So I just turned 44 today and I wanted to set myself a special challenge.

I actually completed it a couple of days ago...and it was NUTS.

I carried 500 pounds...

...for a MILE.

I used a special rig made out of plumbing along with a Safety Squat bar to carry this load (the rig weighs 120 pounds and I've got 380 pounds on the bar).

It took me almost 3 hours to do...in fact, the sun went down before I finished and I did the last bit in near dark.

I got the ENTIRE walk on video, which you can see here (don't worry, I sped it up so that the entire walk is covered in around 5 minutes...it's something to see and definitely worth watching :).

 

Why did I do this?

There are four big reasons I did this.

1. To Push My Limits

I do stuff like this all the time because I love to challenge myself and see what I can do. This was something beyond what I had ever done before and I knew I could do it... it was going to be brutally hard and test me, but mental strength is something that must be practiced, developed and maintained.

You'll never know your limits until you really, truly push them.

2. To Inspire Others

One of the things that's most rewarding about what I do is that I can show others (like you!) what you're truly capable of when you put aside pre-conceived notions.

With dedicated training, you can do things that most people wouldn't even dream possible.

 

3. Because I like to scare children.

(Ok, that's just a bonus ;).

 

4. The Mighty Mile for Raising Funds for a Mental Health Charity a Friend Works With

Now, I understand the irony of doing something like this to help support mental health... :)...

A good friend of mine by the name of Dave Hedges (in Ireland) came up with the idea of a mile kettlebell swing challenge to help raise awareness and funds for the group he works with a number of years ago.

It was big success and over the past few years he's done it, he's raised much-needed funds for facility repair and services.

Well, this year, he wanted to go bigger and get more people involved.

And I thought this was the PERFECT event and cause for me to support with something like this.

So I decided to walk a mile with 500 pounds on my back to help support him and his event.

Now...if YOU want to help support this cause as well, you can go here directly to make a donation.

You can consider it my birthday present :).

If you'd like to just visit his event site and see what it's all about and get the full story behind how this event was born...

Go to the Mighty Mile site here.

I chose this challenge voluntarily...there are many, many people who face challenges every single day due to no fault or choice of their own.

It's a great cause and if you DO decide to donate, every single penny goes directly to support the charity and the facilty that helps and supports people who deal with mental issues and problems every single day.