives me that, but you need to realise that all you've done is swapped one potentially dangerous addiction for a socially acceptable one. You're still an addict. Accept that and you have the key…..or maybe that's just me ✌️
Thank you for sharing this. I have issues with depression and anxiety, triathlon, particularly running is my go to for my mental release and to give me the rush of endorphins to help see me through the tough times.
Triathlon is important. But reaching out and helping someone else is the cornerstone of my mental health. Easier said than done but service is a sure fire way to be truly joyous
Thank you for this.
Well done Heather and GTN team for highlighting this subject. Mental Wellbeing, a subject we tend to hide however it needs to be talked about and shared. Tri and sport is a strategy many use to mitigate and help them through tough times. Awesome subject to share. Keep up the great work.
Important stuff. Srsly, I personally think he has the wrong breed that could help him with his mental illness.
i have psychotic syndrome , schizophrenia i am in medication….and i want to be an ironman….. maybe half ironman… today i swim one hour open water it was great, the training make me feel alive
Great video Heather, thanks to Matt and Sarah for having the courage to talk so openly about a taboo subject. Chapeau to GTN as well for tackling the subject. More of these please.
I battle this almost every day. I think working out helped the last two years . However marathons and now hopefully going after my first IM has helped me deal with the worst times I can recall. I am a survivor and I have tried seeing a counselor ,but unfortunately my insurance won’t cover much and really don’t have the financial freedom to seek help. So yes triathlon or endurance sports have continued to save me daily. Thank you for this video
Wow GTN an amazing video very well done, I am so happy you have spread awareness of this topic because it is bigger than some people think and even though it feels it you are really not alone and there are so many people going through similar situations to you so don’t worry about just saying something because they will have likely been through similar or even going through similar. Just literally saying how you feel to somebody is really going to help you because when you don’t it just builds up and up and up and gets worse but speaking to somebody will make you feel so much better and make you feel abler to cope overall. I have been through depression my self and I made the mistake of not telling anyone and I almost took my life not doing so, it just got so exhausting having these thoughts in your head. But I found speaking to somebody that I really trusted to really help me through my struggles and it helps so much. Please if you are reading this just keep on going and never ever give up, there is an amazing life planned for you and if you give up it will never ever come alive. You are better than you think, you just need to believe it!
This is a great video, because it de-constructs the stigma around mental health. Thank you so much for publishing it!